Seat Belts

Wall image courtesy of Greencandy8888 on Flickr

As you know, your emergency vehicles respond to Motor Vehicle Accidents (MVAs) regularly, but unfortunately they also get involved in them.  These can occur when en-route AND when stopped on the road while working an accident.  Many departments are reporting injuries that result from MVAs involving their fire trucks and ambulances.

You are also reporting injuries occurring simply while driving.  Apparatus commonly traverse uneven ground (especially at those wildland fires you’ve all been fighting!), causing passengers to get bumped around.  Similarly, we’re getting reports of firefighters getting injured when apparatus take sharp turns or make sudden stops.  These types of injuries are especially common in ambulances.  

Check out some examples of firefighters getting hurt in ambulances:

“Transporting a patient and riding in the back of the ambulance, which was struck by a vehicle, sustained pain and soreness in back and abdomen.”

“Transporting a patient from a medical emergency to the hospital, a private truck collided with the rescue unit, injuring employee’s back.”

“Employee was in the patient compartment of a moving ambulance when the ambulance had to brake hard to avoid a pedestrian.  Employee was thrown to the front of the ambulance injuring his elbow on a metal corner on the inside of the ambulance.”

Ambulance safety- Optimal patient care with optimal provider safety
As Fire Chief Magazine tells us, better driver-training, and even high-tech solutions like inertial sensors, can help reduce MVAs caused by drivers, but today we’re focusing on Seat belts – for all passengers, in the front and the back of apparatus.  Wearing seat belts while riding to and from incidents will help minimize injuries, and save lives.  Think seat belts will inhibit your patient care?  Think again.  You’re talented enough to get a patient stable quickly at the scene and then put your seat belt on.  Moreover, newer ambulances have 5-point harnesses and “mobile restraints” allowing more movement for patient care.

Of course, we do see injuries even to those wearing seat belts - but they are minor:

An apparatus was involved in an MVA and the occupants only had minor bruises because they were wearing their seatbelts. 

An engine was parked on the freeway, blocking the road during an MVA, when another private vehicle ran into the engine.  A fire fighter was still seat belted in the engine and was just tossed around but did not sustain any major injuries. 

The injured firefighter was responding to a reported grass fire in a department Tanker. The firefighter over-corrected after running off the side of the road and rolled the tanker.  The injuries were minor as the fire fighter was seat belted in. 

It’s important to remember that when not performing life-saving care, in an ambulance or other apparatus, you should be wearing a seatbelt.  Period.  

Has your department signed the seat belt pledge and started changing its culture surrounding seat belts?

Does your department have written seat belt SOPs?  Does your team follow these?

Do any of your newer apparatus have the referenced 5-point harnesses?  Are they any good?