AEMCA EMS Operations and Safety 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The primary purpose of Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) is to:
- Document EMS errors for legal protection
- Accelerate normal recovery after traumatic stress exposure (Correct answer)
- Provide psychiatric medication to distressed responders
- Replace standard employee assistance programs
Correct answer: Accelerate normal recovery after traumatic stress exposure
CISM is designed to accelerate the normal recovery process after critical incident exposure and reduce long-term psychological impact.
Question 2: When staging at a hazmat scene, EMS should position upwind and uphill because:
- It provides the best view for documentation
- It minimizes exposure to chemical vapors and runoff (Correct answer)
- It ensures faster access to the hot zone
- It allows the crew to hear radio communications more clearly
Correct answer: It minimizes exposure to chemical vapors and runoff
Positioning upwind and uphill prevents chemical vapors and contaminated runoff from reaching EMS personnel and equipment.
Question 3: During an MCI, the SALT triage method's first step is to:
- Assess all patients individually beginning with the closest
- Sort patients by asking ambulatory patients to move to a designated area (Correct answer)
- Immediately treat life-threatening hemorrhage in all patients
- Tag all unconscious patients as expectant
Correct answer: Sort patients by asking ambulatory patients to move to a designated area
SALT begins by globally sorting patients — those who can walk are directed to a designated area, quickly identifying lower-priority patients.
Question 4: When involved in an ambulance collision while responding to an emergency, the EMT should FIRST:
- Continue responding to the original call
- Ensure personal safety, then assess crew and patient for injuries (Correct answer)
- Call the supervisor before checking for injuries
- Complete the Patient Care Report before assessing scene
Correct answer: Ensure personal safety, then assess crew and patient for injuries
Personal and crew safety is the first priority after a collision — assess for injuries before taking any other action.
Question 5: Which of the following actions violates proper body mechanics when lifting a heavy patient?
- Keeping the load close to the body
- Bending at the knees with back straight
- Twisting the torso while lifting (Correct answer)
- Communicating with the partner before initiating the lift
Correct answer: Twisting the torso while lifting
Twisting the torso during a lift dramatically increases the risk of spinal injury — the body should pivot as a unit.
Question 6: A patient is found unresponsive in a running vehicle inside a closed garage. After ensuring scene safety, the EMT's PRIMARY concern for self-protection is:
- Bloodborne pathogen exposure
- Carbon monoxide inhalation (Correct answer)
- Electrical hazards
- Communicable respiratory disease
Correct answer: Carbon monoxide inhalation
Carbon monoxide from a running vehicle in an enclosed space is immediately life-threatening to rescuers and is the primary hazard to manage.
Question 7: In ICS, the term 'unified command' is used when:
- A single agency has complete authority over all resources
- Multiple agencies with jurisdictional authority manage an incident together (Correct answer)
- The Incident Commander delegates all decisions to section chiefs
- Federal authority supersedes all local command
Correct answer: Multiple agencies with jurisdictional authority manage an incident together
Unified command is used in multi-jurisdictional or multi-agency incidents where no single agency has overall authority, allowing collaborative decision-making.
AEMCA EMS Operations and Safety 4
The primary purpose of Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) is to: