Responding to car accidents...

February 9, 2009 4:05 PM

Does this job exist? What should I be searching for?

A couple months ago, I met a friend of an acquaintance who described his job to me. From what I got out of it, whenever there was a car accident in the area, he would get a call on the radio and respond to it. He said that often times he got to the scene before an ambulance or the fire department could. He drove his own personal car to the wreck and helped to stabilize the victims until the ambulance arrived to take them to the hospital.

I don't believe he was volunteering, but in my searching I can't seem to find a job like this. Would he be working for a hospital/private company/something else? What certification would he need? I've read about certified first responders, but are there paid jobs where you work out of your own vehicle? I'm curious because this seems like a job I may be interested in.

posted by rancidchickn to work & money (8 comments total)

Last year I heard about a (new?) US-based insurance company which would keep its agents on standby to go to a scene of an accident as soon as it was reported by a policy holder. The agent would then take pictures of the scene. He was then empowered to write a cheque for the victim for the damage on the spot. If necessary he would make his car available to the accident victim as a temporary replacement. Unfortunately I cannot recall the name of the company - but it does sound like a job which potentially matches your description quite closely.
posted by rongorongo at 4:21 PM on February 9

Certified first responders have completed forty to sixty hours of training in providing prehospital care for medical emergencies, but the utilization of people with this training seems to vary depending on location.

The trick in finding these jobs is that they're not terribly common (from my brief bit of searching). Some police are first responders, though it's more common that firefighters fill this role. Luckily, wikipedia helps out to a degree (providing certification information by state, but not how jurisdictions utilize people with this training). There might be suitable information here, but I don't know. Good luck!
posted by filthy light thief at 4:22 PM on February 9

Is there any reason you don't just want to be an EMT?
posted by mjcon at 4:34 PM on February 9

I've never heard of a service that specifically, intentionally uses private vehicles for EMS response although I do know that in my area EMS is largely volunteer (and a mix of paid) and often responders WILL arrive in private vehicles if needed. EMS is SUCH a varied thing, with so many local , state, etc regulations and organizations that it could very well be that your friends locality necessitates responding in private vehicles.

Regardless of the job you end up with, you'll be serving your patients MUCH better by being an EMT. CFR is fine, but the time required to become an EMT isn't huge but the skills you gain are significant.
posted by blaneyphoto at 5:23 PM on February 9

in the UK you will see individual paramedics patrol streets in specially marked cars. they get the call just as the ambulances do but often arrive well ahead of them and administer first aid. they are fully equipped and trained but lack the capacity to transport a victim. I have seen some even ride motorbikes in london, which given the traffic makes sense to me.

germany has an almost similar system: when calling 911 (=112 locally), they will ask you what kind of ambulance you need: a Rettungswagen, which means an ambulance with two paramedics, or the Notarzt, which is the same setup with an emergency physician on board as well. often these will be regular ER docs and the fire department will give them a marked car to them in advance. they then do their regular work at the hospital and when an emergency comes up race to meet the Notarzt car at the scene. this is how that setup usually looks.

so I think your friend did get the basic idea right but mixed up some facts.
posted by krautland at 5:50 PM on February 9

For the record, the insurance company rongorongo referred to is Progressive, and they've been doing it for years.
posted by jjg at 5:51 PM on February 9

In the US, volunteer fire fighters can also train as EMS (emergency medical services, also volunteer) and can and will respond in their own vehicle to the scene of a fire or accident. My brother did this for years (until he got a job as a paid firefighter).

You might want to start by talking to the local EMS and find out, but chances are it's a volunteer situation that was being described. These volunteers give so much of their life that it may seem like they would obviously be paid for what they do, but they are not.
posted by micawber at 7:11 PM on February 9

micawber - to be specific, it has little to do with the "US" but much more the state, city or town. EMS is incredibly (and in my opinion, unfortunately) varied in its regulation. ANYONE who meet the requirements (not just fire fighters - although that's a great combo!) can become CFR or EMTs. Some areas have VERY limited volunteer opportunities actually. If you happen to live in Manhattan (I use that as an example since I live nearby and work there) you're limited to only one or two volunteer services (I'm pretty sure) - since its the FDNY and cooperating hospitals that provide service.

Ultimately, the "responding in your own vehicle" is NEVER the ideal situation. I'd be shocked if this was something that was encouraged as anything other than a secondary measure for emergency response. Even with a jump kit and oxygen in your vehicle, you've got no means to transport a patient AND if you're assisting an ambulance-based EMS unit, you need to leave your vehicle behind to accompany them with the patient.
posted by blaneyphoto at 8:16 PM on February 9