Open AccessAmbulance safety in the United States
Author(s) -
Brian Maguire,
Msa,
Emt-P
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of emergency management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.345
H-Index - 10
eISSN - 2374-8702
pISSN - 1543-5865
DOI - 10.5055/jem.2003.0005
Subject(s) - medical emergency , emergency medical services , occupational safety and health , crashworthiness , safety equipment , poison control , aeronautics , medicine , work (physics) , transport engineering , engineering , operations management , computer science , crash , mechanical engineering , pathology , programming language
This paper reviews the dangers associated with ambulances in the United States. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data, vehicle collisions involving ambulances result in twice as many injuries as the national average.Other dangers include: the safety of the vehicle itself; the lack of sufficient occupant protection in the ambulance patient compartment; distractions of the ambulance operator associated with operating lights, sirens, and communication equipment during emergency responses; drowsiness of the ambulance operator associated with extended work hours; and the lack of standardized or test- ed emergency vehicle operator training.Recommendations for improvement include: safety testing for vehicle crashworthiness, testing of diesel fume exposure among emergency medical services (EMS) personnel, and improved safety procedures for EMS personnel. Every effort must be made to make ambulances the safest vehicles on the roads of the United States.