A Day in the Life of a First Responder

If you enjoy an adrenaline-pumping career, then you should consider a job as a first responder. You need to be calm under pressure and must be competent to provide the first level of care to patients. Let us look more closely at what first responders do. We start with a description of the four critical duties of first responders at the scene of an incident/accident.

Responding to Emergencies and Saving Lives

Four Critical Duties

Although these duties are not the first thing a first responder will do when arriving at the site in question, they are essential medical procedures that make the difference between life and death. The most important duty is to get the patient to breathe on their own or with the help of oxygen. This may entail having to intubate the person or perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Secondly, bleeding must be stopped. Thirdly, wounds need to be dressed and/or bandaged. Fourthly, broken arms or legs may need to be treated with a splint.

Other Duties

The first task a first responder must carry out is to assess the scene and use road flares, barriers, and signs to make the site safe and protect bystanders if no law enforcement officers have arrived yet. Sometimes a first responder must help a pregnant woman give birth when there is not enough time to get her safely to the hospital. The first responder may be called on to take a suicidal person in for short-term observation or deal with a person with mental health issues who is having an episode.

First responders provide neck braces and get patients on stretchers and into the ambulance safely without risk to the spine. They radio ahead to the emergency department to get ready to treat the patient upon arrival. First responders will also call for any additional assistance that is required, such as the ‘jaws of life’ when someone is trapped in a vehicle.

Stress

First responders have a stressful job. They are always ready to go to the next scene and help more people. However, not everyone can be saved. Additionally, they often deal with horrific incidents and injuries. All of this can take a toll on their mental health.

Monitoring

Geotab, via organizations such as Envue Telematics, provides telematics equipment that is essential for monitoring fleet vehicles, whether they are first responders’ ambulances, police cars, or commercial trucks delivering products to customers. A Geotab reseller can fit any fleet with tracking equipment and software to make vehicles easier to monitor. These tools include warnings when tire pressure is out, temperature gauges in real-time, and internal cameras. They also report bad driver behavior such as riding the clutch or braking too hard.

First responder vehicles can be equipped with these tools to let supervisors know exactly where every vehicle is at any time and which team is closest to respond to an incident. The quickest route can be provided. Just like in other jobs, first responders undergo performance management procedures.

First responders save lives. It is a great career for those who aspire to be a hero every day.