Hey everyone— Amanda here with another article concerning all things that affect EMTs. Today we’re covering a serious topic— physical danger at work.

Should EMT’s learn to protect themselves from an attacker? The short answer is yes. Being an EMT can be dangerous for anyone regardless of who they are. Long hours during the night in sketchy areas where you can’t see well doesn’t always make way for the friendliest encounters. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

So, how do you stay safe? Enter self defense.

Self defense is a broad term that encompasses the physical and mental training of protecting oneself from outside threats. A comprehensive self defense study will help you recognize threats, read aggressive body language, and develop the right stance to safely exit a dangerous situation.

I currently participate in self defense training and the first thing I learned was not to focus on getting to your feet to fight back but instead making sure you have enough room to flee from the threat. If you have more experience however, then you can move onto detaining your perpetrator.

Here are different methods of self defense;
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Wrestling
Boxing
Karate
MMA

Be sure to do your research on the mentioned disciplines to know what method would suit your lifestyle and interests.

I highly advise everyone to learn self-defense, no matter your age, gender, or size.

Learning self defense can help EMTs develop deescalation tools to calm a perturbed patient.
Additionally, self defense can teach observational awareness and build overall confidence. Self defense can ultimately save your life, and remember you can’t save lives if you’re life is not safe!

Which self defense will you choose to stay safe on the job? Hit reply and let us know in the comments section.