Ambulance or Paramedic

Why is counting on the ambulance service in

executive protection a bad idea??

A critical look at your medical readiness?

So, to start,?I understand if you're reading this you might disagree with some of the things?being said, or have a different view, opinion, or experience and that is fine. This text is merely based on my own experience, working with different teams and clients around the world. Also,?I'm pretty sure?everyone is?well prepared?and has plans?for everything?that might happen and what is described below, is just a “minority” case. But?again,?speaking with protection agents?and teams and companies,?having been on several missions as a close protection officer or medic I must say that this might not be true every time all the time.?

It seems that some people disagree about?the need of?having a paramedic on board.??There is cost to consider?of course, having a?paramedic is going to cost you?(or the client). But, it is important to?note?that not?everybody is a paramedic, not?everybody is a medic,?hell?not everyone is a first aider. Doing your one yearly refresher course on your first aid, FREC of FPOS doesn’t make you efficient in anything. Be honest, it doesn’t!??Of course, when the client asks, we are all trained, in date with our training needs (worst answer ever, is that we comply with governments guidelines on required medical training) and can solve any issue that might arise on the way. Set the expectations right! We can’t solve all the issues and depending on what a client is willing to pay, will determine what issues we can solve.?

Back to why counting on the Ambulance service is not a good idea. And here, I am not talking about?non-permissive environments?but?talking about?western cities like London Brussels Paris,?capitals, for?my friends in the United States?Washington,?Boston, New York,?the?western?world as you might?call it?and?thus?in a place where the health services are very well organised,?and?the ambulance?should be on scene?within a certain?amount of?minutes

But then why is it not a good idea to count on this well organised service?while?we are protecting our principal? Protection is safeguarding our principal from bodily harm, disgrace and death. We deal with this all the time working very professionally, doing recces of venues, doing access control, checking roads and using our skills to put them in a protective bubble while on the move. We know the nearest hospitals, the emergency numbers, safe locations, etc etc.?

However, there is one case (a multifaceted case) when we (or some of us) provide a very bizarre answer. Car accidents, heart attacks, illness, choking (think of principal in restaurant), a swimming accident, a fall or even a violent attack… we count on the well-organized emergency health services, or our ability to get our principal as fast as possible to a hospital for definitive care. But let’s examine this. We spend our days and nights keeping uncontrolled, unauthorized, and unknown people out of the way of our principal. We check venues, post advance teams, do bomb sweeps, and even have a private vehicle with driver ready 24h/24h because well, we don’t trust anyone else driving him around.?

Now something has happened, and we give up on ALL of that, we believe that that one incident is THE scenario of the day, and we call in a third-party player, that we have never met, is usually underpaid (if you are in security, you understand why this can be an issue…) to solve the problem. We call in a third party to: solve the medical problem, to transport the principal and all this, without any control or knowledge about what is being done. Being transported, in the best case with you in the back of the ambulance, but depending on where you are, this might or might not be possible, to a hospital that you have no control over, that hasn’t been checked, where you don’t have an advance team… And this is the BEST case scenario, if you have a medical emergency that allows you to call for an ambulance. Imagine the worst, an attack, where your SOP is to extract and evacuate your principal, now you are shoving him into a car or a designated “safe” place, while they might be having life threatening injuries that require advanced medical care (the tourniquet won’t do). In this case, you also count on getting the ambulance, to that “secret” safe place, or a rendezvous with your car somewhere while your principal is dying in the back of your car??

So why do all that we do when everything is peachy, if so many of our protocols can be discarded the moment ONE thing goes wrong? Your paramedic on the team, and making sure that ALL team members are REALLY trained and have a good level, in date experience with some more than CPR medicine, will make the difference between what could potentially become a headline, not a positive one.?

Besides this, having an advanced medical professional on board, will also help your team and your principal in less extreme conditions. Recognizing signs of possible issues at forehand and solving them before they become incapacitating might be just what your principal needs, remember, its not just life you are protecting, also dignity.?

Consider your current medical set up, training and what you content yourself, your team and your company with. It is not important until it is, but unlike batteries for an empty cool flashlight, you can’t get these skills on the fly or when it all of a sudden becomes necessary.?

Keep safe, keep fresh and never hesitate to question yourself and your team. You can only improve if you look forward!?