This weeks EMS News · Rescue Academy

This weeks EMS News

1. Legal/Ethical Boundaries for EMS Clinicians — DUI Blood Draws on Scene

A recent article on EMS1 highlighted a new policy in Vanderburgh County, Indiana where certified fire-department paramedics are allowed to perform on-scene evidentiary blood draws for suspected DUI cases. Some EMS professionals responded strongly, indicating this shifts them into a law-enforcement role and raises ethical and legal concerns such as provider subpoenas, role confusion, and patient-care issues. The story is relevant for students because it underscores how official protocols, scope of practice, provider documentation, and agency policy must align — and how stepping into non-medical roles can expose providers and systems to risk. Read more: EMS1 article

2. Workforce & Response Model Research — Rethinking Response Times and Staffing

A white paper cited by several EMS organizations (including National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians) suggests that for most EMS responses, extremely short response intervals may not meaningfully impact patient outcomes. In fact, only about 6.9 % of patients require what the document terms “potentially life-saving interventions (PLSI).” The piece argues for redesigning EMS staffing and response models that match acuity, rather than focusing solely on rapid arrival times. For EMS students, this invites a reconsideration of traditional teaching around “lights and sirens” or shortest-possible response. It reminds you that triage, dispatch accuracy, resource allocation, skill maintenance, and scene management are just as important in modern EMS systems. Reference: USFA blog summarizing the white paper

3. Protocol/Standard – Changes in the American Heart Association (“AHA”) 2025 CPR/ECC Guidelines

A recent article summarizes how the 2025 AHA Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care provide updates to the chain of survival, choking management, opioid-overdose algorithms, and the role of mechanical CPR devices. EMS1+1

For EMS students this matters because your local protocols will need to align with the updated national evidence base—expect to review training material, modify airway / arrest algorithms, and ensure your crew understands what didn’t change (for example, the guideline still states routine mechanical CPR devices are not superior to manual compressions) so you don’t over-react to every guideline release. EMS1+1

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