First Responder Uniform Impression
If you were in a medical emergency situation and the first responder be it the paramedics, police or fire fighters showed up and their uniform was ragged and messy with dirt and scuff marks all over it how would you feel about that?
Your expectation is that the people responding to your medical emergency should show evidence of proper hygiene in a professional manner and that dress would reflect in their services when attending to your needs.
Those who do show these signs of proper attire will earn your trust by the fact that they have taken the time to be prepared and clean, which in turn will also extend to the quality of service they provide. This would be the case for both the uniform security shirts and EMS Pants that are part of the uniform.
As a public safety professional the initial impression that people feel when they first encounter you is very important. EMS uniforms are engineered to convey authority and the absence of a correct display of what they represent may very well have the opposite effect.
In day to day operations as a first responder one can develop some bad habits over time such as not paying special attention to tasks such as ironing your uniform or having it dry cleaned in favor of washing and hang drying your uniform shirts and pants. The problem can also be compounded by fabric that has seen better days and is now beginning to start pilling or fraying or the material may be thinning out and look faded. At this stage even if you do have them cleaned and ironed you as a paramedic, police officer or fire fighter may be showing the public an image you would not approve of.
This can go even further where the impression that you create could have the consequence of the very job you are trying to do takes a totally different turn as far as respect is concerned. For example a patient or their friends and family might think that you won’t be able to take care of them properly and they take the rescue attempt into their own hands even though they are not qualified and do not have the correct skills. Inexperienced individuals could actually cause much more damage and even put themselves in a harmful situation.
Your personal safety can also become a concern as poor garment construction could cause the injury to you in the sense of not keeping out substances such as infectious fluids or causing the uniform to get caught on sharp objects that could lead to slips and falls. You can imagine this happening at the most inopportune time during a rescue mission.
The image that you want to portray as a professional EMT is that you have your uniforms ironed and make sure that they are still in good shape before putting them on. This would include a quick inspection to determine if the fabric and the crispness is still clean and uniform looking which would result in displaying the image of a competent professional.
In conclusion by dressing in good quality uniforms, you help yourself do your job better, provide the proper protection and appearance which reflects in both your own work and also the reputation of the entire organization you represent.
Terry Smeader
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Tags: emergency medical services, emergency medical technician, EMS, EMT, fire fighters, First Responder, law enforcement, officers, paramedics, police, Uniform
