Again, a lot depends on the condition of the patient. If the patient is in an emergent condition and I was the medic in the back after having discovered the weapon and the patient allowing me to take the weapon from them, I'd hand it (in the holster, hopefully!) to my partner up front and we'd hand it over to the po-po at the hospital. If the patient was declining to give the weapon up, but otherwise was conscious, alert, oriented to person/place/time/event and otherwise cooperative, we'd probably have PD meet us at the ramp to the ER because there's no way I'm taking the patient in to the ER if he's 'strapped'. If the patient was in distress, though, things change - the situation becomes one of getting the patient to higher-level care. Often those patients are not so alert, and often any confrontation with the patient becomes less a problem if they're at a less than great consciousness. Gotta use your head, but crew safety is the top of the safety pyramid, and if crew safety is compromised, then patient care can be compromised as well.allisji wrote:I was posting semi-in-jest... I would assume that most medical transports have a "no firearms" policy because most hospitals/medical facilities seem to do so as well (though hospitals are required to give notice per 30.06/30.07 in order to prohibit handguns). I don't know what threat a person poses if in need of emergency medical transport while armed...C-dub wrote:Here's to hoping for a swift recovery.
That's an interesting point about the ambulance and your firearm. What would they have done if no one could have come to take possession of it, wait for the police before examining or treating you? That sounds like a law suit waiting to happen due to delay of treatment.
And allisji brings up an interesting point, possibly in jest, but still a valid concern given their stated "policy." A private ambulance contractor could post and refuse to accept the firearm, but a city or county ambulance service can not, can they?
I was wondering this myself.E.Marquez wrote:I was also told the weapon could not accompany me in the ambulance.. I got the impression what and how I handled that was ,my concern... as in, give it to a friend, the cop, or toss it in the ditch, your call sir.... you can get transported, the weapon not so much.
I wounder what happens when the weapon is discovered en route ? Do they pull over and throw it out the door? Pull over call police and wait? pull over, exit the patient from the vehicle and go have ice cream?
I left full-time service with MedStar in the summer of 2000, and I'd expect that nowadays there are protocols established covering these situations. Since I'm no longer active in the EMS field, though, I have no access to those policies so my info may be out-of-date.