Certified first responder
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A certified first responder is a person who has completed a course and received certification in providing
Terminology
Also called an Emergency Medical Responder, Emergency First Responder, Medical First Responder, or
Canada
Many options are available in order to become a certified First Responder in
Examples
The
Limitations on Certified First Responders
While all Certified First Responders in Canada are covered under Good Samaritan laws[2] in jurisdictions where they are enacted, in some cases they have a Duty To Act for example, Ontario. Certified First Responders who are providing medical coverage to events (such as Red Cross, St. John Ambulance's Patient Care Divisions and private event medical companies), as well as those who are employed by Volunteer Fire Departments, Campus Response Teams, and others who are required to perform Emergency Medical Response as part of their duties all have a Duty to Act.[3] While Certified First Responders in general are not required to render aid to injured/ill persons, those who work in the aforementioned areas can be accused of and prosecuted for negligence if they fail to respond when notified of a medical emergency, if their care does not meet the standard to which they were trained, or their care exceeds their scope of practice and causes harm to the patient.[2] As with all medically trained and certified persons, Certified First Responders are immune to successful prosecution if assistance was given in good faith up to, and not beyond, the limits of certification and training.
France
In
Thailand
In the
Training for EMR level must be done through an approved training. Most provincial hospitals provide training or are directly connected with teaching the training. EMR is a 50-hour course. The National Institute for Emergency Medicine of Thailand acts as the approving body for Emergency Medical Responder certification and provides the training curriculum. Guidelines for EMRs are published in the Emergency Medical Operation Manual for First Responder Units.[4] Certification only lasts for two 2 years and requires refresher training to maintain.
Rescue clubs and ambulance foundations most often serve communities with volunteers to respond to emergencies with ambulances and other rescue resources. Most foundations and clubs request volunteers to acquire at least the Emergency Medical Responder level of training. Most EMR level units use pickup trucks with elevated caps to respond to emergencies. These vehicles usually are marked with the association name and seal along with lighting and sirens. Units at this level act as the first arriving responders, and must do much to stabilize the scene for other units, such as
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, most statutory NHS ambulance services deploy paid first responders who drive dedicated rapid response vehicles. These are typically estate cars, MPVs or 4x4s, are liveried with high-visibility ambulance markings, and fitted with blue flashing lights and sirens. These vehicles are generally single-crewed, by a paramedic. This differs from most ambulances in the UK, which usually have two crew members.
Community First Responder Schemes
A Community First Responder Scheme is made up of groups of volunteers who, within the community in which they live or work, have been trained to attend emergency calls received by the
The
- Towns or villages where it is challenging for an emergency ambulance to arrive at scene within 8 minutes – this is usually in the more rural areas of the county.
- The total number of calls received within these locations must be significant enough for training to take place, ensuring motivation of the group members and that their contribution would have a valued, significant effect on patients.
- Community first responders are members of the community who are trained to use an automated external defibrillator, give oxygen, and use other pieces of lifesaving equipment to assist ambulance crews, and maintain patient stability whilst professional crews are in attendance. Responders have no special dispensation to break the rules of the road whilst attending calls. Under the Road Traffic Act and various other UK traffic law, correct and permitted use of Blue Lights on a vehicle does not allow the driver to cross solid white lines to overtake, but does allow the driver to treat a red light as a 'Give Way' sign. Out of all the Ambulance trusts in the UK, a handful have CFR schemes with dedicated cars, and these are not given blue lights as CFR's do not undergo blue light training.
United States
See
History
The
In 1995 the D.O.T. issued a manual for an intermediate level of training called "First Responder." This training can be completed in twenty-four to sixty hours. Importantly, this training can be conducted by an EMT-Basic with some field experience—which is a resource available "in-house" for many volunteer fire departments who do not have the resources for full EMT training. The first responder training is intended to fill the gap between First Aid and Emergency Medical Technician.
The American Red Cross conducts a course titled "Emergency Medical Response" that fits this definition.
In the US the term "Emergency Medical Responder" has largely replaced the term "Certified First Responder" or "Medical First Responder" beginning in 2012.[5] "Emergency Medical Responder" or "EMR" is an EMS certification level recognized by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians.[6]
By 2015, most states recognize the level of Emergency Medical Responder.
Scope of practice
First Responders in the US can either provide initial emergency care first on the scene (police/fire department/search and rescue) or support Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics. The skills allowed at this level are very similar to an EMT's including bleeding control,
Skills and limitations
First Responders can serve as secondary providers with some volunteer EMS services. An Emergency Medical Responder can be seen either as an advanced first aid provider, or as a limited provider of emergency medical care when more advanced providers have not yet arrived or are not available.
Skillwise, a certified first responder in the US is often trained and allowed to do most of what an emergency medical technician is allowed to. Some exceptions in some jurisdictions include insertion of King airways or combi-tubes, traction splinting, and administration of nebulized albuterol.
Rescue
The
Traditional first responders
The first responder training is considered a bare minimum for emergency service workers who may be sent out in response to an
Non-traditional first responders
Many people who do not fall into the earlier mentioned categories seek out or receive this type of training because they are likely to be first on the scene of a medical emergency, or because they work far from medical help.
Some of these non-traditional first responders include:
- SCUBA Divers
- Park rangers
- Utility workers
- Teachers, childcare workers, and school bus drivers
- Designated industrial workers in a large facility (industrial plant) or at a remote site (fish-packing plant, commercial vessel, oil rig)
- Security Officers
- Emergency management personnel
- Search and rescue personnel
- Campus Responders and campus police
- Lifeguards
- Ski Patrollers
- Community Emergency Response Team(CERT) members (varies by jurisdiction)
- Stage Managers
See also
- Emergency medical responder
- Emergency medical technician
- Paramedic
- Rescue squad
- National First Responders Organization (USA)
- Outdoor Emergency Care
References
- ^ "National Occupational Competency Profile For Paramedics - Final" (PDF). paramedic.ca. Paramedic Association of Canada. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-58480-404-8.)
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: CS1 maint: others (link - ISBN 978-1-58480-404-8.)
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: CS1 maint: location (link) CS1 maint: others (link - ISBN 978-974-49606-7-2.
- ^ "Your Transition Plan: From First Responder to Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) Archived 2016-09-09 at the Wayback Machine", The Registry, National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, Columbus, Ohio, Fall 2011.
- ^ "Emergency Medical Responder (EMR)". nremt.org. National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians. Archived from the original on 2014-02-08. Retrieved 2014-03-07.
- ^ "National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-01-05. Retrieved 2014-08-21.
- ^ NFPA 1006 Standards for Technical Rescuer Professional Qualifications. National Fire Protection Association (2008 ed.). Quincy, MA: National Fire Protection Association. 2007. pp. 1006-13 through 1006-15. Retrieved 2009-11-18.
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: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ NFPA 1670 Standard on Operations and Training for Technical Search and Rescue Incidents. National Fire Protection Association (2009 ed.). National Fire Protection Association. 2008. pp. 1670–12. Retrieved 2009-11-18.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: others (link)
External links
- National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians. This US organization also certifies Certified First Responders, who will soon be known as Emergency Medical Responders.
- UK First Responder Scheme
- National Institute for Emergency Medicine