You're probably sick to death of reading of the latest bureaucratic turn of the screw but we were talking about getting authorization and clearance for this and that.
Currently renewing my driving licence and doing other little ID things, we were discussing a hypothetical question of what you'd do if you were not certified in a critical situation, e.g. a Health and Safety issue.
There was a real case, some time back, of an ambulance driver in this situation and this one about the coastguard is getting closer and this one is even even closer but this is the scenario we were thinking of:
Imagine you were at your local swimming baths and a regular swimmer sees a child in difficulty at the bottom of the pool. There are a handful of locals around but the pool attendant is up the stairs at this second and as the swimmer knows, pools are noisy and the attendant is out of range. The swimmer is not technically qualified [lifesaving certificate long out of date] but he realizes that the action needs to be fast.
He gets the nearest person to go [walking, not running] and get the attendant, he calls out if anyone's a qualified lifesaver but no one's listening, of course. He jumps in and remembering his lifesaving drill when he was a kid, he manages to get her up to the surface, just as the pool attendant takes over.
He's prosecuted for assuming duties he's no longer qualified for and has to face up to the local magistrate.
Would you have dived in like that or would you have done it differently?
Currently renewing my driving licence and doing other little ID things, we were discussing a hypothetical question of what you'd do if you were not certified in a critical situation, e.g. a Health and Safety issue.
There was a real case, some time back, of an ambulance driver in this situation and this one about the coastguard is getting closer and this one is even even closer but this is the scenario we were thinking of:
Imagine you were at your local swimming baths and a regular swimmer sees a child in difficulty at the bottom of the pool. There are a handful of locals around but the pool attendant is up the stairs at this second and as the swimmer knows, pools are noisy and the attendant is out of range. The swimmer is not technically qualified [lifesaving certificate long out of date] but he realizes that the action needs to be fast.
He gets the nearest person to go [walking, not running] and get the attendant, he calls out if anyone's a qualified lifesaver but no one's listening, of course. He jumps in and remembering his lifesaving drill when he was a kid, he manages to get her up to the surface, just as the pool attendant takes over.
He's prosecuted for assuming duties he's no longer qualified for and has to face up to the local magistrate.
Would you have dived in like that or would you have done it differently?
Bureaucracy gone mad! I'm sure a dead child's parents would be glad no unqualified person tried to save her!!!
ReplyDeleteI know there are reasons along this line that doctors when just bystanders are sometimes reluctant to own up to that fact, particularly when outside the area where they are qualified to practise medicine.
ReplyDeleteINdeed, that's common knowledge, jmb!
ReplyDeleteNor am I sure I'm not confusing things here, but there was a case, some two months ago, of a couple of cops refusing to rescue a drowning teenager from the village pond on grounds of such safety issues.
But then, what do you expect in a legislative environment so mad, that madness is the only response to it...!
Yet another one to add to our list, James.
ReplyDeleteYes utterly ridiculous!!!
ReplyDeleteThere'll be bureaucratic blood in the streets soon enough. Oops, that's an actionable statement, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteThere's no way I wouldn't.
ReplyDeleteHow can someone be prosecuted for saving a life provided they did not do something that a reasonable person with their knowledge and experience would not do? If the life-saver did something that was clearly careless,reckless or negligent that endangered the drownee then fair enough. A lapsed certificate puts the life-saver in a category above an untrained member of the public and more is expected. When I did my St John Ambulance training the first thing taught was to assess the situation to ensure that you wouldn't become another casualty by going to help. So ideally, stay on the side and throw a rope or hold a pole out but only get into the water (taking care) if no other option is possible.
ReplyDeleteWise thoughts, last two chaps.
ReplyDelete