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Self dispatching
How do other fire departments deal with fire fighters that self dispatch to medical MVA's and fires. I know they mean well.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Joe Stoltz on
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Career or volunteer? Are the members going to respond anyway if a mutual aid request is certain to be made?
I think if members head for the station anticipating that the department will be toned out, I have no problem with that. If they go to incidents well outside of the department's response district, well that's not so good.
Fortunately we don't have to deal with that. If we did, words like "insurance coverage" and "liability" and "free-lancing" would surely be used in a largely one sided conversation.
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Permalink Reply by anne potter on
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Unless their dept is called they don't fall under the mutual aid plan.So if they get hurt the insurance will not cover them..I know that when certain call go out that odds are that our dept is going out so I will head to our dept,but never to scene till we called out...Over excited firemen will end up getting hurt.. Probally a letter to their dept asking them to stop them from doing it....
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Permalink Reply by Brian Dumser on
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Like Joe said, if they're responding to their station in anticipation of going mutual aid, OK. Otherwise it smacks of freelancing, which is just plain dangerous and should be discouraged! Luckily, we don't have any problems with freelancing (for the most part) here. Stay safe!
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Permalink Reply by Just Plain Craig Moyer on
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We had a former chief who is a black hat now somehow end up at working alarms in the county. Always thought it was strange.
We have a policy in our county group (7 companies out of 21) that if there is a working alarm then you can self dispatch. We cam also bring a bonus piece. An engine company used to be 2 engines but it's now one. But if you have a crew for the next engine you can bring it. It has come in handy more times then I can count.
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I should have said a chief from another company was the one who was "squirrelly"
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Permalink Reply by Glen Garland on
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As chief I srictly enforce our mutual aid responses. We DO NOT self dispatch, period. I don't mind if somebody heads for the station (no lights) anticipating a mutual aid call, but nothing else until officially requested. Anything else will completely destroy accountibility systems, chain of command etc. If I do have somebody that can't help themselves but to jump the gun on calls then they go home,period, no questions asked and no collecting $200.00 at the start line!!!
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Permalink Reply by Bill Brierton on
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I know on big incidents this is a problem. It doesn't happen too often around here and I know I am guilty of it from time to time most of the calls were medical emergencies so to a point I could handle them till the ambulance showed up. Most of the time it was to hold the hand of the family member than the patient.
On fire calls I'll go to the station and the same for MVA's unless they are on the way to the station and I have no choice but to render as much aid as I can. Sometimes I just come across them and wait till the "calvary" shows up.
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Permalink Reply by T.J. on
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I feel if your in the area of the call and you feel that you can do something positive in resonding to the call or saving a life then thats great, but we've got them so called "ambulance chasers" that show up on every little call and thats not good:)
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Permalink Reply by Randall (Randy) Rider on
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Everyone has pretty much hit on the key words LIABILITY, INSURANCE, etc. Perhaps the department chief or board of commissioners should have a "sit down" with the fire district/department legal counsel. Then come up with a response policy which every member should be instructed in, and sign for copy of same. The key element here as I see it is simply this. By free-lansing, you not only take your own life in your hands, but you jeopardize others as well. Not to mention the fact that if you have not been dispatched, you have no coverage (insurance), and who then takes care of your family. Oh yeah, how about your departments reputation also? Be patient, like the joke about the "old bull/young bull". You'll get your chance.
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"Sometimes I just come across them and wait till the "calvary" shows up."
This is just my opinion, but did you ever think about calling in with your cell phone?
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I hope these people are at least EMT-B so they can do something other than just stand there waiting for the ambulance to show up!
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You are right to a degree.. I carry my pager faithfully and If for example I was running down route 81 and heard of a car accident a couple miles down the road ..Knowing I was the closest to this I would head that direction,but as soon as the responding township showed hand over and walk away. Not a ambulance chaser,but to make apractice of this yea.. chaser...
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