P-423 Responsibilties at Medical Incident

Issued By: TRAINING DIVISION    
Date of Issue: 2003/05/06

Forms Required:  
•    Form A-189 HRF &ES Patient Care Report

PURPOSE:

To identify the roles and responsibilities of members of Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency (HRFE) at Emergency Medical Incidents.

OBJECTIVE:

To ensure optimum patient care by HRFE members. 

SCOPE:

This policy applies to career and volunteer fire fighters of HRFE. 

POLICY: 

HRFES will respond in accordance with dispatch protocols to medical incidents up to the Medical First Responders (MFRs) level.

Staging of Fire Apparatus should be done consistent with Staging as outlined in HRFE Incident Command System. Apparatus should be staged to leave access for other responding apparatus and agencies.

HRF&ES members who are registered with Emergency Health Services (EHS) and are in good standing as a Paramedic 1, 2, or 3 will be able to respond as first responders to the level of their Provincial registration where initial patient contact is made prior to the arrival of EHS Paramedics.
When arrival of the fire services and EHS are concurrent, HRFE will adopt a supportive role, and EHS Paramedics will make the initial patient contact.

The highest registered paramedic of the ambulance crew on scene shall have authority for patient care.

An EHS ambulance crew may request the assistance of HRFE members, who are off duty paramedics, and are higher qualified and licensed through EHS, for assistance or to take over patient care pending the arrival or intercept of an Advanced Life Support (ALS) crew.

Members of HRFE, who are off duty paramedics, and who have a higher level of license than the responding EHS ambulance personnel, shall follow all protocols for the level of Provincial License that they hold.

If an HRFE MFR, who is an off duty paramedic, performs skills, or the patient requires ongoing medication outside the scope of practice of the responding EHS ambulance personnel, the HRFE member, who is an off duty paramedic, must remain with the patient until the care of the patient can be transferred to an equal or higher licensed Paramedic.

It is the responsibility of the HRFE MFR, who is an off duty paramedic, to document any medications that were administered and skills that were performed. Documentation must be completed on the EHS Patient Care Report and the HRFE Patient Care Report. If documentation cannot be completed at the scene, the HRFE MFR, who is an off duty paramedic, will go to the appropriate facility and complete the necessary paperwork.

It remains the responsibility of the Station Officer to complete the HRFE Patient Care Report (Form A-189) on all medical calls.

POLICY REVIEW:

This policy shall be reviewed when/if there are changes/amendments to the roles and responsibilities of HRFE members at emergency medical incidents