DMV Ambulance Driver's License Flashcards
Ambulance
- Rescue vehicle used to respond to emergency calls
2. Vehicle modified to transport people
Can private ambulances respond to emergency calls?
Yes - ONLY if CHP has authorized them to
Code 3
Red warning light and sirens
When is the use of Code 3 justified?
- To save a life
- To prevent undue suffering
- To prevent disability
* Do not use if traffic is so congested etc that increased speed/right of way cannot be obtained
A conviction that has been set aside or dismissed following probation is…
still considered a conviction regardless of the dismissal
When are fire extinguishers inspected and serviced?
Yearly and after each use
When are ambulances inspected by the CHP?
Initially, yearly and randomly
What do destination restrictions prevent?
They prevent ambulances from taking unnecessarily long routes
The prohibition against unqualified drivers and attendants serving as patient escorts excludes:
- Family
- Other persons related to the patient’s well-being
- Minors/children (whenever possible)
When do good samaritan laws NOT protect EMTs?
When acts/omissions are performed in a grossly negligent manner or not in good faith
When can CHP grant exceptions to statutory rules?
Never
The purpose of a DMV driving test is:
to screen those with criminal backgrounds, certain disabilities, or poor driving habits (not to prove driving competence)
Is it legal to drive an ambulance in California without an ambulance driver’s certificate?
Yes, IF you are a firefighter, a police officer, or licensed in another state and driving into California for an emergency.
For how long are temporary certificates valid?
180 days from issuance
How long is an ambulance driver’s certificate valid?
5 years, or until your regular license expires
Conditional validity
Your ambulance driver’s cert is only valid if you also have:
- Valid driver’s license
- Medical examination certificate
- EMT certification (after 1 year)
Renewal applications will be accepted within:
6 months of the expiration of your (ambulance??) license
If your ambulance driver’s license is revoked, you can
submit a request for a hearing within 10 days
The hearing committee (after your license is revoked) is composed of:
3 members representing:
- DMV
- CHP
- EMS authority
What is an ambulance driver’s primary responsibility?
Safe patient transport
Medical conditions that require Code 3 represent what percentage of trips?
5-7%
Negative effects of Code 3
Code 3 can:
- Frighten patient
- Send a stable patient into shock
- Disrupt ongoing medical treatment
- Aggravate certain medical conditions sufficient to cause death or permanent disability to the patient (spinal injuries, serious fractures, and heart attacks)
Medical transports that require Code 3 transport include:
- Uncontrolled hemorrhage
- Uncontrolled respiratory or cardiac impairment
- Complicated impeding childbirth
Ambulance drivers are except from certain traffic laws when:
- Responding to an emergency call
2. Displaying a steadily burning red lamp
If a driver is involved in an accident, but was exempt from certain traffic laws can he still be criminally and civilly liable?
Yes - if he was not acting with due regard for the safety of others
What criteria determines if a driver used due regard?
- Sufficient notice of the ambulance’s approach was given
- Signaling equipment - necessity, use, and audibility/visibility
- Driver deceleration with a driver who did not yield
* Speed of the vehicle should never prevent the driver from maintaining complete control of it
Hazards when driving with Code 3 include:
- Blind intersections
- Driveways
- Motorists with impaired hearing
- Inattentive drivers
When using a siren, ambulance driver’s should:
- Assume drivers do not hear the siren at safe distances, especially at intersections
- Assume drivers have difficulty locating the siren
- Use the siren only when it is most effective
- Avoid passing on the right (cars pull over the right for sirens)
Warning Lamp Use
Used primarily to protect life and property
* Excessive use reduces public respect for their purpose
When should a red warning light be used?
- When responding to an emergency call
- When speed in transporting a patient is essential
- When an extreme hazard exists (meaning any incident that requires traffic to stop, be blocked, or proceed only as directed)
Do revolving, rotating, or flashing red lamps satisfy the requirement for a steadily burning lamp?
No, but they can supplement it
When can flashing red lights be displayed?
When an extreme hazard exists (meaning any incident that requires traffic to stop, be blocked, or proceed only as directed)
When can flashing amber lights be displayed?
If an unusual traffic hazard exists (examples?)
Warning lamp effectiveness can be reduced by:
- Low sun or glare
- Confusion with traffic signals and neon lights
- Ineffective position (mounted too high or low, so as to be out of other driver’s range of vision)
Should headlamps be used when driving in the daytime?
Yes - they increase visibility and prevent accidents
Defensive Driving (Definition, 5 elements)
Doing everything reasonably possibly to prevent an accident from occurring, including:
- Knowledge (of laws and driver/vehicle limitations)
- Alertness (to possible hazards)
- Vision (***raise field of vision to check for potential hazards at least 1/4 mile ahead)
- Judgement
- Skills
Loss of control is often due to:
- Driving too fast for the weather, road, or other conditions
- Accelerating or braking too quickly
- Turning too sharply or taking a curve too quickly
What do minor backing crashes cause?
- Ambulance out of service
- Costly repairs
- Insurance increase
- Paperwork
- Job loss
- Poor public image
Where must a crew member stand to back up a vehicle?
To the left rear of the vehicle
Backing procedure:
- Station a crew member to the left rear of the vehicle
- Check for pedestrians and obstacles
- Sound horn before backing
- Back slowly
- Check mirrors constantly
At an intersection, the driver should…
- Check for actual and potential hazards well in front of the intersection
- Look to the left, right, then left again
What is a safe stopping distance?
The minimum distance required to safely stop or steer around a vehicle that stops suddenly
A safe stopping distance is longer than ____, but shorter than ____.
A safe stopping distance is greater than the distance required to react (3/4 sec) but shorter than the total stopping distance.
What is the minimum separation between an ambulance and the next vehicle?
