Roadside safety for emergency medical services safety talk
Responding to an incident on the highway is one of the biggest risks emergency medical services (EMS) face. Working on the road near high speed traffic can pose a serious threat.
Safety tips for EMS when responding to a roadside incident:
- Ensure the vehicle is pulled into a safe location and put in PARK
- Always wear your seatbelt while the vehicle is in motion
- Turn on vehicle warning lights
- Before exiting the vehicle look for any hazards such as downed power lines, drop off etc.
- Wear high visibility clothing when working a roadside incident
- Put out cones with reflective material to warn and steer traffic away from area
- Place signs, light boards, flares etc. ahead of the area to warn traffic
- Be aware of traffic when exiting the vehicle
- Only exit the vehicle when safe to do so and try to stay behind the vehicle or on the side away from traffic as much as possible