Hero or goat?

rfonger@flintjournal.com • 810.766.6317

QUICK TAKE

Right or wrong?     A Genesee County paramedic broke the rules when he transported an injured Flint Township police officer to the hospital -or did he? Here's the crux of a growing controversy:   Bruce A. Trevithick, executive director, Genesee County Medical Control Authority: "This vehicle is not licensed for patient transport and therefore operated beyond its level of licenser by the state. The (Professional Standards Review Organization) understands the nature of the situation; however, it cannot condone a breach of protocol for any reason."     Genesee County sheriff's Capt. Michael Becker: "(The deputy's) options were to pick up the wounded officer and run to the hospital, leave the officer there where he could be shot again or put the officer in the unit, drive half way to the hospital (and) stop and wait until an ambulance could be located. In this situation, following the letter of the law would have no benefit for the patient."     ***

GENESEE COUNTY - A county paramedic who drove a wounded police officer to the hospital in his own paramedics' rig rather than waiting for a licensed ambulance is being admonished for not following the rules.

The county Medical Control Authority, which sets and enforces regulations for emergency transport in the county, said sheriff's Deputy Casey Tafoya violated local and state regulations when he loaded Flint Township police Officer Jeff Hovey into his vehicle and sped to McLaren Regional Medical Center last month. Hovey had been shot by a man at a township apartment complex.

But county Sheriff Robert Pickell says Tafoya is a hero, not a goat, who made a split-second, life-or-death decision when he rushed Hovey away from Hunters Ridge Manor.

Pickell not only has given Tafoya a meritorious citation for his actions, but he also has told other paramedics to do the same thing if faced with the same scenario.

"He went into that area under hostile fire," Pickell said. "He reacted quickly to save this guy's life. This kid is a real hero.

"I'm going to encourage my deputies -if they get in a similar situation - to react in the same way."

Bruce A. Trevithick, executive director of Medical Control, said his group's Professional Standards Review Organization, or PSRO, understood the circumstances Tafoya was operating in but had no choice but to investigate and conclude there had been a violation.

Tafoya should have used his expertise as a paramedic to care for Hovey and waited for a transport ambulance to arrive, Trevithick said. Paramedics usually treat patients at the scene but don't ferry them to the hospital,partly because they work alone and can't drive and care for a patient at the same time.

Tafoya, who Pickell said would not comment on the situation, was at the Flint Township scene after into a shoot-out erupted at Hunters Ridge

on Oct. 9.

Edward A. Campbell was fatally shot by police after shooting his own son and two township officers who had been called to the complex.

Campbell's shots grazed Hovey's head and struck his partner's upper arm, turning the scene wild and violent.

Those circumstances made Tafoya's decision reasonable, said Pickell, adding that he respects the Medical Control Authority but has asked that it reconsider its decision.

In a Nov. 17 letter to Trevithick, sheriff's Capt. Michael Becker asked that the issue be reconsidered, writing "if our protocols do not allow a deputy to rescue a wounded officer, then the protocol needs to be revisited."

"I think they're wrong," Pickell said of the PSRO, which includes representatives of emergency room doctors, 911 dispatchers and private ambulance companies.

The finding by the PSRO carries no penalty, partly because Tafoya's action didn't represent a pattern by the sheriff's office, Trevithick said. The PSRO has the authority to recommend putting an emergency provider or individual on probation or to restricting operations in the county.

Trevithick said the deputy had options other than driving to the hospital.

"There were ambulances that were available," he said. "He should have moved out of the scene to a point where the patient was not in danger and loaded the patient onto an ambulance.

"If you load someone in the front of your (rig and drive), you are not caring for them," he said. "You are driving a car."

Trevithick said he's not sure Pickell "fully understands the EMS system, the protocols and the reasons the protocols are there."

County commissioners seemed to side with Pickell when he told them of the situation Tuesday.

"I'm very happy the officer made this common-sense decision," said Commissioner John Northrup, D-Flint.

Flint Township Police Chief George Sippert said he wasn't familiar with the decision from Medical Control, but said he had no problem with how the paramedic acted.

"We teach officers to think on their feet," he said. "I think the deputy took the right action."