Red Lights and Sirens Response
In my opinion there is no greater risk to myself, my partner, our patient, and the surrounding public than responding and/or transporting while running with red lights and sirens. The benefit is rarely, if ever, equal to the risk.
I am a member of a local first responder group that has stopped allowing members to install lights and sirens in their privately owned vehicles for scene response. From January 1, 2009 forward, red lights can only be deployed in POVs for marking the incident location.
First responder groups throughout our county have been asked to ensure that they have a formal red lights and sirens policy. Several groups were said to have policies that simply stated, “Our policy is to follow the policy of the County EMS Association.” Short and sweet, but the County EMS Association does not have a red lights and sirens policy for its members.
A recent thread on the EMS Listserve identified these web sites as resources on red lights and sirens policies. What other sites would you add? How would you write an e-learning lesson about red lights and sirens response?
New York State Policy Statement
Wisconsin EMS Association Emergency Vehicles Operatio Position Statement
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- Ebook: Social Media Policy Guide
- Emergency Response Organizations Using Social Media
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Tags: Lights and Sirens, Online EMT Education, POV
