Deck 11: Scene Size-Up

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT determined in a scene size-up?

A) Chief complaint
B) Mechanism of injury
C) Potential hazards to the EMS crew
D) Need for additional resources

Answer 1

Chief complaint

Question 2

You and your partner respond to a residence for a fall.You arrive to find a group of approximately 30 adults surrounding a middle-aged man who appears to be unconscious.A police car pulls in behind you.You should:

A) wait for the police officer to assess the safety of the scene.
B) enter the scene ahead of the police officer to provide care.
C) leave the area and stage until the scene is cleared of people.
D) have the police officer drag the victim over to the ambulance.

Answer 2

wait for the police officer to assess the safety of the scene.

Question 3

When considering the potential for injury from a fall,which of the following is LEAST important?

A) Height of the fall
B) Type of surface onto which the patient fell
C) Whether the patient struck anything with his body on the way down
D) Patient's weight

Answer 3

Patient's weight

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT a consideration that should be used by the EMT in establishing the size of the danger zone?

A) Presence of hazardous materials
B) Wind direction
C) Amount of equipment needed
D) Fire

Question 5

As you approach the scene of a motorcycle accident,you see an EMR trying to stop the bleeding on the patient's left arm.You notice that the EMR has blood covering the front of his shirt and running down his arms.What Standard Precautions are needed?

A) There is no need for Standard Precautions because you have no open injuries.
B) Gloves, gown, and face mask with eye shield are needed.
C) Gloves, gown, eye protection, and an N-95 or HEPA respirator are needed.
D) Gloves and gown only are needed.

Question 6

Which of the following situations requires additional action by the EMT during scene size-up?

A) A vehicle collision involving a tractor-trailer that appears to be empty.
B) The sound of a barking and growling dog upon approaching the door to a residence.
C) A bystander who is smoking a cigarette at the scene of an assault at a local park.
D) A news media helicopter arrives and hovers overhead at the scene of a vehicle collision.

Question 7

As you arrive at the scene of a house fire,a very upset man screams at you to help his young son,who is trapped under a piece of burning wood on the ground.Which of the following should you do first?

A) With the father's help, grab the boy by the arms and pull him from underneath the wood.
B) Size-up the scene before acting.
C) Perform an initial assessment on the patient.
D) Use a blanket to put out the fire on the piece of wood.

Question 8

Which of the following is true concerning the potential for violence at the scene of an EMS call?

A) An unusual lack of activity at the scene may signal impending violence against the EMT.
B) The chance for violence is very low at emergency scenes.
C) You do not need to worry about violence at an emergency scene once the police have secured it.
D) Signs of impending violence are obvious if you know what to look for.

Question 9

You are called to a motor vehicle collision where the car is on fire.You should ensure safety by:

A) borrowing turnout gear from the fire department.
B) remaining a safe distance from the car until the fire is out.
C) putting your unit back in service and leaving the scene.
D) using your fire extinguisher to put out the fire.

Question 10

Your patient,a 29-year-old female,was the front seat passenger in a vehicle that was struck in the passenger's side door by another vehicle that ran a red light.Which of the following is most likely to have occurred?

A) The patient impacted the steering wheel with her chest, causing a fracture of the sternum.
B) The patient took the "down and under" pathway, causing trauma to her lower extremities.
C) The patient's body was pushed forcefully out from under her head, causing injury to the cervical spine.
D) The patient took the "up and over" pathway, striking her head on the windshield.

Question 11

At the scene of a vehicle collision in which there are no apparent hazards,which of the following guidelines should be followed for establishing a danger zone?

A) The danger zone should be 50 feet in all directions.
B) The danger zone should be 150 feet in all directions.
C) The danger zone should be 15 feet in all directions.
D) There is no need to establish a danger zone when there are no apparent hazards.

Question 12

You are on the scene of an explosion at a suspected methamphetamine manufacturing operation.You and your partner are the first to arrive and note two middle-aged men and a woman on the front lawn with burns and cuts on their faces and arms.The fire department is en route.Which of the following resources should be the LEAST important to be requested by the EMT during the scene size-up?

A) Gas company
B) Law enforcement
C) One or two additional ambulances
D) Hazardous material clean-up crew

Question 13

At which of the following points should you begin your scene size-up?

A) After exiting the ambulance, but before making patient contact
B) When you arrive on the scene, but before exiting the ambulance
C) As you approach the scene in the ambulance
D) When the patient or family member opens the door to the residence

Question 14

You are on the scene of a tanker truck versus passenger vehicle collision on a rural highway.The vehicles are just beyond a curve in the roadway and there is a distinct odor of diesel fuel.It is dark and there is little traffic.Which of the following should be used to alert oncoming traffic to the situation?

A) Flashing lights on the ambulance
B) Yellow crime scene tape
C) Flares
D) Reflective triangles

Question 15

You have just arrived on the scene of a motor vehicle collision in which a compact car was struck from behind by a delivery truck.The driver of the delivery truck is standing outside his vehicle talking to police when you arrive,but the driver of the car is still seated in the driver's seat.You have noted moderate damage to the rear of the car.For which of the following injuries should you have the highest level of suspicion?

