SOP Flashcards
When requesting a Police response, EMS units
should include
The priority of the request (“OT”, “Police Assistance”, or “Routine”) as well as a brief description of the situation for inclusion in the CAD text if possible
OT
“OT” is used for situations in which the scene is unsafe and an immediate multiple police unit response is requested (TYPE Code: OT). Declaring an “OT”
will also generate a response from an EMS Field Supervisor and an additional ambulance
Police Assistance
Requesting “Police Assistance” should be used for situations in which the scene is still under
control but could potentially become violent or there is some other reason for a rapid police response
Police Assistance will result in what type of CAD notification?
Priority 1
Routine
As the pro-word implies, this type of request is used in situations where there is no threat present and a routine police response would be appropriate.
Routine will result in what type of CAD notification?
Priority 3
Upon receipt of a voiced “OT” or “HELP” call
dispatcher shall immediately transmit a brief high-low alert tone indicating high priority radio traffic to follow
The Dispatcher will then announce “All units stand by- has an OT at –All units Stand by”
Who should respond to an OT?
The closest available ambulance
and Division Supervisor will then be dispatched to the incident. Only units that
have been assigned to the incident should respond to maintain unit
accountability and to ensure police have access to the scene.
Upon receipt of a portable or vehicle
“trouble alarm”, the dispatcher shall transmit a brief high-low alert tone indicating
high priority radio traffic to follow and advise “All Units Stand by”. Using the “RADIO”
command in the CAD system, the Dispatcher will attempt to identify the person or
vehicle assigned the radio that has been activated. Th dispatcher shall ask:
“What is your Activation Status?”
If the unit assigned the portable or vehicle is not known, the dispatcher will announce the portable or vehicle ID number and request they identify themselves to confirm their status. If it can not be determined which unit has
activated their trouble alarm:
If it can not be determined which unit has
activated their trouble alarm, a roll call of all units should be taken. Units currently assigned to incidents and still on scene shall be called first as they
have the highest likelihood to be experiencing a dangerous situation. Having ascertained the safety of all units on scene of an incident, other units will then be contacted.
Any vehicle or portable radio that is found to frequently transmit “accidental” trouble alarms
should be turned in for evaluation.
Boston EMS shall transport patients to an appropriate health care facility in accordance with
105 CMR 170.000: Emergency Medical Services System regulations and an OEMS approved point of entry plan.
Where should a patient be transported?
All patients should be transported to the closest appropriate hospital. Sometimes, a
patient’s medical condition makes it more appropriate to take the patient to a hospital that is not the closest geographically and the patient should be transported to the according to condition specific point of entry plan
Unstable patients should be transported to:
should be transported to the closest emergency department, or as required under a condition specific point of entry plan.
Definition of an unstable patient:
“one whose vital signs have significantly changed (either upwards or downwards) from normal ranges, in the absence of interventions. If there is any question about the stability of the patient, transport to the closest hospital.
For Stable patients: Considerations: Based on an appropriate assessment of the patient, including obtaining the patient’s medical history, EMTs may consider transporting a patient to a hospital other than the closest, if the more distant hospital is more appropriate to the patient’s specific medical condition and needs, based on the following factors:
1) The more distant hospital better meets the medical needs of the patient because: the patient’s current medical records/physican is there, the patient needs a hospital licensed in : Burn Unit, Obstetrics,
STEMI, or pediatrics, or an MA SANE site is the appropiate medical facility for the patient’s condition
2) The additional time required to transport the patient to the more distant hospital does not exceed 20 minutes. Multiple hospitals for which estimated transport time from the patient is less than 10 minutes are considered to be of equal transport distance.
3) The care capabilities of the EMTs are appropriate to the patient’s needs during transport.
4) The available EMS resources in the system at the time of the call would be capable of handling the additional transport time for this unit
When should you contact medical control?
If there is any question about transporting to the more distant hospital
If the additional transport time to the more distant hospital may be more than 20 minutes
When transporting to a hospital more than 10 minutes further than the closest hospital
EMTs must document on their trip record the clinically based reason for
deviating from transport to the closest hospital emergency department. EMTs
must also document on the trip record the name of the authorizing physician if medical control was contacted
Boston EMS units may transport a patient to one of the following hospitals located
outside of City limits if the transport time is not significantly longer than it would be to
an appropriate medical facility within the City:
Milton Hospital; Mt. Auburn Hospital; Whidden Memorial Hospital
Who should be notified about out of city transport requests for hospitals other than Milton Hospital; Mt. Auburn Hospital; Whidden Memorial Hospital?
The Shift Commander shall be notified for all other “out of City” transport requests. If the Shift Commander is not immediately available, the Dispatch Operations Center Supervisor may authorize the request.
Considerations for out of city transport requests for hospitals other than Milton Hospital; Mt. Auburn Hospital; Whidden Memorial Hospital?
ETA to the out of City hospital, system call volume, and the availability and ETA of a private ambulance to perform the transport.
Department equipment shall not be used for other than assigned purposes without prior permission from
the Chief of Department or designee.
Equipment or property which is lost, wasted, or damaged through negligence, carelessness, or improper use
may be charged against the employee responsible. Depending on the circumstances, the employee may be disciplined and / or required to replace the item or pay a portion of the replacement cost as determined by the Department
the person responsible for damage/loss shall immediately report the damage or loss
to their supervisor, who in turn, will investigate the situation. An incident report shall also be filled out which provides a detailed account.
A police report shall be filed when:
whenever a piece of Department equipment is alleged to have been stolen and whenever a sensitive piece of Department equipment has been lost.
What is a sensitive piece of equipment?
any item that can be used to transmit on a Boston EMS radio frequency, impersonate a member of the Department, or allow access to an EMS facility. Loss of items such as a badge; portable radio; uniform shirt or jacket; personal protective equipment such as respirator, helmet, or bullet-resistant vest; laptop computer; or Department ID card shall be reported to the police in addition to Boston EMS.
The police report shall be forwarded to:
Professional standards and the area responsible for issuing the piece of equipment or property
Requesting police example
“Boston, A-4- Requesting the police for an OT at our location; man with a knife”
Boston, A-4- requesting Police Assistance at our
location for an agitated EDP”
“Boston,
A-4- requesting the police ROUTINE at our location for an assault report”
