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.
Balancing “I say, you do” with empathy and stewardship
Inside our department’s process to restructure and rebrand to better reflect our service to the community
There is a groundswell of support to change how lights and sirens are used in EMS to reduce risk to ambulance crews, patients and others
An ambulance was damaged after a woman stole it from a hospital and led police on a chase; the department had no policy in place to prevent ambulance theft
The woman stole the ambulance outside of a home as paramedics were inside responding to a call
The man was wearing an EMT jacket and had police gear in his car when he attempted to pick up an inmate from a Massachusetts correctional institution
The judge said the state law was pre-empted by federal law and was “unenforceable”
The move comes after a lawsuit between the fire district and county commissioners after they refused to renew the fire district’s certificate to hire its own medical director
The paramedic responded to a call to treat a child with meningitis; the ambulance did not have the right sized equipment to treat the toddler
Susan English Slappey was arrested twice within one week and also faces charges from other counties
The bill would provide $80,000 for the families of EMS providers who were killed in the line of duty
Byron Beales was charged for allegedly beating a patient he was transporting in an ambulance; his case was dismissed on Wednesday
The legislation is currently making its way through the Minnesota house; the bill would remove the two percent health care provider tax
The woman’s mother said she has mental issues and that she was not aware of her actions when she stole the ambulance
Brandon Mitchell was arrested for obtaining money by false pretenses; it was discovered he also faced charges of theft from his prior department
The EMT was fired after his supervisor told him he was not mentally fit for duty and that he was a liability for the department
The woman stole the ambulance from a hospital after paramedics left the vehicle to take a patient into the emergency room
The paper focuses its attention of the critical issues of stress, mental health and suicide in EMS
Kristin McLain was helping hoist an injured woman with non-life threatening injuries into a helicopter when she fell
The EMT disappeared amidst an investigation into missing funds from the department
We laugh about our own fatigue-related episodes, but such gallows humor belittles the real issue that lies beneath
Nicholas James Dickerson took photos of himself sexually abusing a 9-year-old girl at a fire station; the photos were discovered in a deleted picture folder on his phone
The man’s attorney said he was acting in self-defense after being pushed over by a fire captain
The paramedics were forced to work a 20-hour shift to transport a patient; officials said crews regularly work shifts of more than 15 hours
Fire Chief Gary Ludwig will discuss the critical role fire departments play in the fast-changing health care system at Fire-Rescue Med conference in May
Expand your knowledge of EMS care beyond rote memorization and you’ll soon realize that you are rarely withholding care
The woman stole the ambulance from a medical center; police were able to quickly track the ambulance down because of its GPS tracker
For every action in EMS there are consequences — sometimes positive and sometimes negative — but sometimes you do what you gotta do
The EMT allegedly exchanged sexually explicit photos and videos with the junior firefighter for several months
The two firefighters were suspended after transporting a toddler in their fire truck instead of waiting for an ambulance; one firefighter said he would do it again
Researchers find a growing number of patients without a spontaneous heartbeat who regain consciousness while receiving CPR
These are universal strategies for effective emails, social media posts, text messages and official reports