A) Fractures of the lower extremities
B) Chest injury
C) Abdominal injuries
D) Neck injury

Question 16

Which of the following will deliver a medium velocity impact?

A) Bullet from a handgun
B) Ice pick
C) Butcher knife
D) Bullet from an assault rifle

Question 17

As you are assessing a 32-year-old asthmatic woman who has called EMS due to difficulty breathing,her husband enters the home through a back door and shouts,"Get your hands off her; she doesn't need your help.She needs to be taught a lesson about her smart mouth." Which of the following is the best course of action?

A) Attempt to remove the patient from the home and continue treatment en route to the hospital.
B) Continue assessment and respond that the patient is sick and needs medical attention.
C) Leave the scene and patient, then notify police.
D) Let the husband know that his behavior is inappropriate, and if it continues you will call for the police.

Question 18

When determining possible injuries suffered from a gunshot wound,which of the following is true?

A) The EMT must ask the patient or bystanders exactly where the shooter was standing.
B) Bullets pass in a straight line through the body from the point of entry to the exit wound.
C) The EMT must determine the caliber of ammunition involved.
D) The EMT must be aware that bullets cause damage in more than one way.

Question 19

You are dispatched to a local bar for the report of an unresponsive female patient found in the bathroom.As you approach the scene,you notice a large crowd outside the front door holding beer bottles.The group has pulled the patient outside.As you approach the scene,people from the group start yelling,"Do something! She's not breathing." What concerns you the most about this scene?

A) The large crowd that has been drinking and is now yelling at you
B) The fact that the patient has been moved from where she was found
C) The crowd stating the patient is not breathing
D) All of the above

Question 20

At what point is the scene size-up complete?

A) When crashed vehicles have been stabilized
B) At the end of the call
C) Upon stabilization of the c-spine
D) When the number of patients has been determined

Question 21

You and your partner are en route to a motor vehicle crash involving a tanker truck on a rural road.Dispatch informs you that fluid is leaking from the truck,that there are several bystanders passed out on the ground near the cab of the truck,and that a caller has reported the code that appears on a placard attached to the tanker truck.You should:

A) remove the bystanders from the scene.
B) park about 50 feet from the truck.
C) consult the Emergency Response Guidebook.
D) park downwind from the tanker truck.

Question 22

In which of the following situations should the EMT consult the Emergency Response Guidebook?

A) Chlorine gas leak at a public swimming pool
B) Domestic disturbance with the potential for violence
C) Patient with a suspected infectious disease
D) Downed power lines at the scene of a vehicle collision

Question 23

An injury caused by an object that passes through the skin or other body tissue is known as which of the following?

A) Cavitating trauma
B) Puncturing trauma
C) Penetrating trauma
D) Impaling trauma

Question 24

Which of the following BEST describes blunt-force trauma?

A) An object strikes the body, but it does not penetrate the body tissues.
B) The object is not sharp, but it penetrates the body when enough force is used.
C) The object penetrates soft tissue, but it cannot penetrate bone.
D) A rounded object impacts the body tissues.

Question 25

You should have a keen awareness that there may be injuries based on your scene size-up.This is known as which of the following?

A) Nature of illness
B) Law of inertia
C) Mechanism of injury
D) Index of suspicion

Question 26

When should the EMT evaluate the need for Standard Precautions?

A) An evaluation should be made throughout the call.
B) An evaluation should be made once a general impression of the patient has been formed.
C) An evaluation should be made before arrival on-scene.
D) No evaluation is ever needed, since the precautions are the same for every call.

Question 27

Which of the following situations will NOT require additional resources at the scene?

A) A patient with emphysema who is on oxygen therapy at home
B) A call for a sick person at home during which an odor of natural gas is detected
C) A call to a manufacturing plant where a worker has his hand caught in a machine
D) A 300-pound woman complaining of back pain

Question 28

Where should the EMT assess for injury when caring for a patient who had a two-story fall and landed square on his feet?

A) Patient's lower back
B) Patient's ankles
C) Patient's femur
D) All of the above

Question 29

Which of the following is true concerning scene size-up?

A) The need for additional resources must be determined on both medical and trauma calls.
B) Scene size-up does not play a role in determining the nature of the illness.
C) Determining the number of patients is not important on a medical call.
D) Information from bystanders is not important on trauma calls.

Question 30

A fall is considered severe anytime an adult patient has fallen more than ________ feet.

A) 20
B) 15
C) 10
D) 8

Question 31

What law of physics explains why a patient's liver can be injured from the impact of his car with a tree?

A) Second law of motion
B) Newton's law of moving energy
C) Law of inertia
D) Law of kinetic energy

Question 32

Your patient fell out of a tree while putting the roof on a tree house.A 15-foot ladder is required to enter the tree house and there is enough room for an adult to stand up inside.Your patient should be transported to:

A) an urgent care center.
B) the closest hospital.
C) a trauma center.
D) a neurosurgery center.

Question 33

Which of the following may be a hazard at the scene of a vehicle collision?

A) Electrocution
B) Hazardous materials
C) Other emergency vehicles
D) All of the above