Attorneys for Emergency Medical Technicians in California

Helping EMTs Build a Professional License Defense and Face Other Legal Matters

When lives are at stake and emergency medical care is required, we rely on firefighters and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) as qualified first responders. Emergency medical technicians are crucial to California health and public safety. If necessary, they keep mortally wounded Californians on life support and maintain their vital signs before rushing them to the nearest medical facility for additional treatment. This demanding profession is not for the faint of heart. It can also be fairly unforgiving to EMTs, as even the slightest mistake or false allegation of wrongdoing could result in license suspension, loss of employment, financial hardship, and even criminal charges.

Considering all the time and energy you spent on your initial license application and the work you’ve done since acquiring your license, you must retain experienced licensed defense attorneys if your EMT certification is ever under threat.

What Are the Responsibilities of an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)?

When someone calls 911, an EMT is often among the first to arrive on the scene. EMTs are vital health professionals in the field of Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Emergency medical technicians work side by side with hospitals, fire departments, police departments, and private ambulance companies. They respond to every medical emergency with swiftness and professionalism. Their key duties are to provide emergency medical care to any individual in a medical emergency, such as having suffered a catastrophic injury, and then transport the injured party to the nearest medical facility. Licensed emergency medical technicians must follow strict procedural rules and always maintain a high standard of care or else risk license probation.

There are many requirements that must be met before obtaining EMT certification. Individuals who wish to obtain an EMT or EMS license must undertake an emergency medical training program and complete cognitive and psychomotor tests to ensure that they are mentally and physically capable of performing their duties.

EMTs should have adequate training to perform minor surgeries and other medical procedures necessary to save lives and life and death scenarios. However, on the whole, their job is more about assisting paramedics. Unfortunately, many people believe that paramedics and EMTs are one and the same. This can sometimes lead to accusations of inaction when, in fact, the EMTs did exactly as they were supposed to do and acted within the boundaries of their profession.

Under specific circumstances, those with a criminal record may not be able to apply for EMT certification successfully. For example, those with a history of sexual or physical abuse may not be trusted in the profession of dealing with vulnerable people.

There are strict standards that all EMT license holders must adhere to, including refraining from drinking alcohol while on duty and taking dangerous drugs while on duty. All established protocols must be closely followed while on duty, providing a minimum duty of care to patients while also documenting all treatments and refraining from unethical activities. Off-duty mistakes will be reported to the Emergency Medical Services Authority.

Did an Accident Occur During a Medical Emergency?

The life of a paramedic or EMT can be chaotic and dangerous. Sometimes, the job requires California paramedics and EMTs to perform their duties in areas known for fire breakouts, crime, and other dangers.

When you take all of this into consideration, it’s understandable that sometimes mistakes happen. Nobody’s perfect. But even the slightest mistake or oversight could threaten your entire career or potentially even result in criminal convictions.

Stone Busailah, LLP is a law firm dedicated to providing legal representation to public employees like paramedics and EMTs. We’re not going to judge you for any accident that may or may not have happened during the medical emergency. Our job is to look after your legal rights and ensure that due process is followed in pursuit of the most positive outcome for your case.

What Factors Could Make You Lose Your EMT License?

The most common allegations that an emergency medical technician might face for their actions in the line of duty include negligence, incompetence, and criminal assault. These accusations may result in an investigation and disciplinary actions.

Before taking administrative actions, your employer will investigate the claim and your supposed violations.

Actions that could be in violation of the safety code of conduct include:

Addiction to alcohol
Commission of a sexual offense
Committing fraud during the procurement of the EMT license
Driving under the influence of alcohol
Failure to uphold patient confidentiality
Gross negligence
Incompetence
Irrational behavior that inhibits the ability to perform duties
Physical abuse of the patient, sometimes resulting from excessive force
Treating patients while under the influence of drugs or alcohol
Unprofessional conduct
Violating regulations that pertain to pre-hospital care
Violation of the use of controlled substances

Has a Complaint Been Made Against You?

The California Emergency Medical Services Authority investigates over 500 complaints annually.

