Legal Issues
The legal issues topic contains news and information about legal issues affecting EMS personnel, agencies or departments. Find the latest news from personnel misconduct, to disciplinary and harassment cases, to malpractice lawsuits, as well as advice to prevent legal action with EMS training, documentation and management.
Our co-hosts recount the EMS stories that generated the most debate on the podcast during the year; do you agree with their conclusions?
Both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation are critical for keeping team members involved and prepared for the challenges they face
What we can learn about retention from EMS rising stars
Gordon Stokes is accused of intentionally drilling into an overdose patient’s bone without anesthesia and then calling it a “teachable moment”
Calling his behavior disgusting, a judge sentenced Theodore Gasiorowski to a year in jail and ordered him to pay $150,000
A paramedic said Thomas Shackleford deliberately grabbed her breasts as she “grabbed his arm to support him”
Donald Horner had an expired EMT certification and he allegedly altered reports on 27 occasions to conceal that fact when he served as a crew member
Stephanie Schwambach faces several felony charges after allegedly leading police on a chase in a stolen ambulance before crashing it into a tree
The City of Moore said the opioid crisis forced them to spend more money on firefighters, EMS providers and other addiction services than usual
Operating in the public eye under conditions that may require evacuation or assisting colleagues at a moment’s notice means responders must be ready 24/7
Using LEAD principles, EMS leaders can encourage employee retention at their organizations
John Harvey, who has a history of making hundreds of bogus calls for help, was jailed when he began asking bystanders to call for him instead
Police said San Antonio paramedics left the truck running while they tended to a patient, and a suspect jumped inside and took off
Gaston EMS released a list of violations that took place when a crew was sent to aid in hurricane relief, resulting in terminations and suspensions
Officials want to move ahead with Gold Cross EMS negotiations after a court threw out the process that might have led to the company being replaced
Yazoo County dispatcher Terrance Freeman allegedly helped another suspect rob one of his co-workers at gunpoint while she was working
The human body is an ideal training tool, but fire/EMS training protocols and the law must be followed
Police are searching for a man who stole a Yazoo County dispatcher’s purse while she was on the job
Though an investigation said 11 department members admitted to intubating a deceased patient, only nine of them were actually credentialed healthcare providers
Embrace change, empower leaders and remove cancer are three factors to evolve an EMS agency and avoid the pitfalls of stagnation
Involuntary manslaughter charges were filed against police Sgt. Ronald Buckley and paramedics Matt Dicosola and Leah Maynard in the death of inmate William Marshall
Detroit EMT Charlene Kinnard was treating an elderly woman with breathing issues when a thief stole her belongings out of the ambulance
“If the patient is deceased at the scene, it becomes a law enforcement issue,” Whatcom County Fire District 14 Chief Jerry DeBruin said
An organization’s leadership culture may explain the stark difference in opinion between providers and leaders on issues of patient and provider safety
A 10-week investigation into the actions of four paramedics who responded to a medical call involving a stroke patient who later died
Witnesses told investigators that “tube checks” on deceased patients were “a widespread prior practice of paramedics” of the Bellingham Fire Department
Officials said several department members practiced multiple intubations on a body that was awaiting transport to a funeral home
The city of Sun Prairie settled with paramedics John Uebelacker and Matthew Schaller who were cleared of wrongdoing after being fired in 2014 over the care of a patient
Effective fire and paramedic chiefs and officers reflect on the past to validate the present and chart the future
Christy Woods allegedly stole the ambulance while paramedics performed CPR on an unconscious woman and rammed a police cruiser off the freeway at 85 mph
Police originally said the ambulance had its lights and sirens on when it ran through a red light and hit another vehicle, but are now reassessing what occurred
Officials are subpoenaing all records from the several different departments as part of their investigation into the misuse of $8.2 million
Johnathan Harris allegedly grabbed the paramedic inappropriately while masturbating, and later grabbed her by the throat when she tried to restrain him
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