r/Paramedics • u/Ok_Assistance69 • Jun 21 '25

US Overruling captain!

Just getting opinions here. Other night we had a well known psych patient who’s not only know to verbally accost medics/hospital staff, but can get aggressive. Delt with her multiple times where our local PD had her cuffed, hands on a taser. On scene for the THIRD time that week same patient, different captain (not mine, was working OT) and I told this captain “we’re going to need PD” Captain replied back “THIS IS NOT A PD ISSUE” very loud and aggressively I might add. I stated “she can get aggressive” he replied back “SHES NOT AGGRESSIVE”and he denied calling PD. Once she was loaded on the stretcher, she started to become verbally hostile, then and only then did the captain call PD. Then I was instructed to go to my patient. She started getting verbally hostile with me. I was told to get in the engine at this point and the other medics would run the call. PD followed the medic unit to our local ER.

Now, we all learned “BSI/scene safety” right? I always thought it was a medics discretion if it came to safety. KC firefighter died over a psychiatric patient after being stabbed by her. Another psych call, patient flew out the back doors and ended up being killed by a semi truck.

Does anyone think this needs to go up the chain? I feel mine AND my crews safety was compromised by a captain with a superiority complex and this captain has been known for his temper. His behavior was unprofessional, unacceptable and unbecoming an officer.

Opinions???

22 Upvotes

84% Upvoted

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54

u/Valuable-Wafer-881 Jun 21 '25

Imagine if a nurse wanted security for a psych pt and their"captain" nurse told them no 🙄

This paramilitary stuff holds ems back as a profession so badly

-25

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '25

There’s a chain of command in every job. What you call them doesn’t matter.

27

u/Valuable-Wafer-881 Jun 21 '25

It's cringe af bro. I have a supervisor who makes sure I show up to work and go in service in time. That's it. I don't need his permission to run a call the way I see fit.

-13

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '25

That…. Has nothing to do with what you call them

9

u/Valuable-Wafer-881 Jun 21 '25

It's indicative of a predominant culture.

-3

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '25

Which works very well in very very many agencies. Podunk Service #47 would have poor leaders whether you called them captains or superdads or charge nurses, because they do no leadership development.

2

u/RJM_50 Paramedic Jun 22 '25

Medical supervisors can't make this call unless they are trained to the same level or higher and able to take over patient care. Which is what should have happened! A good Captain would have taken the shit for his bad (lack) of a call; or they would have stopped and gotten the required support. This was not appropriate as described.

4

u/[deleted] Jun 22 '25

Any service that has EMTs supervising Paramedics in a clinical capacity is a bad service.

2

u/RJM_50 Paramedic Jun 22 '25

That's the way it was before I started, but it's all changed now, I retired a couple years ago. So we're talking the early 90s, I'd really like to know where this would still be happening if at all.

14

u/Anti_EMS_SocialClub CCP Jun 21 '25

There absolutely should not be a “chain of command” in terms of how a call is run, and calling the police is not at the discretion of someone else. Patient care is not something you run up through the ranks. That would be a horrible place to work.

-1

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '25

Sure, but that has nothing to do with what you call them

7

u/That_white_dude9000 Jun 21 '25

Sure but you dont have to go through the charge nurse to get security.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '25

Right, nor do you with 99% of EMS supervisors

Has nothing to do with what they’re called

6

u/metamorphage Jun 21 '25

For immediate safety issues? No. As a nurse if I want to call a code green(combative patient), I call one. I don't need approval from my charge nurse or anyone else.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '25

Right, which is how it works in EMS as well barring this random power tripping employee

1

u/No_Degree69420 Jun 21 '25

Lead paramedic has control over the scene and care. Not the captain. Recourse needs are the responsibility of the paramedic. Not some unhinged captian.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '25

Depends on the scene (MCI) and the system, but generally yes.

But again, that has nothing to do with the fact that the position is called “Captain.” If you called them a supervisor or any other fun name, they’d suck just as bad.

2

u/No_Degree69420 Jun 21 '25

Don't understand why you're so caught up with the naming portion. No shit different command systems have different titles for the same role. No one is arguing they dont.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '25

Imagine if a nurse had a “captain.” This paramilitary stuff holds EMS back.

That’s the comment I replied to. I’m not the one hung up on a name. My comment only said the name doesn’t matter, because it doesn’t.

3

u/10pcWings Jun 22 '25

Lmao this shit went over everyone's head

2

u/No_Degree69420 Jun 21 '25

Roger, Roger. See what you were correcting now. I guess he didn't know charge nurses exist.