AEMCA EMS Operations and Safety 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following PPE is required when caring for a patient with suspected tuberculosis?
- Surgical mask and gloves
- N95 respirator, gloves, and eye protection (Correct answer)
- Gown and face shield only
- Standard gloves with no additional protection needed
Correct answer: N95 respirator, gloves, and eye protection
Tuberculosis is transmitted via airborne droplet nuclei, requiring an N95 respirator at minimum along with gloves and eye protection.
Question 2: A HAZMAT placard showing a skull and crossbones indicates:
- Flammable material
- Radioactive material
- Toxic or poisonous material (Correct answer)
- Oxidizing agent
Correct answer: Toxic or poisonous material
The skull and crossbones symbol (DOT Class 6) indicates toxic or poisonous materials that pose a serious health hazard.
Question 3: During an emergency response, the EMT is driving on a road with limited visibility in heavy rain. The best action is to:
- Increase speed to reduce time at risk on wet roads
- Maintain normal highway speed to avoid backing up traffic
- Reduce speed and increase following distance (Correct answer)
- Activate only the siren without warning lights to reduce distraction
Correct answer: Reduce speed and increase following distance
Wet conditions decrease stopping distance and visibility, requiring reduced speed and increased following distance.
Question 4: Which phase of a disaster response involves returning EMS systems to their normal state of readiness?
- Mitigation
- Preparedness
- Response
- Recovery (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Recovery
The recovery phase focuses on restoring normal operations, restocking supplies, and returning personnel and systems to readiness.
Question 5: An EMT notices that a co-worker has been showing signs of emotional distress after a traumatic call. The most appropriate first step is to:
- Ignore it — stress is normal in EMS
- Report the co-worker immediately to administration for disciplinary review
- Privately check in with the co-worker and suggest available support resources (Correct answer)
- Tell other crew members so they can monitor the situation
Correct answer: Privately check in with the co-worker and suggest available support resources
Privately checking in and directing the co-worker to support resources addresses the issue respectfully while protecting their wellbeing.
Question 6: START triage designates a patient as 'immediate' (red) if:
- The patient is unconscious and unresponsive
- Respirations are absent after repositioning the airway
- Respirations are present but greater than 30/min, or capillary refill is greater than 2 seconds, or unable to follow commands (Correct answer)
- The patient can walk to a designated area
Correct answer: Respirations are present but greater than 30/min, or capillary refill is greater than 2 seconds, or unable to follow commands
START triage uses respirations >30/min, capillary refill >2 seconds, or inability to follow simple commands to classify patients as immediate (red).
Question 7: When using the Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG), the orange-bordered section provides:
- UN identification numbers for hazardous materials
- Evacuation distances for hazmat incidents
- Isolation and protective action distances (Correct answer)
- Fire and explosion hazard data
Correct answer: Isolation and protective action distances
The orange-bordered section of the ERG contains emergency response guides with isolation and protective action distances for specific chemicals.
AEMCA EMS Operations and Safety 3
Which of the following PPE is required when caring for a patient with suspected tuberculosis?