Here's a good discussion: What are your department's policies in regard to the reporting of criminal offenses? Is it required to report traffic tickets? Misdemeanor convictions? Citations?

A story out of Louisville, KY regarding Tammy Renee Brewer who was involved in an accident while transporting a nose bleed patient. Brewer was found later to have a number of criminal offenses which were not reported to her employer OR the state Board of Emergency Medical Services - which violates state law.

According to the Courier Journal ...

Brewer, who was driving the ambulance, told investigators that she swerved to avoid a pedestrian who darted into her path on Rockford Lane and lost control of the vehicle. The ambulance struck and severed a telephone pole, careened through a drainage ditch, crossed Van Hoose Road, entered another drainage ditch, hit an earthen embankment, continued up the embankment and struck a chain-link fence before coming to rest in a yard, according to a Shively police report.

The patient they were transporting died as a result of the accident.

Brewer was witnessed to have been driving eratically for a half a mile prior to the accident. This is all possibly related to her taking medication prior to her arriving at work. You can read more about the details of the accident in the link below.

Her convictions prior to the accident really have nothing to do with the accident itself per se. The issue that I see is that because of Brewer not following state law and department policy, the public scrutiny over both the accident and Louisville-Metro has now grown legs. These types of things are extremely difficult to recover from.

It's not fair to hard working and dedicated fire and EMS personnel when one person acts selfishly to protect themselves and their own agenda. Granted, I don't know this person personally and frankly care less about her. From what I have read, she cared more about herself than the department, and more importantly, her brothers and sisters.

Rules and regulations are in place for a reason. It's much easier to be honest and upfront when following the rules than to pay the consequences afterwards.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Courier Journal

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