Ep 5 NAEMT Radio Lights and Sirens with Dr Doug Kupas

In this edition of NAEMT Radio we talk to reducing Lights and Sirens (L&S) with NAEMT’s Medical Director Douglas F. Kupas, MD, EMT-P, FAEMS, FACEP. In early 2022, 14 international EMS, patient safety, quality and fire associations released a joint position statement encouraging EMS systems to reduce the incidence of L&S vehicle operations. This represents a significant alignment by these associations on the risks and benefits of L&S EMS vehicle operations.

Most EMS clinicians who have responded to more than a few EMS calls learn that from a clinical need perspective, there are times when a L&S response may be warranted and many times when it is not. L&S response increases the chance of an EMS vehicle crash by 50% and almost triples the chance of crash during patient transport [1]. But how should agencies undertake the effort to change 50 years of culture, both within emergency service agencies and in their communities, to reduce L&S vehicle operations?

For EMS, the purpose of using L&S is to improve patient outcomes by decreasing the time to care at the scene or to arrival at a hospital for additional care, but only a small percentage of medical emergencies have better outcomes from L&S use. Over a dozen studies show that the average time saved with L&S response or transport ranges from 42 seconds to 3.8 minutes. Alternatively, L&S response increases the chance of an EMS vehicle crash by 50% and almost triples the chance of crash during patient transport. Emergency vehicle crashes cause delays to care and injuries to patients, EMS practitioners, and the public. These crashes also increase emergency vehicle resource use through the need for additional vehicle responses, have long-lasting effects on the reputation of an emergency organization, and increases stress and anxiety among emergency services personnel.

NAEMT Radio is hosted by NAEMT Member and Lighthouse Leadership Mentor - Rob Lawrence.

Resources:

Joint Statement On Red Light and Siren Operations: https://www.scribd.com/document/558891459/Joint-Statement-on-Red-Light-and-Siren-Operations-With-Logos#from_embed

About

Dr. Kupas is medical director for Geisinger EMS and director of Mobile Integrated Healthcare for Geisinger Health System, his professional home for the past 30 years. He is an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) physician, Professor of Emergency Medicine, Resuscitologist and the EMS Medical Director for the State of Pennsylvania for the past 20 years. A board-certified emergency physician subspecializing in EMS, Dr. Kupas is an avid researcher and passionate advocate for EMS practitioner and patient safety. His clinical interests include CPR, hypothermia, end-of-life care, EMS patient and practitioner safety and EMS airway management.

Dr. Kupas’s EMS career began 40 years ago when he joined Lower Kiski Ambulance Services in Leechburg, PA, on his 16th birthday as a volunteer. He later became a paramedic and a physician. He earned his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University and completed his residency in emergency medicine at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, PA. Dr. Kupas serves as the associate chief academic officer for simulation and student affairs at Geisinger, assistant dean for medical student affairs at the Temple University School of Medicine at the Geisinger Clinical Campus, and an associate at Geisinger’s Department of Emergency Medicine. He is a member of many local, state and national organizations and has numerous honors, awards and publications to his credit, including development of an anonymous patient safety event reporting system that became the EVENT reporting system.

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