Hand signals for EMS

[Chris Smith]

Croaker I'd be interested in what you were talking about for FTO'ing.

[Richard B the EMT]

I had a situation where a hand signal could have come in handy.

My partner was outside the ambulance talking to the LEOs, at the scene of a man who'd been assaulted. I had the man inside the ambulance, alone, checking him out while he was seated on the "crew bench", when I noted the man was carrying a firearm!

How do you advise partners and the cops that you need them, without alerting the patient that you know they're armed?

I was lucky, as the patient asked for me to summon one of the uniformed LEOs, as it turned out he was an undercover, plain-clothes detective, from a different precinct than where the call was.He surrendered his weapon to the LEO Sargent on the scene.

[Bernhard]

In german disaster response services, following standardized (and borrowed from german army, I'm pretty sure, most probably even before world wars) hand/light signals are common, meanings vary a bit according to context. Some of them are:

• hold one arm up in the air (and/or steady white light): "Attention!", "Watch me/make contact to me!", "Acknowledged/Ready!" - this may be accompanied by a short pipe signal or a shout to get attention.
  
• wave arm over the head (and/or waving red light): "No!/Error!/Didn't mean it!", "Didn't understand!", "Not ready!/Wait!"
  
• crossed arms over forehead, ellbows on the side (or blinking green light): "Prepare for beeing ready!"
  
• hold one arm up and make large circles over the head (blinking white light): "Come together! Line up!"
  
• hold one hand up and make small circles over the head (dunno light signal): "Sub-leaders to me!"
  
• turn one arm circulary beside the body (and/or turn a green light beside the body): "Start work!", "Start engines!"
  
• one arm on the head, ellbow on the side (or blinking red light): "Stop work/movement!", "Stop engines!"
  
• push up one arm beside the body multiple times (and/or push up green light): "Get in vehicles!", "Start moving!/Faster!"
  
• push down one arm beside the body multiple times (and/or push down red light): "Get out of vehicles!", "Stop movemen!/Slower!"
  
• and others...
  

They're pretty unique so someone understands the basic ones even when not beeing fully instructed. It's not designed for detailed EMS work, but for more general far distance signaling when working with convoys or several dislocated groups/engines (i.e. long distance pumping). Additionally there are several standard signs for aiding a driver when backing up and so on.

Common danger signal on scene is a piping or horn signal, alternating high/low (or on/off), meaning "Drop all and leave area!". Emergency signal are long (high) tones for "Help me!". Signal pipes were common until the 1980ies, now they're still stored somewhere and in official equipment lists, but rarely known/used unless some leader still has a thought about radio equipment failure.

For more detailed information such as number and condition of patients or area information I would use written messages and a runner, if electronics fail.

[Richard B the EMT]

Pipes? For some reason, I am mentally picturing a naval Boson's Whistle, delivering an alert signal like Uhura calling Captain Kirk to the bridge of the Starship Enterprise.

[Bernhard]

Hm, whistle is the correct term, I guess, yes.

So, not those ones:

But something like this:

The Uhura analogy may be just fine, yes - only louder.

[Asysin2leads]

Bernhard, if you ever develop a plan for the incorporation of alpenhorns into MCI scenarios, I will be on board.