Effective: 06-22-20
Supersedes: OP100
Purpose: To establish a policy and procedure regarding the operation of company vehicles regardless of type of vehicle or response mode.
Policy: It is the policy of Brewster and EasCare Ambulance Service that employees will operate company vehicles in full compliance with applicable motor vehicle laws and ems regulations. Vehicle operators are expected to operate the vehicle in a safe and lawful fashion exercising at all times due regard for all persons’ safety.
Procedure:
All company vehicles will be operated in full compliance with federal and state laws, as well as EMS regulations and company policy. Whether responding to an emergency or routine driving, vehicles must be brought to a complete stop at a red light or stop sign. Then, when safe to do as indicated by the light device or with due regard for safety, the vehicle may proceed.
Employees operating a company vehicle while not in emergency response shall obey all posted traffic regulations and restrictions, as specified by law, including among other things compliance with traffic signals, posted speed limits, and stop signs. Employees not in compliance will be subject to all fines and penalties associated with any infractions of the vehicle and traffic laws.
1. Seat and Shoulder Belts
1.1. All employees, passengers, and observers riding in the cabs of ambulances, chair cars, supervisory vehicles, or special service units, shall wear fastened seat and shoulder belts while the vehicle is in motion.
1.2. Seatbelts shall be worn by all occupants in the patient care compartment unless impractical to provide patient care, in which case the seatbelt should be re-applied as soon as possible. Patients or family members who are transported on the jump seat/bench seat in a sitting position must be belted in with the seat belt.
1.3. Patients transported by stretcher must have at least three strap type restraining devices (chest, hip, and knee) to prevent longitudinal or transverse dislodgment of the patient during transit. Additionally, the head of the cot shall be furnished with upper torso (over shoulder) restraints that mitigate forward motion of the patient during severe braking or in a frontal impact crash. When appropriate, children should be transported in a child safety seat or Pedi-Mate restraint system.
2. Backing and Negotiating Tight Spaces.
2.1. Whenever an ambulance not carrying a patient is backing up or negotiating a tight space, the passenger shall assist the vehicle operator in maneuvering the vehicle so as to avoid collision. The passenger will get out of the vehicle, station himself or herself at the rear of the vehicle in the view of the rear view mirror, direct the vehicle operator, and the guide oncoming traffic, as needed.
2.2. Whenever an ambulance is backing up or negotiating a tight space while carrying a patient, the EMT Attendant should assist the operator to the extent possible without leaving the patient. When no one is available to act as a guide, the driver must back using extreme caution utilizing mirrors and back-up camera to check for hazards and activating the vehicle back-up alarm if so equipped.
3. Use of Warning Lights and Siren
The use of Lights and Siren shall be determined by the Dispatch Priority or the patient’s condition.
3.1. A Priority Response or Transport uses lights and siren. The patient’s condition is known or believed to be life-threatening. With due regard for safety, the ambulance is expeditiously maneuvered. The vehicle’s headlights and all emergency lights shall be illuminated. The siren should normally be continuously activated while enroute to an emergency or transporting a critically ill patient, but this may not always be practical. For example, when operating on a limited access roadway with no other traffic in sight, or when operating in a tunnel the continuous use of the siren may not be necessary. Vehicle operators should exercise good judgment in the use of the siren, taking into account whether other EMS personnel are already on scene, distance from the location, traffic congestion, road conditions, and time of day. If the siren is being used intermittently, it must be in operation continuously when approaching and passing through an intersection with a red light or stop sign.
One-way, no turn, and other regulations may be disregarded during emergency operation only when necessary. If required to enter a street or highway in the wrong direction, extreme caution and due regard for safety must be used and a police escort should be requested if necessary. Vehicle operators on an emergency response may drive through an intersection with a stop sign or red light if he first brings the vehicle to a complete stop and then proceeds with caution and due regard for the safety of persons and property, unless otherwise directed by a police officer regulating traffic at the intersection.
3.2. Routine Response / Transport. Based on emergency medical dispatch (EMD) criteria, or patient assessment, the patient’s condition is thought to be stable and an emergency response is not necessary. The use of the siren and rapid transportation of a patient is rarely indicated.
4. Duty of Driver When Following Other Emergency Vehicles.
4.1. The driver of any company vehicle shall not pass other responding emergency vehicles unless signaled to do so by the operator of the other vehicle(s).
4.2. A minimum distance between responding units shall be maintained. The second unit shall maintain a distance of at least 300 feet from the first vehicle when possible. The operator should be able to visualize three (3) tires and either the side view or rear view mirror of the lead vehicle and should use a different audible siren tone than the lead vehicle when practical.
4.3. When transporting from the scene, a non-patient occupied vehicle shall be operated with due regard for safety and travel with the flow of traffic to the hospital to meet up with the transporting vehicle.
5. Idling and Positioning at Incidents
5.1. State law prohibits unnecessary idling of vehicles. In addition to causing pollutants to enter the atmosphere, prolonged vehicle idling wastes fuel and causes increased wear on the engine. Unless engaged in an operation for which engine power is necessary for an associated power need other than movement, such as to maintain climate control or electrical power, company vehicles should not idle unnecessarily. This is especially true when vehicles are parked near hospital emergency departments or health centers where exhaust fumes may be drawn into the building.
5.2. Upon arrival at the scene of an emergency, the operator shall position the vehicle in a safe place, out of the way of other emergency vehicles, local traffic, and other on‑scene activities, if possible. The operator should consider the following variables when parking the vehicle: access to the incident; ability to leave the scene; other responding emergency vehicles; (at a fire scene, always anticipate the possibility of being blocked in by subsequently arriving emergency apparatus); traffic and weather conditions;
6. Securing Vehicle and Equipment.
6.1. Company vehicles are to be locked whenever left unattended. If so equipped, anti-theft devices shall be engaged whenever a vehicle must be left running while unattended. Vehicle keys are to be secured in the assigned base.
6.2. The parking brake shall be set whenever a company vehicle is parked on an incline, or to activate the interlock system on a Chair-Car wheelchair lift.
6.3. To the extent possible, all loose equipment should be properly secured prior to putting a vehicle in motion.
7. Curbs / Medians
7.1. The driver should use care at all times when operating a company vehicle and should not drive the vehicle over high curbing, onto sidewalks, or over the median strips of roadways, except in extreme situations. When such actions must be taken, the driver should do so slowly so as to keep the vehicle under constant control and minimize potential damage. Any known or suspected vehicle damage should be reported to a supervisor at the conclusion of the call.