Handcuff key? Do you carry one?

EMT533

EMT533

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I was looking online for EMS gear and a bunch of handcuff keys popped up. "Just incase you find yourself a difficult situation." I also saw some boots actually have pockets for them. Are they necessary?
 
Any patient that has handcuffs on I have a police rider in back with me who has a set of keys and usually several police cars behind us.
 
DesertMedic66 said:
Any patient that has handcuffs on I have a police rider in back with me who has a set of keys and usually several police cars behind us.
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Ok! I wasn't planning on buying one but I figured I'd ask the pro's first! Thank you!
 
EMT533 said:
"Just incase you find yourself a difficult situation
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I am wondering, did you put any actual thought into it before asking the question ? Does it make any sense to you to carry handcuff keys at work, what kind of 'difficult situation' can happen that warrants you to carry them ? What is your role as an EMS provider as opposed to other departments that use controlled violence to achieve their goals ? I'm not trying to degrade you in any way, but if you struggle with common sense and need to 'ask the pros', I would strongly suggest reconsidering your career choice.
 
My partner carries some but she's Law Enforcement, not EMS. Some EMS have vests they can wear but I have never heard of hand cuffs. If EMS providers needs to start carrying handcuffs, we might as well cross train and be PD.
 
I may get flak, but i carry one of the small ones. If a patient is cuffed then a police officer should be in the back. However there are times when after the cops go hands on and tussle with someone, their key can get knocked out and goes missing, which they dont realize until we get to the ER and they want to cuff the patient to the hospital bed.

I also have it because if we are going hands on, then the cop can control one hand and i can control the other, or another limb and set the double lock without waiting. Ive also been on a call or two that the patient was handcuffed or restrained due to some extracurricular activities and they need to be released.
 
Fry14MN said:
My partner carries some but she's Law Enforcement, not EMS. Some EMS have vests they can wear but I have never heard of hand cuffs. If EMS providers needs to start carrying handcuffs, we might as well cross train and be PD.
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All Boston EMS employees carry metal handcuffs.
 
At my agency we dont carry handcuff keys on us but we do have one on every apparatus just in case the deputy loses his or her's key but if someone is restrained in the back of the box then there is always law enforcement on board.
 
Carrying a spare key incase the deputy loses his? I hope the local deputy there also carries spare medical equipment incase we lose ours lol
 
The reason being with alot of our psych patients theres always an altercation between the patient and the deputy, and you"d be surprised how easy tho"s keys can come off
 
Mills2297 said:
The reason being with alot of our psych patients theres always an altercation between the patient and the deputy, and you"d be surprised how easy tho"s keys can come off
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In eight years I've actually never seen it- and I work a very busy, urban system. Your deputies are doing something wrong.
 
nightmoves123 said:
Carrying a spare key incase the deputy loses his? I hope the local deputy there also carries spare medical equipment incase we lose ours lol
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Your local Leos dont carry medical equipment?

Our cops carry the exact same jump bag we do on the ambulances, stocked identically. If we need an extra bag or we need them to get something for us its all in the same place.
 
Bullets said:
Your local Leos dont carry medical equipment?

Our cops carry the exact same jump bag we do on the ambulances, stocked identically. If we need an extra bag or we need them to get something for us its all in the same place.
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I've never been in a place that they have more than a blowout bag or an AED
 
Underoath87 said:
Absolutely! Can't tell you how many times I've accidentally handcuffed myself to someone while performing my "stripper cop" routine.

But for EMS, no.
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I prefer to use the fuzzy plastic cuffs. If things go bad it's easy to break them, IMO
 
EMT533 said:
I was looking online for EMS gear and a bunch of handcuff keys popped up. "Just incase you find yourself a difficult situation." I also saw some boots actually have pockets for them. Are they necessary?
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FYI, boots made to hide a handcuff key are only marketed as "tactical gear" to avoid the bad PR of marketing them to the habitual criminal offender demographic. And that way you also reach the paranoid anti-government survivalist and militant types, who buy all their clothes and accessories out of the Galls catalogue.
 
We have one on the key ring of all the ambulances. One of our more over zealous employees placed them there, where they will likely never be used. I don't carry one and can't even figure out how to open the damn things half the time. Recently had an overdose that I needed the cuffs off of and the only cop was not interested in "releasing control" of the apenic patient. He gave me his keys and I struggled miserably.
 
I have used them in the past to unlock and relock cuffs (usually from the back to the front) so that I can do IV's etc, Don't always have an officer in the truck until we transported: may be on scene for awhile before we transported and I always started working up patient before the officer got in the truck. Never had an officer comment about moving the cuffs. Never had a problem from the patient/prisoner while moving the cuffs around.
 
Yes, but I don't bring it to work.
 
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