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.
A patient was unresponsive after EMS administered sedatives to a postictal seizure patient restrained by police
Six different career ladders with compensation and rank based on experience, higher education and specialized training improves retention
Clinical, operational and legal solutions for high utilizers of the 911 system
“When the prosecutor sees and hears compassion, competence and professionalism, even in the face of significant errors being made, it becomes much harder to justify filing criminal charges”
The Cleveland EMS provider was in uniform at the time of the attack in 2021
The 35-year-old man died from compressional and positional asphyxia, which a coroner said was a result of being placed face down on a stretcher
The Springfield patient, who may have been experiencing hallucinations, was placed face-down on a stretcher and restrained
Rachel Peace’s husband, Gary Peace, died after suffering a heart attack; her lawsuit names 11 defendants
The suit states the city suppressed the salaries of EMS providers and says their work is substantially equal to firefighters’ work
A patient handcuffed to a stretcher reportedly kicked the responder with enough force that he was pushed out the rig’s doors and onto the ground
Deven R. Dearing used social media to initially interact with the teenager
The three people on board — a pilot, a flight paramedic and a flight nurse — are all presumed dead
The claim has prompted Town Council to rethink the contract with the Hermon Volunteer Rescue & First Aid Squad
Some of her family members wept and some walked away during the playing of a cellphone video that showed the aftermath of the 2017 incident
Why right-sizing EMS response is crucial to increasing pay and improving work-life balance
The rescue of four people who survived took hours and involved helicopters and firefighters rappelling down the cliffside
“I feel great about the opportunity to serve New York City in this way,” said Michael Fields, former deputy assistant chief of EMS Operations
Our co-hosts recount the EMS stories that generated the most debate on the podcast during the year; do you agree with their conclusions?
Lisa Sillins, 55, was crossing the street to the employee parking lot when she was struck by a driver reportedly under the influence
“He spun back around and shoved Fire Chief Larry Fisher in the chest causing him to go backwards into the ambulance door,” a Merrimac Police Officer said
Davenport leaders have decided to back a plan to bring nonprofit MEDIC under the county’s umbrella
Both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation are critical for keeping team members involved and prepared for the challenges they face
Frustrated EMS providers described a chaotic scene and said they were uncertain who was in charge, where they should be and how many victims to expect
The Hammond Fire Department has made an average of 15 runs per day to the hospital’s emergency room in the last five years
Christopher Biggs, now working as a paramedic with Keyser EMS, was permitted to work as long as he coordinates his schedule with home confinement officials
“If he never learned the consequences of spitting in a grown man’s face, then consider my actions a public education,” the firefighter told Telemundo
The EMT said the patient punched and kicked her, leading to his arrest; his family claims his movements were injury symptoms
What we can learn about retention from EMS rising stars
With sufficient sign-ons from states, local governments would also be able to sign on to get shares
In his letter, Doug Dick, Superior Ambulance’s leader, threatened to add charges for calls and to stop responding in towns that do not pay more
Doug Wolfberg raises concerns about New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ mental health directive
“EMS providers are effectively being required to intervene and transport persons merely because they are homeless and apparently mentally ill”
But House and Senate members may work together to alter the legislation prompted by a Cleveland firefighter’s death
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