Complaints against emergency medical technicians and paramedics are made every day. Even off-duty mistakes can be reported to the EMS authority. The results of any complaints or mistakes could result in an investigation, which could result in your EMT license being disciplined or revoked. Unfortunately, this creates a legal need for lawyers experienced in paramedic and EMT license defense strategies.

The individual who filed the complaint against you may not even fully understand the actual harm they are doing to you and your career. But you do. That’s why you need to retain a professional legal counsel to defend your legal rights both in and out of the courtroom during the investigation stage and every stage that follows.

Is Your Professional License Under Threat?

Stone Busailah, LLP has decades of legal experience representing public employees, including emergency medical technicians. If your EMT license is under threat of disciplinary action or revocation, it is highly recommended you retain professional legal representation to secure a legal defense.

Our attorneys proudly provide compassionate legal representation to EMTs like yourself in need of legal guidance. You do not need to go before the administrative law judge on your own. Contact our law firm or legal assistance today.

Can Criminal Convictions Result in Paramedic License Revocation?

Not all criminal charges result in disciplinary actions being taken against the EMT or their license. The same is true of previous criminal convictions. Whether they affect the status of the EMT license depends mostly on the nature of the offense and specific circumstances related to the case.

We recommend contacting our law firm for more information on whether your conviction could result in the loss of your EMT license.

What Are Potential Disciplinary Actions by the Local EMS Agency?

Emergency Medical Services Authority can respond to complaints, allegations, and convictions in a variety of ways.

These responses include:

Issuing a private censure
Issuing fines and a citation
Putting the professional license on probation
License suspension or revocation

Can an Experienced EMT License Defense Lawyer Help Your Case?

Even the most ethical, well-meaning, skilled, and professional EMT could face a harsh investigation and subsequent disciplinary action. Sometimes, all it takes for a case to be opened is for someone to make a mistake. And the mistake doesn’t even need to be made by you for you to get in trouble. If you are an EMT or a paramedic in California and are facing license revocation, suspension, or probation, contact our law firm to schedule your case review today.

Our legal staff has years of experience assisting paramedics and EMTs in licensed defense cases. To learn more about our legal services, please get in touch with us to schedule your case evaluation today.

Do You Have an Employment Law Case or Administrative Legal Matter?

Have you experienced workplace discrimination, employment discrimination, sexual harassment, contract disputes, or other legal matters that fall under the umbrella of employment law and administrative disputes? In addition to helping emergency medical technicians defend their licenses from suspension, we also provide additional legal services to emergency medical technicians who are facing challenges in the workplace.

We encourage prospective new clients to contact us to schedule their initial, no-obligation case evaluations today so that we can discuss your legal matters in more detail.

Do You Need a Criminal Defense?

If you are facing criminal charges, you must not go to court without legal representation. In addition to our many services, we also provide criminal defense strategies to public employees accused of wrongdoing. Whether your misstep occurred on the job or off duty, we encourage you to contact us to schedule your in-depth case evaluation today.

Have You Established a Legally Valid Estate Plan?

Emergency medical technicians work in a dangerous profession. There’s never any guarantee that they won’t get injured, incapacitated, or killed on the job. That’s why it’s important to take the time to establish an estate plan to look after yourself and your loved ones.

Estate planning tools like wills, trusts, advanced healthcare directives, powers of attorney, and more can all be useful to emergency medical technicians planning for the future.

Are You Contending with Complex Family Law Matters?

Family law courts often see some of the most emotionally difficult and legally complicated cases in any area of law. Emergency medical technicians who are contending with family law issues do not need to do so alone.

Our legal team has experience representing clients in divorce proceedings, child custody disputes, child support obligation negotiations, and more. To discuss your family law case in more detail, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our Pasadena, California law office today.

Contact Us to Schedule a Consultation with Experienced California EMT Lawyers Today

At Stone Busailah, LLP, our highly skilled legal team has years of experience representing emergency medical technicians in license defense cases, family law matters, criminal defense cases, employment law claims, and estate planning. Our full-service law firm will be by your side throughout the entire process, from the initial administrative hearing through to the end. And if you have other legal matters beyond the scope of your employment, we have experience representing public sector employees in a variety of cases. To learn more about our legal services, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our law firm to schedule your initial consultation today.

You may reach us at 626-415-0787.