What Are the Job Responsibilities of a First Responder?

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EMTs, firefighters, and police offers cover three different types of jobs at an emergency, but they are all first responders and share at least a few common duties. First responders need to be observant, focused, well-trained and cool headed, so they can handle whatever emergency comes their way. When they reach a scene, it is utter chaos and it’s their job to create some order.

Getting to the Scene Quickly

When it comes to emergencies, seconds do count, and a mile between the scene and the responder can be life or death. It’s extremely important that fire, EMS, and police reach the victim as soon as possible. The average time for police to get to a scene is 11 minutes; fire services shoot for 9 minutes in an urban setting and 14 minutes in rural areas. First responders don’t always make these times, but this gives you a general idea on how quickly they react. Since time is critical, speed limits and traffic laws do not bind first responders, so long as they are using lights and sirens. It’s important that they are good drivers and know the limitations of their vehicles. When you consider how fast a fire can spread or a criminal can access a home, it’s not hard to understand the near obsession with response time.

Assessing the Scene

Once they arrive on the scene, first responders need to analyze what’s going on, where the victims are at, and if the scene is still dangerous. At a car accident, it’s important to see if anyone is trapped and if a car is leaking gas. At any crime scene, there’s always the worry that the perpetrator is still in the area, and when it comes to fires; firefighters need to spot if anyone is still in the fire or the risk of it spreading. A person may see first responders seemingly “standing around” when they first get to a scene, but don’t take this as inactivity. They may be making sure they can safely get to the victims, while evaluating the situation. It does no good if the first responders become victims themselves. Once they determine what they are dealing with, they can move on.

Controlling the Situation

First responders have a lot of jobs to do to get through an emergency. Police need to clear the area looking for suspects and controlling the public, EMS workers needs to treat any injuries, and the fire department needs to deal with any tricky extractions or fire risks. Firefighters, EMS and police all have to work together like a pit crew with each knowing exactly what their job is while staying out of each other’s way. When an emergency happens, the efficient teamwork of first responders is challenged. Traffic needs to be controlled, triage areas need to be set up, and victim allocation becomes everyone’s job. Restoring order and saving lives is what these professions are all about.

First responders make the difference between life and death every day and it is because of them that we can feel safe day to day. So, let’s cheer our firefighters, EMTs, and police officers for always being there when duty calls!