The head honchos wont budge on this one. The weapons policy vows to discipline defensive actions!

Red XIII

Welcome aboard red.

Thx Plb!

I take it you mean that they will discipline their employees, since they can't do anything to visitors except ask them to leave.

Could you give us a little more detail about how you found this out? Did you talk to some honchos?

Oh, and welcome!

Sorry, should've been clearer...they post signs banning firearms (for permit-holders), the policy is towards employees. I work in EMS on ambulances, yes, blocking a punch w/a clipboard is a violation of their policies. I know of employees who were told not to press assault charges against violent patients b/c NMMC didn't want any press about it. They also cannot use handcuffs as restraints. NMMC will give a lifetime/onetime reimbursement fee of $300 for a Bullettproof vest, but employees are discouraged from wearing them.

Red

Wow. Nice place to work! Don't you guys have a union?

The medics/emts there aren't union (they've tried). I'm not sure if Allina is/isn't, HCMC medics are, as are fire-police medics.

Red

See, now this is not encouraging news. It's downright stupid policy.
I knew that North uses soft restraints and the instructors I've met from North encourage EMTs and medics to get a cop to ride along with a violent patient, but I hadn't heard of the extreme prejudice against self-protection.

Is this your particular location that prohibits self-defense? And are all self-defense actions prohibited?

Is Gold Cross any better?

Using any equipment they carry in a defensive manner violates their policy. They aren't even supposed to have a flashlight bigger than 2 "C" batteries. I'm not sure on Gold Cross either (or Lifelink, but Lifelink only does transfers, no 911s)

Red

Does Lifelink have any ground units or are they all air?

Have you had experience with having to defend yourself physically on the job or do you know anyone who has? I'm sort of thinking this direction (taking the EMT-B class now) and would like to know what to expect.

Life Link has a pretty big fleet of ground units. HCMC is pretty much the only service to supply cuffs and vests as they take their crews' safety pretty seriously. New hires will no longer be full boat County employees, though.

A lot of places don't permit the use of equipment for defense, per se, but simply must allow you to avoid injury. I suspect it's a case of bad policy lawyering. That's what the union is for.

Quick food for thought on the HCMC EMS staff, as I run into them pretty much every day ~

I'm an (ex) EMT, trained by Gold Cross St Cloud ....in some of the class work up there, we discussed the HCMC staff - they look very, very close to a sheriff - in terms of dress browns and belt gear (cuffs, oc). The Gold Cross folk, in their opinion, though that was bad since it painted the care-givers more as law enforcement..which could be dangerous since some bad guys may come after them thinking they're cops. It's not to say they shouldn't carry defensive tools, but they preferred their own white shirt / black pant combo, as it did not match any LEOs in that area.

mnMark, true, they also have badges, but they're really weird shaped.

Red