Special Delivery

While on patrol one Sunday morning I was dispatched to a medical call at a mobile home court. I was only a few blocks away and arrived before the ambulance.

A male subject who appeared frazzled and animated greeted me at the front door. He said his wife was having a baby. I stepped into the living room and saw a female subject laying on her back on the sofa with her legs spread and a small blood covered infant sitting on her stomach area. There was a large amount of blood on the sofa. I was told the birth just happened. I picked up my portable radio and advised the ambulance a birth just occurred and please hurry.

I looked closely at the infant and could see that it appeared to be breathing well but was still attached to the mother by the umbilical cord. The mother was talking and appeared not to be in any medical crisis.

The ambulance arrived manned by two EMTs  (Emergency Medical Technicians) both whom I knew from working in the same city with them. After they made an initial evaluation of the mother and child, one of the EMTs handed me the infant and said you go ahead and cut the umbilical cord and clip it off. The same EMT also handed me a pair of scissors and a clip. I balked and said “why me?” The EMT said something like “you have completed your EMT training.” Yes I had completed my EMT training, but had never done this baby thing.  I cut the cord and clipped it. She also handed me a suction type bottle (I don’t recall the correct name of it, but it was used to suck goop out of an infant’s eyes.) I gently cleaned the infant’s eyes.

The mother refused transport to the hospital by the ambulance, choosing instead to be driven by her husband.

I left the home and went back into service to be available to respond to other calls. As I was driving around I thought, how lucky I was that the baby had already been birthed prior to my arrival. Who knows if I would have been asked to do that too?  I don’t regret any of the medical experiences I have had in the various jurisdictions in which I worked, but due to my lack of experience in that area it made me nervous and I didn’t feel confident.

The jurisdiction required all officers to have some type of first aid training.  Police officers often arrive at the scene of an accident or other medical emergency before the ambulance and can help evaluate and treat the patient in those critical first few minutes prior to the ambulance’s arrival.  I choose to get the highest available training and took the EMT training.

Several cities in the US require cross training of their police. The police officers are trained and certified as fire fighters, the firefighters also as paramedics, etc. you get the point.  There are both advantages and disadvantages to cross training and multiple roles. These systems allow a jurisdiction to have more staff trained and on duty to fight fires or work a crime scene. This system requires more training time for the officers, requiring them to take continuing education hours to maintain their certifications, which can interfere with their sleep and/or family life.

Should we train and expect our police officers to be trained and certified in multiple specialties?

Hope you have a good weekend; Until tomorrow,

Sally S