CRIME SCENE AWARENESS AND SAFETY FOR FIRE AND EMS RESPONDERS

Prepared byChristopher Hall

Former Board Director and BLS CoordinatorFor the:

Spring Valley Volunteer Fire DepartmentMilpitas, California

December, 2009

Topics

• R. E .S. P. O .N. D .

• Evidence Considerations at Crime Scenes

• Personal Risk Reduction

• Handling Violent Situations

• Personal Safety Techniques

Crime ScenesR-E-S-P-O-N-D

• R RESPOND

• E EVALUATE

• S SECURE

• P PROTECT

• O OBSERVE

• N NOTIFY

• D DOCUMENT

R espond

• General Observations on way to scene

• Mental Notes– Anything out of place ?

• Firefighter Safety is #1 consideration

E valuate• Firefighter Safety Calls In Progress• FACTORS:

– Suspect(s), witness, victims– BLS, Bio/Chem hazards, SWAT – Weapons– Wires Down– Fire, Gas, Electric

E valuate

• Call - Not In Progress, already at scene.

– Ask for assistance

– Limit access, one way in/out• People AND Vehicles

– Gloves and other PPE

– Take Notes

• Who, what, when, where, time

S ecure

• Establish Perimeter– Tape/rope– For a Large perimeter- use rope– Outer/inner perimeters– Be aware of…

• Footprints• Tire prints• Pavement gouging• Physical evidence (ie: blood)• Suspect escape route

S ecure

• Establish Attendance Log and a PAR– Begin with yourself and anyone past/present– Maintain until Law Enforcement arrives, then turn

over to Law Enforcement.– Include in log

• Names• Dates• Agency• Time entered• Time exited• Reason entered

P rotect

• Safeguard scene until Law Enforcement Arrives from:– Weather– Animals– Traffic (people and vehicles)

P rotect

• Safeguard items within scene– Room in which the patient was treated– Vehicles– Patient’s Cell phone– ID’s, wallets, personal items– No movement of body until authorized by

Coroner in case of deceased patient

O bserve

• Basic factors– Time of call, arrival

– Weather/Temperature

– Doors open or locked

– Lights on or off

– Position of patients and vehicles

N otifications

• Supervisor

• Dispatch– Who will then notify Law

Enforcement

D ocument• Attendance Log• Call times, arrival times• Initial Patient Contact Time• Patient Contact Report (ePCR)• Sketch if requested by Law

Enforcement• NFIRS Number of Incident

EMS at Crime Scenes

• The goal of performing EMS at crime scenes is to provide high-quality patient care while preserving evidence.

• NEVER jeopardize patient care for the sake of evidence. However, do not perform patient care with disregard for the criminal investigation that will follow.

• Be aware you may have to justify your actions to Law Enforcement and the District Attorney after the fact.

What is a Crime Scene ?

• MVA involving injury or death• FIRES

– Treat all fires as a crime scene and try to preserve the point of origin

• Homicide• Altercation (fight)• Drug Labs• Drug Grow Operations• Hazmat• Terrorism

Evidence

• Be aware that anything on or around the patient may be considered evidence.

• Whenever in doubt, save or treat an object as evidence.

• Develop an awareness of evidence.• Pick a single path to and from the patient if a crime

scene is suspected, and maintain it.• Decontaminate equipment AWAY from the crime

scene– Remember Bleach + DNA do not mix

Types of Evidence

• Prints• Blood and body fluids• Particulate (or microscopic) evidence• Chemicals, drug apparatus• On-scene observation of scene details and

people• Skid Marks, gouging, damage to poles or trees,

fencing- in the case of vehicular homicides

Firefighter Safety at Potential Crime Scene Calls

Approaching the Scene

• Your safety strategy begins as soon as you are dispatched on a call.

• Never follow police units to a known crime scene.

• Rather than risk becoming injured or killed, err on the side of safety.

• Stage well away until approved to enter the scene by Law Enforcement.

Never approach the scene until you are advised that the scene is secure by

dispatch, or in-person by law enforcement.

There is no such thing as a dead hero!

Approach potentially unstable scenes single file.

Hold a flashlight to the side of your body, not in front of it.

Try not to silhouette your approach to a potential crime scene.

Walk to the Side of a light source.

Potentially Dangerous Situations

• Un-dispatched Sudden Roadway encounters– Think Marijuana Grow Operations and their gardeners/security

• Calls involving Mentally Unstable Individuals• Murders, assaults, robberies• Dangerous crowds• Known Gang Residence• Drug-related crimes• Clandestine drug labs• Domestic violence• Calls of “unknown medical”

Dangerous Crowds and Bystanders

– Shouts or increasingly loud voices– Pushing or shoving– Hostilities toward anyone– Rapid increase in the crowd size– Inability of law enforcement to control

bystanders– Circling or crowding of First Responders– Can be as few in number as a single family unit

Street Gangs

• No Fire unit is totally immune from gang activity.

• Commonly observed gang characteristics include appearance, graffiti, tattoos, hand signals.

Drug Related Crimes

• The manufacture and sale of drugs goes hand-in-hand with violence.

• High cash flow, addiction, and weapons are a dangerous combination.

• Signs of drug involvement include:– Prior history of drugs in the area– Clandestine Drug Lab equipment/smells visible on approach– Clinical evidence that the patient has used drugs

• Track marks, etc.

– Drug-related comments by bystanders– Drug paraphernalia on the scene

Common abused substances sold on the street

Clandestine Drug Labs

• Drug dealers often set up laboratories to manufacture controlled substances in rural areas to avoid detection.

• Commonly manufactured drugs include methamphetamine, LSD, crack, and more.

• Drug raids on clandestine labs frequently turn into hazmat operations.

• Labs can be found anywhere, even in utility trailers driving down the interstate.

If you ever come upon a clandestine drug lab, take these actions:

• Leave the area immediately.• Do not touch anything.• Never stop any chemical reactions already

in progress !• Notify dispatch/police.• Initiate ICS and hazmat procedures.• Consider evacuation of the area.• No open flame or sparks

Violent Situations• If you suspect a violent situation, retreat and request

law-enforcement backup.• Just like in a wildland fire, as you approach the scene

have a “safety zone” in the “green” pre-identified that you can retreat to.

Cover vs. Concealmentand the Difference

• Concealing yourself is placing your body behind an object that can hide you from view.

• Concealment doesn’t stop projectiles.

Taking cover is finding a position that both hides and protects your body from

projectiles.

Specific techniques to avoid physical violence include:

• BEST=Don’t be there in the first place– Wait for an “all clear” from Law Enforcement

• Immediate retreat• Wedging equipment in a doorway as you retreat• Using an unconventional path to retreat• Anticipating the moves of the aggressor• Overturning objects in the path of the attacker• Having a pre-planned safety zone

The Contact-Cover Buddy System

Communicating Warning Signs

Every team should develop methods of alerting other providers to danger

without alerting the aggressor.

Summary

• Evidence Considerations

• Personal Risk Reduction at Scene

• Violent Encounters

• Personal Protective Strategies– Contact/Cover– Concealment vs. Cover

Q and A

Open Question and Answer

Review and Test

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