Saturday, January 11, 2014

Military/Police-itization of Fire Depts?


We talked about the militarization of fire depts with a story on them getting bullet proof vests and I wondered if we should arm them for self defense purposes.  I got an interesting note from Joe Collins, EMS/Fire Fighter & Writer on the subject.  His thoughts are below.
My opinions are my own and do not reflect the views of my employers, past, present and future.

They are also my opinions and observations, nothing more.

I have been involved in EMS and fire for almost fifteen years as a volunteer EMT, paramedic and as a volunteer fire fighter. I worked for almost eight years in the downtown area of a metropolitan area that has been declining economically and socially for the last twenty years.

I probably have another five years in this business before I find some other way to make a living. Currently, it's a calling for me, not just a job. I like being able to occasionally help the sick, injured, frightened and dying despite the hours, working conditions, crummy pay and lack of respect by everyone who deals with us. I have two college degrees and could make a decent living with a little work, but I still get up in the morning with the expectation that I may be able to make a difference despite that chance that I could die in a flaming ambulance wreck, get killed on a call by a wacked out nut job or be crippled for life lugging some 400 pound medical train wreck down stairs, all for the princely sum of $32K or so a year.

From your first day in EMS class it is pounded into your head, “Scene safety, scene safety.” You were not to enter a scene without making sure that the scene is “safe.” Now, safe is a relative thing—we all have to consider the potential danger on every scene no matter what it looks and sounds like. As an example, I was once attacked while at an extended care facility that costs over $6K a month to live at.

If there is a shooting, suicidal person or potential for violence, we are to wait until police go in first and let them clear the scene for you. Never mind it might take them a while to arrive on scene and the patient may bleed out on the front lawn while the cops do their thing. On the other hand, when a scene becomes unsafe—which happens all of the time, and you needed help, they always seem to be ten-minutes away.

The joke in EMS class was that the police were the “blue canaries.” Like the canaries carried into a coal mine to check for the quality of air, the idea was that if you rolled up on a crash say involving the potential for hazardous materials, and you saw a police officer laying on the ground clutching their throat and twitching, put the ambulance in reverse and get the hell out of there.

It is also pounded into our heads both in the fire service and EMS that on a scene, my first priority is my safety, then that of my partner and fellow first responders, followed by the patient and public at large.

As a paramedic, body armor has always been on the list of equipment that could be bought with your uniform allowance. There are several paramedics in a service that I know that have bought soft body armor and carry all sorts of knives and “compliance” weapons. They would carry guns if they were allowed to do so. However, they work in a rural system beset by meth cooker types and general dirt bags. I worked there for a while and at several scenes I wish that I had access to air strikes and artillery on call.

The concern is that we, firefighters, medics and cops all wear uniforms and many in the public can't much tell the difference between of us. I feel there is a deep distrust of anyone in authority that is growing in this country.

Many of us do a horrid job in nasty places and don't get respect from anyone. We deal in the worst that humans can do with each other all of the time--I've spent too much time washing brains off my boots over the years and have the nightmares and PTSD to prove it.

As for medics working for private services, we get paid horribly for our trouble—I am the highest level of pre-hospital care and am proud of the title “ditch doctor” or “alley doctor” pulling off feats of medicine that scare even ER doctors. Yet the starting wage for many of us $12 an hour.

There have been more than a few situations in the past that I wish I would have worn body armor--either as a volunteer firefighter or as a medic. I am assaulted while working as a medic at least 2-3 times a year. It's part of the job and happens to almost all of us. As much as I want to stomp some of these drunk, drugged out morons, there isn't much I can do if I want to keep my job--I used to love to brawl in the back of the rig, now I just sedate the heck out of them and let them wake up with a tube in their throat in the ICU.

My physical skills to defend myself are based on years and years of martial arts training and experience, not the stupid classes taught by some employers unsuited for dealing with a violent patient in the back of an ambulance.

As someone who follows the militarization of the police, I honestly don't think that it's going that way for firefighters and medics as there are too many of us older, more mature medics who believe that the militarization of police is a wrong thing. For me as a medic, an intoxicated, overdosed or psychiatric patient is a medical problem not non-compliance with the police orders kind of situation.

The attitude of police has changed over the last fifteen years that I've been doing EMS. There was a case around here where a guy had a seizure, wrecked his car, was unresponsive and uncooperative as seizure patients often are, so got tazered for his trouble.

I don't have a gun, and can often talk the most violent patients into cooperating. Yet, when the police show up, they almost always escalate the situation to the point it makes the patient very much harder for me to deal with. Then they get to go back to their squad car and I have to deal with a very pissed off patient until we arrive at the hospital.

There are police officers who arrive on scene and are helpful, taking your gear back to the ambulance for you, helping haul patients and keeping the family out of our way when needed. Some of them have driven the ambulance for me while my partner and I were in the back of the ambulance fighting for the life of a very sick or injured patient. But the good ones are greatly overshadowed by the jack-booted thug type of officer who is typically young and expects everyone to instantly comply with their every command no matter what is going on.

I think the attitude of the officer arriving on scene to help is based on how the department is run. If the department is staffed with young, ex-military people with all the military toys, and they are allowed by command to do what they need to get the job done, my life as an EMT suddenly becomes a great deal more difficult.

There are probably a lot of factors involved in the attitude of the responding police—in one town where I worked, the officers, while being young, were mostly not ex-military, had lived in the town for years or just moved there and were active members in other aspects of the community. They cared about the people they serve and it showed in the way they dealt with everyone.

In other, larger, better equipped, higher call volume systems, everyone is seen as a dirt bag criminal, even EMS and FD. Rather than living in and being part of the community, they live in suburbs and quickly drive out of town at the end of their shift.

Now, this isn’t a bash the police type of opinion piece. I am happy to count as friends many officers who believe in actually helping people, contributing to their community and not considering everyone that they deal with as a violent criminal.

The original theme of this article was the militarization of the fire and EMS service. I think that the better term should be “policifying” of those services. It is perfect as many of these services already are para-military in nature with officers, uniforms, policies and procedures for dealing with various situations.

Several firefighters that I know have gone through the LE academy so now they can carry guns while on duty and are technically sworn LEO's. Some of that is involving being a fire investigator with powers of arrest. But with that police badge, they seem to immediately become a super cop.

There are also a couple of local FD's involved in "tactical medicine." In theory, they would stay outside the danger zone during a SWAT raid to provide care, but some are sworn officers so they can enter with the team, carry weapons and all of that fun stuff. My sources tell me that there has not been yet one call out for their services despite it being in place for half-a-dozen years.

As far as military surplus materials being distributed to fire departments, there is a lot of stuff like trucks that lend themselves to being utilized by other than police services—civilian equipment isn’t often built to the rugged standards required by the things a fire department has to do.

A lot of problems going on now, I feel, is that the public thinks that FD, medics and PD are all the same anymore.

In conclusion, there probably are wanna-be police officers in EMS or on fire departments. But, no one is prepared for the repercussions when the lines between all of us are blurred to the point where no one can tell the difference. I hope I don’t have to work in the future where if you show up at someone’s house to help them and are wearing a uniform, any uniform, you are automatically considered a threat and are there to find an excuse to beat them up and or throw them in jail.
More sauce for the goose.

Again.  I.  Just.  Don't.  Know.

I have to chew on this one a bit longer.

13 comments :

  1. "The concern is that we, firefighters, medics and cops all wear uniforms and many in the public can't much tell the difference between of us. I feel ..."

    I just did a quick google image search on 'US Paramedics' and 'UK Ambulance Crews' likewise firefighters as this was also the same in the UK where all the emergency crews wore navy blue. I notice the US Paramedics and a lot of the firefighters are mostly in dark blue.

    The UK, Ambulance crews are now in Green or hi-vis orange and Firefighters are increasingly wearing tan or red colors (usually with FIRE in hi-vis displayed prominently) to distinguish themselves from the Police.

    Of-course the UK doesn't have the firearms issues that the US has, but someway of distinguishing the difference in more obvious ways may help, as Joe says, calm a situation before the police get there.

    Something to push for by the EMS crews in the interest of separate recognition and safety.

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  2. I plainly think that Cops today are trying to pretend they are special forces operators. We all know that no cop in America could ever pass selection for Delta, Seal team 6, Seal teams, Green Berets, Airborne and Rangers. These cops are trying to live in a fantasy of special operations knowing that they could never pass selection or the extensive background checks that Special ops dose on it's potential applicants. I simply think that Cops who pretend that they are special forces are setting themselves up to FAIL and setting themselves up for one massive liability issue.

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    1. Nicky, I personally know a few cops who are former SEALs and one Ranger. So, not all are like what you said. Although I won't disagree with you whole heartedly. It comes down to the individual, and the command structure (ie: leadership). Sometimes, and according to my buddies, merely the presence of an ex SEAL, or Ranger in your department, or what have you, can make all the other non-ex operators/non-military jealous. And jealousy is a powerful motivator. That is where a weak character will over compensate and try to act like a SEAL or Ranger, Marine etc. And I don't condone that at all. That's a bad hire with an "I'm a badass" disorder.

      At the rate these guys are getting out of the services, and getting into civilian employment, for numerous reasons, they find employment in LE. They're still looking for high speed things to do, and what's better than chasing down dirt bags and picking up "trash" in your city once and a while. Most departments out here in CA have a very high rate of former military.

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  3. EXCELLENT IDEA! hi-viz Orange would be perfect!

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  4. In Germany, the Firefighters wear orange jackets and dark blue trousers with yellow reflectors, the EMS wears mostly orange or red jackets with yellow reflectors, Bundeszoll (Federal Customs Service) wear green uniforms, and Landespolizei (state police) and the Bundespolizei (federal police), wear light blue and dark blue uniforms. They are all easily distinguishable.

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  5. As a paramedic myself, I tried to contact you with a similar response, but for some reason, my email was being a pain in the ass.

