Final answer:
Upon arrival at the scene of an emergency, the following steps should be taken: park ambulance safely, put on a high-visibility vest, ensure scene safety, take standard precautions, notify dispatch, observe the incident, perform a 360° survey, determine injuries and priority of care, gain access to patients, splint/immobilize if needed, remove patients from wreckage, and handle mechanical failures.
Step-by-step explanation:
- Park ambulance in the safest place given the situation
- Prior to exiting the ambulance, put on a high-visibility vest if you will be working on or near a roadway
- Ensure the scene is safe
- Take Standard Precautions
- Notify dispatch of arrival
- If other emergency vehicles are on scene and are positioned to block the scene, park in front of or behind a collision
- Observe the complete incident or situation as you approach
- Perform a full 360° scene survey, looking for indicators of increased risk to you, your crew, or your patients
- Determine mechanism of injury, number of patients, and priority of care
- For motor vehicle crashes, carefully gain access to patients and extricate safely
- Take the time needed to properly splint/immobilize before moving patients
- Carefully remove patients from wreckage and move to the ambulance
- If a mechanical failure occurs, call the dispatcher immediately
- Be prepared to shift your perspective quickly