To all EMS workers: Paramedics and EMT's

[divemedic]

I am interested in getting an idea of scene control policies with regards to dealing with patients and bystanders in possession of weapons (more specifically guns) Do they hold them? Call the cops? Ignore them?

I am not interested in how you personally handle it, or even if the policy is followed. I am purely interested on if there is a policy, and if so, what that policy is. Even if you do not work in EMS, but you know some EMS folks in your area, see if they will tell you what their official policy is.

 

[hirundo82]

I was on a volunteer squad for ~6 years; I was unaware of any policy on dealing with armed patients.

This was in a shall-issue state with a large number of permit holders, but the issue never came up.

 

[walking arsenal]

Our policy is to give the weapon to a police officer for safe keeping if its a good guy or wait until the cops pry it from their fingers before we treat them if its a bad guy.

 

[shookwell]

Policy is that it's PD's job to deal with weapons.

Reality is that we do what makes sense (e.g. safe weapons or turn a blind eye as appropriate).

 

[.38 Special]

Never saw or was told of any official policy. "Scene safety" is, however, "standard" policy as well as something that is drilled into you during training. If I felt unsafe -- which I would have, had any "shady characters" been walking around with guns -- then I backed off and waited for PD.

 

[Rich K]

In my area, the police always respond with fire and EMS. LE takes care of any weapons on the scene.

 

[Code3GT]

I'm with .38 Special. There is no set "policy" as PD doesnt always respond with us. If my pt doesnt present a threat, and I find out he's a CHL/CCW holder, then I tell him i'd be more than happy to secure his 2nd amendment rights and make sure hospital security secures it for him. I then follow up and make sure he/she is taken care of...and THOROUGHLY document everything I do, as always If they want to remain concealed and notify hospital staff in the ER, thats fine too. I usually try and be a pt advocate though so that dumbass RN's (we all know them!) dont freak out. If the pt is uncon/DRT/altered/etc, and PD isnt there, i'll secure it, if not a crime scene, i'll clear it and pass it off to a cop, again documenting everything thoroughly.

 

[Don Gwinn]

I don't think we have a policy in place. I've never encountered a firearm on a call, and Illinois is not a CCW state, so we may be unusual in that regard.

 

[Docgmt]

For my dept if it was a legal weapon then it went to the hospital where security would ask that it be unloaded outside the doors and given to them for safe keeping until the person was discharged. If it was not legal then we had PD come and get it and them.

 

[langenc]

"I don't think we have a policy in place. I've never encountered a firearm on a call, and Illinois is not a CCW state, so we may be unusual in that regard."

So no one carries in IL?? Seems a few people do get shot. Maybe no one calls EMS.

 

[FFMedic]

I am on 3 fire departments. I was aware of no official SOP/SOG for the situation for any of the departments.

Some neighboring depts have safes in the ambulances, they place the gun inside them and then who knows what?

FFMedic

 

[un_lucky]

The policy for the service I was on was that we could not treat or be in close proximity to anyone with a dangerous weapon. Not that it was ever followed.

 

[sniper5]

I worked as a paramedic in the SF bay area for 18 years. Like most of the other people here no specific policy on weapons on scene. If the scene was known to be potentially violent we staged and waited for PD to clear. If PD was on scene we let them do their thing. If they were not on scene and a weapon was present we "secured" the weapon which generally meant trying to separate weapon from person and be between the patient and the weapon, discreetly if possible. If the patient is armed and things begin to escalate we pulled back and waited for PD. If the person was CCW (we do have those in the Bay Area contrary to popular opinion-not many, but we do have them) we generally treated them like an injured cop and called PD to secure the weapon (hospitals don't like injured cops that are armed either) and safeguard it and return it to the owner. One of the nice things (very few nice things) about a may issue system is that the CCW is treated like a VIP and dealt with very diplomatically because a lot of them ARE VIPs and friends of the chief.

 

[HIcarry]

As a former paramedic, I can't recall a single agency having a written policy on handling firearms found on patients. The usual procedure was to separate the firearm from the patient and hand it off to the police.

As an ED RN I can say that few, if any, of the facilities I have worked at had specific policies on handling firearms on patients. Those policies that did address firearms were usually quite brief and non-specific, usually calling for the police to come and secure the gun.

I usually try and be a pt advocate though so that dumbass RN's (we all know them!) dont freak out.

Having worked both sides of the fence, I can tell you that I have had paramedics freak over guns (once after they had brought the patient to the ED and the gun was found as we rolled the patient to check their back...) at least as often as I have had nurses and physician do so. So yep, some "dumbass" RNs "freak out" over guns...you can usually tell who they are. They are the ones standing next to the "dumbass" paramedic freaking out for the same reason.