Your role is to provide the most appropriate medical care at the Emergency Medical Responder and Basic EMT level of licensure REGARDLESS OF ANY HIGHER LEVEL OF EMS LICENSURE. This includes Advanced EMTs and Paramedics. In many instances, a solid initial patient assessment, vigilant re-evaluation throughout the rescue, and the swift application of the most basic fundamentals of medical or trauma care are crucial to a patient experiencing a good outcome after illness or injury in the wilderness setting.

As a medical provider on a Search and Rescue Task Force (team), you must possess a unique skill set that combines wilderness medical expertise, outdoor proficiency, and effective communication. This role is dedicated to preserving lives, minimizing injuries, and maintaining the safety of the Task Force (field team) and those you rescue in challenging and often remote environments. When operating in such a role, you will have several roles as listed below:

1. Preparedness

2. Patient Treatment

3. Communication

4. Documentation

Preparedness - Your first responsibility is ensuring you have the necessary gear and are familiar with the established protocols, including wilderness-specific protocols. You should also be ready to advocate for safety and health within the team, actively addressing safety concerns, communicating with the incident's general staff or safety officer, and promoting appropriate work-rest ratios.

Patient Treatment – You will perform assessments, provide on-site treatment according to established protocols, and closely monitor the patient's condition over time. Regular reassessment of vital signs, effectiveness of treatment(s), and overall patient status is essential to determine if the patient is improving or deteriorating. Any significant changes in a patient's condition should be promptly communicated to the incident's general staff and possibly to the EMS Consortium. You should be prepared to convey the findings of your assessments and what treatments you have provided when you hand off the patient to another provider to ensure the continuation of appropriate care.

Communication - You will serve as the primary patient advocate, liaising between the patient and the rest of the SAR responders to facilitate communication about evacuation plans and ensure the patient's comfort and safety. It is best practice for the medical provider to be the primary communicator with the patient, as this approach prevents overwhelming the patient with questions and ensures essential comments from the patient are heard and acted upon. While others coordinate the extrication plan, the medical provider's role is to advocate for the patient and provide care; this can be challenging, but it is crucial to keep the patient informed and minimize their stress. The medical provider typically remains close to the patient, such as at the head of a litter during a carry, where they can explain actions taken by the team and continue to monitor treatments and vitals at appropriate intervals.

Documentation - Documentation is a critical aspect of your role during and after the search and rescue mission. During the event, you must diligently record treatments, vital signs, and their respective timestamps. After the event, you are responsible for creating an electronic medical record using the designated database and ensuring a patient record of all actions is made. The medical director can review the electronic medical record as necessary.

To summarize more concretely, your responsibilities include:

•  patient stabilization/management

• vital signs

• patient care reports (including submitting electronic reports)

• ongoing assessment 

• checking in with the patient and providing updates on the rescue process

• radios reports to the appropriate supervisor

• identifying when a higher level of care or a more expeditious rescue strategy is needed

• assuring the quality of patient care and interventions (overseeing WFAs and WFRs, guiding Non-SAR EMS)