How skilled are Paramedics when it comes to response driving ?

[Just Plain Ruff]

Why don't we ask this question.

How many of us have been involved in an accident in an ambulance?

Of those, how many have been involved while the ambulance has been in emergence operations?

I can answer yes to both questions.

Of those questions, how many of those drivers had any sort of EVOC or emergency operations driving training other than "get behind the wheel and drive" training.

I'll bet if you asked the general public what kind of training they thought the individual ambulance driver got the answer would be more than what the generic ambulance operator actually gets.

Edited May 7, 2012 by Captain Kickass

[DFIB]

Why don't we ask this question.

How many of us have been involved in an accident in an ambulance?

Of those, how many have been involved while the ambulance has been in emergence operations?

I can answer yes to both questions.

Of those questions, how many of those drivers had any sort of EVOC or emergency operations driving training other than "get behind the wheel and drive" training.

I'll bet if you asked the general public what kind of training they thought the individual ambulance driver got the answer would be more than what the generic ambulance operator actually gets.

I have never been in a service accident.

Our service has had several more than 4 and less than 10 in the last 3 years. One of them a roll over.

None of the drivers have had EVOC training.

[island emt]

Okay Ruff: I'll play the game.

Since I started in 1971 , I've been in one ::: yes 1 ambulance involved accident while moving. We were responding on track during an AMA production race in the spring of 85 when we got hit in the right rear corner by a superbike entering turn 3 at the Louden NH road coarse. I had the offline and he tried to turn inside of me just a wee bit late. just a big bump and continued on.

We ended up with a dented panel and the rider continued on with a slightly bent wheel. This was the same race where we had to call for extrication tools to cut a rider out of his twisted bike frame.

we did have a crew slide on glass ice road conditions and hit snowbank, before sliding into a house. No damage to house and only damage to truck was a cracked turn signal lense. I was responding from opposite direction and arrived to see the snow flying and the gentle thump in the plow bank.

[paramedicmike]

I've dented two bumpers. Well, one was just dented and the other was dented and almost ripped off. Both were backing accidents. They both happened while I was still new... probably within a year of my entrance into EMS. They both took place after "organizational training" and before formal EVOC training (which I have since taken).

I've had no accidents while driving under L&S.

[BushyFromOz]

I've dented two bumpers. Well, one was just dented and the other was dented and almost ripped off. Both were backing accidents. They both happened while I was still new... probably within a year of my entrance into EMS. They both took place after "organizational training" and before formal EVOC training (which I have since taken).

I've had no accidents while driving under L&S.

Similar story here, bent a pumer in a carark. ONe of the downfalls of reversing cameras is when you get used to them and they stop working, you lose you sense of depth perception when reversing.

[emtdennis]

I'm not going to argue with the first part, believe me.

There is still a need to teach people how to drive an ambulance though. Aside from the differences between driving the average car and a large, truck like vehicle (even van types take getting used to), there is a much higher need for evasive (or defensive if you like) driving skills while driving emergently than there is for the average driver. Not to say that everyone shouldn't know these things, or that having a solid foundation in driving fundamentals wouldn't help immensely when you first get behind the wheel. But a much higher skill level is, or should be, required. And that takes time, and practice, which is often hard to come by.

The bolded portion...while it isn't the root cause in my opinion, that is the culture that needs to be changed to increase safety. Of course, there is a lot that would go into changing that, beyond changing the mentality of new EMT's and paramedics.

I do agree with the last paragraph of your quote, There are some very good articles in the Jan-Mar-2012 Issue of Prehospital Emergency Care (Official Journal of the National Association of EMS Physicians). The article discusses areas from ambulance designs to patient transport. I don't have authority to reprint it here, but it may be worth looking into especially when they cite accident statistics.

Yes, I would like to see greater standards across the board in the US, I have become more aware of how drivers for other companies handle rigs. Saw one almost flip over a few days ago, taking a turn too quick.

Rigs are top heavy, almost nothing you can do about the design, but the "nut between the steering wheel and the seat" can hold things together with no problem. Attitude toward self-crew-patient should be the motivator to the driver. Guess it is just that I actually enjoy driving and have my desire to end my shift safely and "do no harm".

[Kiwiology]

Similar story here, bent a pumer in a carark. ONe of the downfalls of reversing cameras is when you get used to them and they stop working, you lose you sense of depth perception when reversing.

Reversing camera? You lucky bastard, it's the wing mirror special around these parts

[Arctickat]

Then you'll be happy to hear that we also have side view blind spot cameras.

[Kiwiology]

Then you'll be happy to hear that we also have side view blind spot cameras.

You mean those little round spot mirrors you can adhere onto the end of your regular wing mirrors, yes we have those

[craig]

You mean those little round spot mirrors you can adhere onto the end of your regular wing mirrors, yes we have those

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