Cell phones and EMS vehicle operators.

[TJZ]

I am happy to say that I work for a company that does not allow cell phone use while driving and it is preferred that the EMT not driving do the dispatch communication unless directly involved with patient care. We use one word communication with dispatch while on the road and are expected to pull over for further communications if needed. We are allowed to carry our personal phones on vibrate and call them back when we have down time.

There are many that follow this wonderfully and will even ask their partner to switch if a call comes in and we have no patient so that they are not driving and can talk. However, we do have some that disregard They generally end up triggering the drive cam eventually and do get reprimanded lol.

Cell phone use while driving is just not acceptable and nothing looks more unprofessional to me that someone driving an ambulance with a phone on their ear...shameful.

[tskstorm]

No one has mentioned bluetooth or hands free devices....

Im texting this on my phone while driving the ambulance

[firedoc5]

No one has mentioned bluetooth or hands free devices....

Im texting this on my phone while driving the ambulance

Talented...I got to turn the shower off to sing.

I can see hands free devices, but could bluetooth be distracting to other radio traffic. I've never used bluetooth. My cell phone still has a dial on it.

[tskstorm]

Not that I know of, but everything causes interference with something else ....

Reguardless doesn't change nothing in your personal life should effect your patient care on the job ... but if you can do things without interferring with pt care what's the big deal ...

[firedoc5]

Not that I know of, but everything causes interference with something else ....

Reguardless doesn't change nothing in your personal life should effect your patient care on the job ... but if you can do things without interferring with pt care what's the big deal ...

The "potential" big deal is, whether you have a pt. on board or not, is just that one fraction of a second that it takes to be distracting, interfere, get in the way of, etc. Unless you are the owner of the ambulance you are in, there can be a lot of damage done to a very expensive piece of equip. And I'd say some insurance companies would have a thing or two to say about it. There's already a lot going on while operating any emergency vehicle. The last thing you need is one more.

Now, I'm not on any side, for or against, the use of cell phone technology. I think it's a great tool to be used for communication for dispatch, mercy call in's, etc. But let's use a little common sense too.

[JPINFV]

No one has mentioned bluetooth or hands free devices....

Im texting this on my phone while driving the ambulance

The problem with communicating while driving is not an issue of how many hands are on the wheel, but the distraction from the conversation. Unlike with a passengers in a vehicle who can see the situation and know when to give the driver a few minutes to get through a sticky situation (i.e. multiple lane changes to get an offramp, traffic slowing quickly, etc), a person on the other hand of a cell phone doesn't have that same luxury.

[Medic117]

I did mention bluetooth. I don't have a problem with talking with a hands-free device DURING POST MOVES ONLY. It should never be done while dispatch is trying to communicate information to you, a pt. is on board, you are maneuvering traffic during an emergency, or any other time during a call...and I wouldn't be opposed to a complete ban on using them while driving period. Certainly, if you paramedic (we run one paramedic/AIC and an EMT/driver) has a problem with anything, they should have the authority to end the practice.

[Medic117]

Some people can use a hands free device while driving, and others can't....if it in any way effects your driving, it should be banned.....

[Medic117]

No one has mentioned bluetooth or hands free devices....

Im texting this on my phone while driving the ambulance

...and you should be fired for putting the lives of your crew and patient (if applicable) at risk for doing so.

[tskstorm]

...and you should be fired for putting the lives of your crew and patient (if applicable) at risk for doing so.

Who said there was a risk ? sitting at my CSL warrants no attention and no risk.