    The reality is, EMS workers are far more at risk for infectious diseases (like Toronto EMS during the SARS outbreak), lifting injuries, and PTSD than we are catching a bullet or getting assaulted. I actually get pissed off at the medics I see wearing body armor, but don't wear gloves while inserting an IV or practice proper lifting techniques when possible.

    It doesn't help that our uniforms closely resemble police; that needs to change desperately. But scene safety is drilled into us constantly. If we're being threatened, there's no way we can practice medicine effectively, it's hard enough when your'e NOT being shot at, thank you very much. There are some "tac medics" that work with SWAT teams and the like, but this is a very specialized field.

    Yes, there are times when things get a little hairy, but these instances are few and far between. This ain't Hollywood. The majority of our job is handling little old ladies with emphysema or fat middle-aged men with heart conditions. Hell, sometimes weeks go by for me until I get a patient under the age of 60.

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    1. I should also mention that psyche patients are possibly some of the scarier calls we get. In that circumstance, I have no problem restraining the patient in whatever method is required. That means anything from mechanical or chemical. 10cc of "calm the fuck down" works well, in my experience.

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  6. I cried like a child when I read this story.
    Here in Brazil there is more respect for the first responders / firefighters.
    I myself have suffered serious accidents (one motorcycle - kneading the skull - I spent three days in a coma), a rollover of the vehicle and shot in the stomach when I responded to an assault.
    I was rescued and am grateful, very grateful to those who rescued me.
    Two weeks ago, I was having a beer next to a tire repair when a sergeant arrived the fire department to the motorcycle, had a flat tire.
    Needed to change the camera's rear tire, the nearest store is 10 miles away.
    I handed the key to my bike and the documents and said:
    -Go there!
    The guy was out of money, lent him 50 reais (about $ 25.00) and he was returned, thanked, and that's how life works here.

    Solomon, grateful for this link.

    Sincerely.

    Alexandre.

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    1. not a problem. i've been slipping a bit. i haven't been keeping abreast of whats going on in the fire houses but those guys are some real quiet pros.

      EMS and Fire will get more attention in the future.

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  7. Around here if you call 911 for a Policeman or an EMT the first to arrive are the Volunteer's from the local fire department substations.
    They come in with a zeal and passion that is humbling when you know what they are paid.
    Ice storms, floods or even tornadoes don't slow them down by much.
    Why anyone would shoot at them is mind numbing!
    Yet, people do even if it's just a wreck on the streets of some gang bangers turf or for fun with BB guns.
    My respect for them is enough to say, if the Fireman/EMT feels he needs to carry then allow it, body armor? allow it these guys are first responders just like those who raced into the WTC in spite of the danger and in spite of looming death.
    A uniform that is black or dark blue is good because it doesn't show up blood from victims unlike tan.
    A uniform that has clearly legible markings in English, Spanish and Ebonics is needed so the bad guys at least know who is there to help after the LEO kick's there asses.
    For those unable or unwilling to learn the difference, a Police man carries a clip board or a flashlight, a EMT/fire fighter carries a medical suitcase, stethoscope and a stretcher.
    Don't forget gang bangers have been documented chasing their victims right into the ER and killing them on the operating tables along with the Docs, nurses and other non involved patients.
    What's next? Nurses and doctors totin' iron as if in combat zones?
    What a damned crazy world I woke up in back in 2009 around November.

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    1. Zebra Dun:

      From my understanding, only a very warped mind would attack members of a fire brigade or ambulance.

      The guy must be too mentally impaired to do it (attack a fireman or doctor).

      :-)

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  8. Solomom :

    Here in Brazil every child has these numbers in mind:

    100 Human Rights Secretariat (if a black is called black if a gay is broken etc. . )

    128 Emergency Services in Mercosur ( this is interesting , I never work kkkkkkkkkkkkk )

    180 Police Stations Specialized Women's Assistance ( if a woman catches her husband )

    181 Hotline ( to report wrong )

    190 Military Police ( Cops )

    191 Federal Highway Police ( FBI - street )

    192 Public Service Removal Patients ( ambulance) ( dead )

    193 Fire Brigade (Fire )

    194 Federal Police ( FBI - Civil )

    197 Civil Police ( Cops - police - civil )

    198 State Traffic Police ( Cops - State - Military )

    199 Civil Defense ( floods / deslisamentos / deaths - like FEMA )

    I believe that 99.9 % of all calls are about the numbers " 192/193 " . most know that if you call " 190 " is shot in the right .

    Sorry fill your patience with my comments , I happen to be the Army Infantry class of 1962 as a conscript , military affairs always catch my attention , I live in Anapolis -GO very close to an airbase .

    Oh , do not speak English , a little French , a little German , Spanish and Portuguese too ( I am of Polish descent on his father and Austrian mother by ) .

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  9. Solomon:

    I have a suggestion, send that text to "Michael Snyder" in "theeconomiccollapseblog", I believe he will give credit to my knowledge he is decent.

    ReplyDelete

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