Station 74(Delmar), 2(Salisbury) and 6(Parsonsburg) gets alerted for an Apartment Fire on Rt. 13 Delmar. Delmar's Command Unit and fire trucks respond to the reported fire call. As the approach the fire scene the come across a motor vehicle accident on the highway in front of the apartment fire. The motorcyclist is laying in the highway. As the first responder from the first fire company in a command vehicle and or a fire truck do you:
A) stop and render care to the injured motorcyclist.
B) drive around the motorcyclist and go tho the fire instead.
C) none of the above.
Real scenario. Just happened in Delmar, Maryland on October 1, 2009 at around 9:30 PM. What is a higher priority the seriously injured and dying motorcyclist or the burning apartment?
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
46 comments:
what was done???
With 3 companies responding, I would hope and pray that they would be able to handle both scenarios at the same time...AND save all that needs their expertise.
Well,if your Salisbury, you call out the new ladder truck first, and then worry about it on the way.
command vehicle stops at crash while supression piece continues to apartment fire. In the end the aprtment fire presents a greater risk to life and property
Joe
I don t really understand why you would post such a scenario on your post. All I see from this is creating an atmosphere that hurts all fire and ems providers. I personally believe we need to support our volunteers as well as are career fire fighters and ems folks.
Harold S Scott
Joe, Dont tell me they drove past him. Please. As much equipment that was heading that way the 1st should have stopped. Please don't tell me they drove right past him.
Tom Sawyer
Mike would of stopped as he did in Iraq. Did those who worked with him stop?
I will keep praying for a positive outcome. It is always sad to hear about any accident, especially a motorcycle accident. Please stay strong!
The FD goes by this rule, protect life first, property second, and enviorment third.
Delegate a unit that can assist the motorcyclist and is not a primary unit for the structure fire. The duty to act is still the apartment fire as they were directly dispatched to it, they have no "legal" obligation (but of course a moral one) to stop for the motorcyclist unless commanded to do so. However, if they have a resource that can stop to help without negatively impacting the response to the fire, that resource should stop to help immediately.
Command vehicle stays with the motorcyclist, fire truck goes on to fire? Call for additional assistance from same or alternate station... just a thought I don't claim to know for sure!
I happen to know the son of the accident victim. Right now they are at PRMC and she is in surgery in critical care. No one has been able to locate any witnesses. If any one knows anything, please let Joe know or contact the local authorities. (JOE: My friend's wife will be in contact with you shortly.)
CountryGirl
the first fire units attended to the fire, at the same time the ambulance and off duty career fireman from salisbury keenan arrived...rendered patient care immediately and transported priority one... instead of being an ass, pray for firefighter whites mother
d...proceed directly to bonanza for dinner (esp. if ur driving a toy based in station 16)
Saving lives comes before saving property. Command should direct first arriving unit and ambo to pt, and subsequent units go to the fire.
This is a textbook case on why you load for bear when you go on a major incident. This type of situation might never happen again for a long time, but the fact that there was multiple units already moving may have saved lives in this instance.
Always has, always will be:
1. Life
2. Property
Multiple alarms.
stop for motorist, while checking who is at fire. People before Property...simple.
Please tell us Fire Service Expert, what would you do?
It doesn't matter what was done, you have all the answers.
A....stop and render aid as the first command vehicle responding. Call for EMS and another engine/truck crew.
MISSION OF THE FIRE SERVICE
"The protection of life and property - in that order"
Ive come upon accidents while responding to an initial incident. Notify central of the accident have another unit dispatched to the 2nd call. Take it 1 call at the time. Both the accident and fire are priority calls.
I'd pick "A" - At least someone could stop to help the injured motorcyclist.
was the motorcyclist texting?
They couldnt make a decision. The apartment burned down and the cycliest called 911
Stopping to assist the injured motorcyclist is more of a priority than being the first one at the fire.
was the motorcyclist a democrat?
Suppose to stop and render aid to the accident victim. Well atleast thats what I was always taught and have done.
I would stop and help the motorcyclist. You know for sure hes hurt but you dont know if someone is still in the building. I guess it would depend on alot of differnt factors. Tough call.
I would pause at the scene of the motorcyle to drop a emt or other qual. personel with equip. to assess the scene and start triage while radioing to other co approaching of the sit. and to divert a rescue unit that scene while continuing up to the hotel to assess that sit.
How do you know how many people may or may not be trapped in the apartment complex on fire. And why would you post this? How is it helpful to anyone?
And lastly, what would you do?
Hopefully, they are trained for just this thing and everything worked out well in the end where no one died and everyone was helped. This is counter-productive though. Yes, the fire dept and police don't always do the right thing as far as use of equipment. But they are there to save lives when needed. And from what I've seen, that's what they do. Let them do their jobs without having to worry about someone posting negative stuff about the way they respond to anything. Geez.
