Ambulances are busy tonight, more so than usual, and for the last few hours you've been running back to back runs. Dispatch is on you as soon as you radio at hospital to turn around as fast as you can. Calls are pending.As you're on the way to yet another call you hear calls going out over the air:
"Engine 99 and an ambulance when available respond to..."
"Truck 99 copy, we're out of ambulances we'll put you in line..."
And so on and so on.
You arrive at a call and pick up one of your regulars who has, once again, fallen out of bed and the home health care staff can't, or won't, pick him up, so here we are. We'll discuss the politics of this dispatch another time.
While transporting the stable patient you are very familiar with you hear an engine not far away calling frantically for an ambulance.
They report a traumatic injury, fall from a bicycle, unconscious and an unstable airway. You recall the medic on that engine is a good practitioner and know that if they're calling for help, they need it.
Your driver leans back and says, "They're between us and the trauma center. Wanna go for it?"
You're on the way to the same hospital already. Your patient looks at you and says, "Go for what?"
You make the call.
Comments
Would probably make the offer to dispatch, and let them decide.
STOP! I would want you to stop! Not just because I am a dispatcher, but because I don't want someone to die on my watch while I am in control of all the ambulance out there.
Have the Medic driving go to the trauma call, I wouldn't care who went out to help the fire medic, but someone go help - leaving the other medic to sit and watch the stable patient.
Then the fire medic and the ambulance medic can get the patient stabilized then you can hopefully wait for the next ambulance to clear and come do patient transport.
Of course, as a dispatcher, I would probably be on the phone to the closest hospital begging and pleading for them to release a medic unit so someone can come help you.
I would have done my best to call in mutual aid too.
I would have done anything to not leave the fire medic alone.
Legally/Policy-y (?!), I'm guessing you're similar to us. If I have an in-custody and I'm transporting to the jail and another cop calls for cover, I'm stuck (depending on the severity of the cover call and what my in-custody did...they might find themselves walking on the freeway...but don't tell Admin I said that!)
Additionally you might just save the critical patients life.
Legally, I'd worry about the HIPPA and the whole patient privacy thing, but honestly we're human and I would forego the whole "privacy" thing in the event that you will save the other patient.
I once had a stable heroin addict enroute to the ER when a fire truck collided with a full minivan. Multiple trauma codes. I tried to stop, the addict went beserk and had to move on, only after help arrived. Horrible position to be in.
IF the firemedic can get the patient packaged for transport quickly, and you can move the non-critical patient to the bench seat, you could pick up patient #2 and the firemedic(He has to go with so that there is no question of abandonment for patient 1)and BF&B to the hospital.
This is one of those areas where the LEGAL answer may be to pass on by and drop off #1 and run back for #2.
For me morally, I would try to get both in one shot, with a medic for each patient so there is no accusation of abandonment. Gonna be pretty crowded back there though......
Grab an EMT from the Engine (to drive) and have your partner hop in the back to watch pt. # 1 and help you with # 2.