Office of Public Safety

Section 21: Discipline and Conduct Code

It is the responsibility of every member to observe the policies and procedures established by Western EMS. Ignorance of these policies is not an acceptable excuse for violations.

Procedure:

  1. All non-medical discipline will be handled by the Western EMS Advisor.
  2. All medical discipline will be handled by a higher medical authority.
  3. The Administrative Interaction Form (AIF) or written reprimand will be used to inform the correct responsible party. It is preferred that the Duty Lieutenant or higher authority complete all discipline during duty crews, however if one is not assigned, then the Senior EMT may fulfill these duties. If any discipline beyond a verbal warning is needed, the Duty Lieutenant should be contacted for the discipline. Additionally, if a verbal warning is given by the Duty Lieutenant, he or she should complete the AIF and inform the Duty Lieutenant of what happened.
  4. FORMS OF DISCIPLINE
    1. NONE- no discipline given
    2. VERBAL WARNING- a verbal warning is a form of discipline which is generally applied to correct minor misconduct. An AIF will be filled out by the supervisor giving any verbal warning. The AIF will then be submitted to the Executive Officer and Captain to review with the Advisor to determine if proper procedure was followed or if further discipline is needed.
    3. WRITTEN REPRIMAND- a written reprimand is a disciplinary action generally taken after the verbal warning. The written reprimand reinforces the fact that unacceptable behavior attitudes must be corrected. This written reprimand will be signed by the member, Executive Officer, Captain and Advisor to ensure that executive staff as well as the member is aware of the incident, the discipline action taken and steps taken to correct the issues.
    4. CHANGE IN MEMBERSHIP STATUS- this is a change from one position to another position
    5. OTHER- other is used for any other type of discipline that may be used (i.e. Suspension, termination, etc)
  5. The level and type of discipline assessed in any situation will be based upon the total circumstances surrounding the incident. Progressive discipline may or may not be applied in a specific situation, according to severity of the violation.
  6. By being a member of Western EMS you agree to sign all Administrative Interaction Forms and write-ups that you are given. This is a requirement only because signing the form does not admit guilt but only serves as an acknowledgement that you have read and understand why the written reprimand or AIF was issued.
  7. Any disagreements with why a person was disciplined will be handled in a closed meeting between that person, the WEMS Advisor, and the Captain.
  8. If a member receives three written reprimands within one academic year that member will come up for review by the WEMS Advisor and Captain. This review will be to determine what type of “other” discipline will be administered. WEMS reserves the right to remove any member from membership status for this reason alone.
  9. All non-medical disciplinary investigations will be carried out by the Western EMS Advisor, and disciplinary action handled by the Western EMS Advisor. The EMS Captain, EMS Executive Officer, and the Western EMS Advisor will be notified.
  10. For patient care, all discipline will be handled by a higher medical authority. It will be the medical authority’s responsibility to make final disciplinary decisions for any patient care violations.

EXAMPLES OF MISCONDUCT

The following are some examples of misconduct that will subject members to disciplinary action, including dismissal. This list is not all-inclusive; it is merely a guide to be used to illustrate the type of misconduct, which are unacceptable. Because all types of misconduct cannot be listed, there may be misconduct for which a member is disciplined for that is not listed below.

  1. Smoking in uniform
  2. Failure to carry out specific instructions
  3. Inappropriate dress
  4. Excessive tardiness
  5. Excessive absenteeism
  6. Leaving the office unclean after a duty shift
  7. Failure to bring bags inside during times of in climate weather
  8. Leaving a shift early without permission
  9. Arguing a or disciplining a partner in front of patients or bystanders
  10. Creating or contributing to unsafe or unsanitary conditions
  11. Stealing equipment
  12. Leaving equipment in an unready condition
  13. Breaking traffic laws while driving a University vehicle
  14. Fighting while on duty or while representing Western EMS
  15. Using abusive, obscene, or threatening language towards the Western EMS Advisor, EMS Officers, EMS members, patients, bystanders, or support staff
  16. Inconsiderate treatment of patients
  17. Falsifying records
  18. Possessing, wielding, or threatening to use any weapons
  19. Breaking confidentiality
  20. Inappropriate representation of Western EMS without clearance
  21. Wearing uniform for non-approved functions
  22. Giving medical advice
  23. Sleeping is prohibited while working in the public view
  24. Failure to work an assigned shift
  25. Failure to carry out assigned duties as outlined in the policies and procedures manual
  26. Misusing the Western EMS computer

Any and all other actions deemed to be inappropriate by the Western EMS Advisor, Captain, or other members may be reviewed for disciplinary action.

All forms of disciplinary action must begin within a 72 hour period otherwise it will be considered void unless special circumstances exist for delays in starting the procedures. This includes, but is not limited to university closings or breaks. This also includes incidents which supervisors were not made aware of until after the 72 hour time period.

A member who has committed a serious offence may be immediately relieved from duty by either the Duty Lieutenant, Captain, Executive Officer, Western EMS Advisor, or Director of the Office of Public Safety.