Curious question

[ExplorerShane]

Ok, so I came up with a curious question today and needed an answer. Lets say your transporting a critical patient, and a police officer, in a police car, pulls up behind you, and turns on his lights trying to get you to pull over. Your patient is critical and you are going L/S enroute to the hospital. What if your patient is not critical?

Heres what I think I would do with a critical patient:

Radio dispatch and advise them that we have a police officer trying to get us to pull over, advise them of the department and unit number and have them get in contact with that agency.

Stable patient: Pull over and ask the officer what he wants.

What would you do?

[VentMedic]

I would pull over. LEOs should be respected. One minute of courtesy may prevent embarrassment later. It is very rare that they will pull over an ambulance. They may have a good reason.

1. You could have a mechanical problem that the LEO noticed that could affect safety. If it is something simple like lighting, the LEO may escort you safely.

2. The LEO will not detain you for any length of time but will get your destination if there is something more to discuss.

3. If it is your driving that is the problem, the LEO still will probably not detain you but will warn you and may still meet you at your destination.

4. If your driving is an issue, the LEO probably has already contacted your dispatch and supervisor to meet you at the destination. Many times the LEO will find out your destination from your dispatch and just follow you.

5. There have been instances when an ambulance changes lanes quickly or accidentally cuts someone off while running L/S and may have caused an accident which was not noticed by either crew member. This may be to protect you later so concerned citizens aren't going to be able to say it was a hit and run by an ambulance.

[Just Plain Ruff]

good post and question

1. if I have a critical patient and they want me to stop I'll call dispatch and ask them to call the department trying to stop me and ask what they are stopping for. Asking dispatch to advise them I have a critical patient. If the LEO still wants me to stop then I will have my driver or if I am driving I will stop.

2. if it is my driving or my drivers driving at issue then we have a bigger deal than just stopping for a LEO. They are stopping you for a reason and you better have a good excuse as to why they stopped you for what you did.

3. If it is mechanical, then heck yes I want them to stop me. If the vehicle has become unsafe then better to get another ambulance for transport than risk my and my partners/patients life.

4. If you caused an accident or cut off someone then they should actually follow you till you get to the hospital and then discuss it with them.

but the long and the short of it is this - You probably should stop regardless of the criticality of the patient. You have to obey the traffic laws of your state critical patient or not and in any jurisdiction, if a LEO wants you to stop and you do not, then you could face tickets and much much trouble.

Great question though.

[MeekoBB]

Interesting....I actually know someone who experienced this. She was transporting a code patient without ALS L/S to the hospital (ALS wasn't available so they just load and go).

Being that it was a private ambulance (transport from a SNF) some local PD hates private services and stop....Not saying she was right or wrong, she called into dispatch to notify of LEO in pursuit, but simply continued on her way. She had told me that as soon as she pulled into the ER (staff was outside waiting to assist) she turned quickly and saw that the cop had turned off his lights and continued on his way.

From what her dispatcher said when he called the PD desk, was that it was becuase of a private service using L/S in his district and many there does not like it.

That wasn't the first time either, she was going lights and sirens about 2 min from a rendezvous point with ALS with a CVA pt on board, they pulled over for the LEO and the cop threw open the back doors just to make sure there was a patient on board and they weren't using lights frivously.

I recommend calling dispatch to let them know to contact the LEO's desk to find out the nature of the chase.

[Dustdevil]

I recommend waiting until he's right up on your arse -- as you know he will be -- then slamming on your brakes and watching him eat the big one.

That'll teach 'em.

Never stop. It sets a bad precedent.

[Just Plain Ruff]

thats just like you Dust, strike first, strike hard and strike often.

[PRPGfirerescuetech]

[/font:b2a3cfa95e] NEVER EVER STOP!

Time for a PRPG "I lived through this one" Scenario:

MVC with multiple injuries. You are third ALS unit on scene, load priority trauma patient, and ground the patient approximate 21 miles to regional trauma center.

During the trip, you pass through a small borough, well known for its rapidly shrinking speed limits in their speed traps. A officer attempts to stop you for doing 42 in a 25 mph speed zone.

Do you continue? Or so you stop? Do you slow down and flip him off for not having the respect for human life to think twice about pulling over an ambulance?

You continue to the hospital. He writes a ticket and screams alot when you both get there.

You call his boss and speak professionally. He gets suspended and the ticket gets torn up.

Moral: Regardless of their intent, the human life your transporting supercedes any sort of authority they are trying to assert. Also, someone in their department will have a cooler head to realize the mistake they made by creating a problem with another member of the public safety triad, and rectify it.

Simply stated, it sets a poor precedent.

Just my opinion,

PRPG

[medicjoe2954]

Guess WHO PRPG!!!!!!!!!!

[paramaximus]

I too have lived this scenario.

The Set-up: We were transporting a child with an open skull fracture and t-spine fx from a small rural hospital to the Childrens Hospital about 2 and half hours away (less than optimal weather, helicopters would not fly). I instructed my EMT to "get there" as I am not fond of seizing children even when they are strapped to a backboard.

In a little Podunk town known for being a speed trap, we found ourselves being pursued by a very anxious law man. My first thought was "screw em", but he wasn't giving up. I told my EMT to stop, right there in the road. Before the law man could even get out of his car I bailed out the back (with both doors wide open) and requested his name so I would know who to transfer the pt over to. When he looked in and saw the angelic face of a child with bilateral periorbital ecchymosis you could literally see the color drain from his face. He said since he only saw one person in the cab of the ambulance, he thought a mechanic was taking it for a joy ride... strange, I know.

At any rate, he felt compelled to provide an escort from there on. Needless to say, we didn't get a ticket and I think he probably got a lesson he will never forget.