Paramedics Arrive
But Delay Administering Care
By Daniel Muniz

This is perhaps a scene that happens quite regularly in cities across the country. There has been a violent crime such as a shooting or stabbing which results in someone with serious life-threatening injuries and he or she is dying on the sidewalk. An ambulance pulls up but paramedics refuse to administer emergency care even though it is plainly obvious that the situation is extremely dire and needs immediate attention.

It is natural for bystanders at the scene of the violent crime to be outraged, especially if they are the loved ones of the victim. After all, help has arrived but it’s not doing anything.

But for many municipalities, doing nothing is exactly what paramedics are supposed to do as part of their protocol. In a high risk incident, they are required to wait for police to arrive and secure the area. In fact, if they violate that policy, they could very well get reprimanded.

On the surface, it does seem disturbing.

If somebody has their guts spilled out on the pavement because of a violent crime, they need immediate attention from emergency personnel and it ought to be given to them.

However, paramedics have explained the brutal reality of the real world to me.

In many crime scenes, you don’t know the “who, what, or where” of what just happened. In fact, if first responders arrive before law enforcement does, they have absolutely no idea if more violence is still in progress and if there are any other assailants lurking around. In essence, emergency personnel could inadvertently end up as being a part of the crime scene as victims themselves if the cops have yet to police the area.

One former paramedic vividly recounted to me how he pulled his ambulance to this one crime scene where he personally witnessed a police officer who had an outstretched arm with his gun in his hand. He couldn’t see where the cop was aiming his weapon at but he did see him empty out his firearm in a blaze of gunfire. The paramedic then put the gear in reverse and hit the gas pedal to haul his ambulance out of there.

And plenty of other emergency personnel have lots of similar horror stories.

The bottom line is that we live in a violent and dangerous world.

Society is filled with plenty of thugs and lowlife degenerates who place absolutely no value on human life, including their own. There are also the nutcases and confused people who lived in an alternate reality that has no boundaries of decency and civilized behavior so in their delusional state, everybody is their enemy. Then there are the crimes of passion in which an otherwise normal person for whatever reason (like an affair, getting fired, etc) snaps and goes on a rampage. And finally, there are the drug abusers who don’t know which planet they are on when they are high.

First responders still have to treat all of them regardless of what their condition is.

But the policies of many municipalities require that their safety comes first and foremost. That is a reasonable and practical protocol that makes sense for that profession.

If I had been shot and my guts were splattered on the sidewalk, of course I would want to be treated right away. And I would probably be very frustrated if there was some kind of delay.

However, I think I now have a better understanding. Paramedics are not law enforcement. They are in a different profession and they have separate rules that they have to follow.

In my hometown of San Antonio Texas, Daniel Ramirez had been stabbed, beaten, and even run over. He survived but he and his girlfriend were outraged that the paramedics who arrived on the scene waited an additional nine minutes for police to secure the area before they administered lifesaving treatment.

The San Antonio Fire Department District Chief Randy Jenkins responded to the criticism by saying:

"If we get injured, who is going to rescue or take care of us?"

"In emergency situations, people always want things done right away, real quickly, and they want it done yesterday. I'm glad that we were able to help this gentleman out, to take him to the hospital."

Source: KENS 5 Eyewitness News

It was unfortunate that there was a delay but with violent crime scenes all over the country, first responders such as paramedics perform an incredible job under very stressful and dangerous conditions. It is time we give them a little slack and appreciate the tough work they do.

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