Paramedic Theory 2
(Clark State College)
,. AMBULANCE TYPES
1. Truck chassis with modular ambulance body
2. Standard van
3. Specialty van design with square patient compartment mounted on chassis
. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS .
● Fend-Off Position - Placing the ambulance about 50 feet or so in front of the scene for safety. Position
the ambulance uphill and upwind on scene.
● Landing Zone - Area that is prepared for landing aircraft, at least 100x100 feet.
● HIPAA info only disclosed for treatment purposes, payment (3rd party billing) or if legally required
(suspected abuse, subpoena)
. MASS CASUALTIES .
● Incident Command System (ICS)
○ Management Program, that controls and directs emergency resources and operations, for
example a MCI event.
○ Mass Casualty Event (MCI) - Simply an event where available resources and not enough to
tackle the current rate of casualties.
● National Incident Management System (NIMS)
○ Standardize incident management for all hazards across all levels of government
○ Command Post - The area that the incident command is stationed at
○ Communications Center - Facility that will dispatch emergency equipment and persons, and
coordinate all field units
○ Single Command - Command is in control of one person
○ Unified Command - Where different services for example (EMS, FD, Red Cross, Law, State)
complement each other and share command
■ Logistics Section - Supplies, equipment, any facilities, services or food, this section is
about gear and responders allocation
■ Operations Section - This is the section that will direct and oversee all scene
operations, safety of the provider is an important part of the operations sections
■ Planning Section - Provides any sort of info from past or current about the incident
■ Finance/Admin Section - Tracks cost throughout the event
● Triage Levels
○ Red (Immediate) - airway breathing issue, severe bleeding, shock, hypoperfusion severe burn,
open chest/abdominal wound
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, ○ Yellow (Delayed) - burns without airway compromise, major bone injuries, back injuries, with or
without spinal cord damage
○ Green (minimal) - walking wounded, minor fractures, soft tissue injuries
○ Black (Expectant) - non survivable injury, pulseless, major open brain trauma, cardiac arrest,
resp arrest if limited resources
. MEDICAL LEGAL
● Consent
○ Implied Consent - automatically assumed if a patient is unresponsive or unable to make a
rational decision (e.g. altered mental status)
○ Involuntary consent - patient who is mentally incompetent and consent is involuntary (may
include a court order (guardianship), authorization by a law enforcement officer for prisoners in
custody or detention, or for persons under a mental health hold or commitment who are a
danger to themselves or others or are gravely disabled)
○ Expressed consent - made by conscious, mentally competent adults
■ To treat a minor, an EMT must obtain the consent of the parent or guardian
■ If the parent or guardian is unreachable, then implied consent is assumed
■ In Loco Parentis - These adults who have children entrusted to their care can, and are
expected to, seek medical attention for the injured or ill child in an emergency. They can
also give consent for the child
● Good Samaritan Law - not liable for errors made in good faith emergency care
● Duty to Act - responsibility to provide patient care
● Battery - unlawful touching, including providing emergency care without consent
● Assault - unlawful placement of a person in fear of immediate bodily harm
● Negligence - failure to provide same care that person of similar training would
. HAZMAT .
● Containment Zones
○ Hot - contaminated zone
○ Warm - decontamination corridor
○ Cold - command post, triage post decontamination
● Department Of Transportation Hazard Classifications
1. Class 1 - Explosives
2. Class 2 - Gasses
3. Class 3 - Flammable/combustible liquids
4. Class 4 - Flammable solids that are dangerous when wet or water-reactive
5. Class 5 - Oxidizers and organic peroxides
6. Class 6 - Toxic substances and infectious substances
7. Class 7 - Radioactive
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, 8. Class 8 - Corrosive substances
9. Class 9 - Miscellaneous hazards
● NFPA 704 System
● Diamond shaped symbols that contain 4 smaller diamonds
● Red: flammability
● Blue: health
● Yellow: reactivity
● White: special info
. CHEMICAL AGENTS .
● Asphyxiants - They will displace oxygen in the air, and dilute oxygen concentration in the air.
○ ie. Methane Gas
● Carcinogens - Simply cancer causing agents
○ ie. Asbestos
● Cardiotoxins - Hazardous material that can cause heart attack or EKG disturbances
○ ie. Certain Types of Snake Venom
● Corrosives - Acids or Bases that are hazardous
○ ie. Sulfuric acid, Bromine
● Hemotoxins - Destruction of red blood cells
○ ie. Snake Venom or Spider Bite
● Hepatoxins - Damage the liver over time
○ ie. Alcohol, Tylenol, Chloroform.
● Nephrotoxins - Destruction occurs at that the kidneys
○ ie. Mercury, arsenic and lead
● Nerve Poisons - Destruction of the nervous system ability to function
○ Identify with SLUDGEM (salivation, lacrimation, urination, defecation, gastric upset, emesis,
miosis/constriction)
○ ie. Sarin, Tabun, VX
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