Did the motorcyclist have IDS on him at the time of accident? Does he have a criminal record?
Volunteer at yuot local fire company, take all the required classes and training, then give your time for your community and you'll know exactly what to do.
I think we need to be more concerned about what our politicians are doing instead of trying to micromanage our local fire departments.
October 1, 2009 - On 10-1-09 the Delmar Fire Department along with Sta.6 Parsonsburg & Sta.2 Salisbury were alerted for a Structure Fire at 9191 Ocean Highway in Delmar.
74 Command with 74-15 S. Johnson on board went responding. He was advised of a working apartment fire. Upon arrival Command came across a motor vehicle accident involving a motorcycle directly in front of the structure. The motorcycle was lying in the media strip and the driver in the grass next to the bike. Command advised the responding crew to take care of the driver of the motorcycle. The driver was treated and packaged for transport to PRMC in Salisbury Md.
Engine 74-3 arrived to the fire and its crew put a 1 ¾ inch hose line in service. Other crew members quickly checked the remaining apartments for any other residents. Salisbury arrived and their crews went to work checking the south end of the apartment building. They also laddered the building cut two ventilation holes in the roof.
Parsonsburg crews helped with ventilation on the roof. Sta.5 Hebron was requested to the scene and helped with fire containment.
Command requested the American Red Cross due to 10 adults and 2 children being affected by the fire.
Crews were on scene for nearly two hours. Ocean Highway southbound was shut down during the entire operation.
anonymous 8:29, what's a "MEDIA STRIP"?
A media strip is where all the news cameras are set up !! HAHA
There was a different accident yesterday on Route 50 westbound near the Hebron exit around 3:00. The telephone pole was snapped in half but was not lying on the ground. I have no idea what happened. I did see an SUV that was demolished. There was a lot of equipment on the scene and I wanted to get out of their way as quickly as possible.
9:06- and your point is.....?
She's in my prayers.
Hopefully, the motorcycle driver. The so called apartment building is not that important as it's flled with drunks and drug users. The people fom the, now defunct, Delmarva Inn went to this place and Travlers Motel.
I would have the first in engine render aid to the victim of the accident until the ems unit arrived. I would send the second incoming unit to suppression. However this senario describe leaves out several questions. 1. Are there victims trapped in the house? 2. If my addittional units are responding, how close are they to me? 3. How close is the medic unit? I am just saying these are questions that should be asked also.
The latest is that the women is in a drug induced coma due to head trauma. No witnesses stopped to help. It just so happened that her son was on his was with the fire company to the call and noticed the accident. The Fire companies and EMT's were quick to the scene. I have no other information at this time. Will up date with further info as it becomes available.
Please pray for this women and her family .
Thank you.
11:06 PM
An unknown risk at best. Versus a KNOWN injury. I bet some firemen were disappointed they had to help the motorcyclist instead of watching the pretty flames.
Mardela said...
Volunteer at yuot local fire company, take all the required classes and training, then give your time for your community and you'll know exactly what to do.
I think we need to be more concerned about what our politicians are doing instead of trying to micromanage our local fire departments.
8:20 AM
How are those two Mardela fireboys doing after setting those fires? Maybe you should micro-manage them thar farmboys a little better?
I was a young police officer once in a small town in Worcester Co. Worcester Central toned out and amulence crew to a call of "severe headache". As the first run crew was responding, Central toned out a 10-50 P.I. in the same jurisdiction. Protocall was that the first crew contine to the first call and a second run crew would respond to the 10-50. As the first run crew continues toward the initial call, Central toned out the 10-50 a second time with no response. The first run crew notified central they were diverting to the 10-50 and advised them to send the second run crew to the headache call when they got one. I responded to the headache call to assist until the medics arrived and found a women barely conscious with the phone to her ear as she sat back in her sofa with her head back and moaning. It was several more minutes until a second run crew answered up in response. In fact another jurisdiction had been dispatched and were enroute when the second run crew announced they were 10-8 and enroute. I later learned that the patient had been suffering from an anurism and had passed away at the hospital. I also learned that the local EMS crew had broken protocall by not responding to the first call. Is this still the protocall or has it changed?
There are alot of decisions in emergency response. They are not easy for the people make them. And in this situation no matter what decision is or was made the fact of the matter is that to someone you will be wrong. Emergency responders have enough stress to deal with and do not need people on here playing monday morning quarterback after the game is already over. If you want to take part in these decisions and think you can do it better then I suggest you go and volunteer at your local fire department and try. But do not be critical of something you don't understand or have never done yourself.
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