4 Massachusetts Firefighters Failed to Follow Procedure on Medical Call

[News]

Disciplinary action follows a call that resulted in the death of a patient.

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[DwayneEMTP]

Yeah, man, I read this elswhere, and it makes me want to spit. Some hosemonkeys turned off their radios so they could sleep, the dispatcher didn't wake them up, they all lied about it, and got a few weeks and a letter in their files?

Disghusting.

[paramedicmike]

So the FFs aren't being blamed for the death just that they didn't show up and at least one of them lied about it?

My next questions are: Was the patient even alive when the ambulance that was dispatched got there? Was this a case where the patient could reasonably have been saved? What would the FFs have done had they not been lazy that would have prevented the death of this patient?

I know we'll never know the specifics surrounding the patient. Not that it matters in the end. EMS responds to calls across the country every day without the hindrance of the FD. But to hear the FD tell it if the FFs are there then everything will be fine no matter what anyone else does.

All that being said, turn down your radios, ignore dispatch, dispatch lying about a response and being on scene should result in a little more than a suspension and reprimand. Termination should be the case for all of them.

[BushyFromOz]

Sounds like there is a underlying issue with the organizations culture

[Just Plain Ruff]

Tough to change a culture when there are so many who go out of their way to avoid work.

Change comes from the top down and that is what it will take here.

[BushyFromOz]

Tough to change a culture when there are so many who go out of their way to avoid work.

Change comes from the top down and that is what it will take here.

Thats

what the organization i work for needs... unfortunately its easier to just blame your employees for having a bad culture that apparently starts from the grass roots level

[nypamedic43]

I have to wonder why the leniency? Because they are firefighters? That's BS and we all know it. I dont work nights, thank goodness, but in NY we have 3 minutes to get up, dressed and out the door to a call. And response times are monitored closely. As for the dispatcher lying on the call report and noting that they were on scene and they didnt even respond, he should be fired. It amazes me the slack that is given our firefighter brethren....slack that we as medics and emt's don't get.