3 seconds
When should you pump the brakes?
To prevent the breaks from overheating
Should instrument lights be dim or bright during darkness?
Dim
To be prepared for hazardous conditions, what should be checked?
- Wiper blades
- Heater
- Defroster
- Lights
- Brakes
- Steering mechanism
During darkness
- Keep your eyes moving
2. Slow considerably on turns
What can prevent hydroplaning?
- Slow speeds
- Inflated tires
- Deep treads
Responsibility for determining the mechanical safety of an ambulance rests with who?
Driver
Responsibility for equipping and maintaining an ambulance rests with who?
Owner
Whose responsibility is it to ensure that there are no unlawful drugs or equipment on an ambulance?
Owner
Do ambulances carry extrications equipment?
They can, depending on the availability or other fire/rescue crews
You should NOT drive an ambulance when your ability to safely operate a vehicle is affected by:
- Fatigue or illness
- A temporary disability
- A permanent disability
If your ambulance license has been revoked for reckless driving, you may reapply after a period of:
1 year
Smoking in the ambulance is
not mentioned in the REGULATIONS (it is recommended that one does not smoke in an ambulance)
You disobey a red stop signal while driving an ambulance if:
- Driving Code 3
2. Ambulance is slowed to 15 mph
What negates you from legally responding to an emergency call?
- Suspended driver’s license
- EMT certification expired
- Medical certificate not issued in the last 2 years
For what medical conditions is an especially smooth, low speed transport preferred?
- Spinal injuries
- Serious fractures
- Heart attacks
Sirens on emergency vehicles do not give sufficient warnings to:
Drivers of vehicles approaching on a cross street
Tire tread on 2 adjacent treads must be at least ____ to be used.
1/32 inch
Is it okay to exceed the speed limit during the transport of a stable patient?
No
What are some convictions that can cause your ambulance driver’s license to be revoked?
- Possession of marijauna
- Indecent exposure
- Possession of stolen property
What are the minimum requirements of an ambulance driver?
- Advanced First Aid and CPR certifications
2. EMT-1 within one year
In a rural environment, a person in a closed car with the radio playing and approaching at ___mph may not be aware of a siren until ___ feet away
55 mph, 33 feet
In city traffic, a driver with the windows down and no radio playing might detect the siren more than ___ feet away
123 feet
If an ambulance is large or heavy, by how much should the following distance be increased?
50%
When should the following distance be doubled?
- Road is slippery
- Vision is obscured
- Driver is not alert
If the road is packed with snow or ice, how much should the following distance be increased?
3x
What is the passing distance when traveling at 55 mph?
807 ft
High Speed Driving:
- Turn/negotiate curves slower as needed for speed/conditions
- Avoid brake fade
- If the speed is doubled, stopping distance is 4x
If the speed is doubled, how much does the stopping distance increase?
More than 4x
Safe transport/driving (4)
- Not risking an accident
- Smooth driving
a. Will not stress or traumatize patient
b. Allows the attendant to provide medical care
What prerequisites exist for an ambulance driver to be exempt from certain traffic laws?
Vehicle requirements:
- Responding to emergency call
- Steady burning red lamp visible from 1000 ft
- Siren as reasonably necessary
Who do sirens warn effectively?
Drivers of vehicles traveling in the same direction and ahead of the ambulance
Who do sirens not warn effectively?
- Drivers of vehicles approaching head on
- Drivers traveling on converging roads
- Anyone around a corner (1/3 of effective distance as drivers traveling ahead of ambulance)
Why are intersections the most likely accident areas?
- Visibility may be obstructed by buildings, landscaping, or other vehicles
- Drivers misjudge clearance and other traffic situations
- Motorists may not hear or see the approaching ambulance
- Emergency vehicles often “meet” at intersections
Ambulance Safety Equipment Requirements (8)
- Siren and steady burning red warning lamp
- Seat belts for the driver and front passenger
- A dry chemical or CO2 fire extinguisher
- A portable, battery-operated light
- A spare wheel with inflated tire
- A jack and tools for wheel changes
- Maps covering the areas in which the ambulance provides services
- Patient compartment door latches operable from the inside and outside (after 1980)
Ambulance Equipment and Supplies - Minimum Requirements
- 2 stretchers or an ambulance cot and stretcher, one of which is collapsable
- Straps to secure the patient to the cot/stretcher, and means of securing the cot/stretcher in the vehicle
- Ankle and wrist restraints (or soft ties)
- Sheets, pillow cases, blankets and towels for each cot/stretcher, and 2 pillows per ambulance
- 3 OPAs (adult, children and infant)
- 4+ pneumatic or rigid splints capable of splinting all extremities
- A resuscitator (can be BVM and O2)
- Oxygen supply and masks/means of administration (must provide min of 10L/min for 20 min, or 200L)
- Clean bandages and bandaging supplies (specific requirements)
- An emesis basin or disposable bags and covered waste container
- Portable suction equipment
- 2 loosely filled sandbags or equivalent material to restrict movement
- 2 Spinal immobilization devices/longboards
- Traction splint
- BP cuff and stethoscope
- Sterile obstetrical supplies
- 1 gallon or 2 liters of saline solution
- Bedpan or fracture pan
- Urinal
What is the maximum speed when disobeying any traffic stop sign or stop signal?
15 mph
Grounds for Suspension or Revocation of License
- Violation of any provision of article (CHP handbook pg A-8)
- Unlawful use of sirens of warning lamps
- Frequent failure to respond or an evidenced lack of ability or intention to provide 24 hr service
- Failure to exercise reasonable care in handling patients or a demonstrated lack of competence in patient care or equipment use
- Fraudulent billing practices
When can ambulances display flood lights?
Only at the scene of an emergency
