Ambulance and Donor Services personnel shall be afforded the opportunity to “Time Out” while on duty. During this time, personnel shall be unencumbered by work responsibility and no pay shall be deducted so long as the time is used for its intended purpose.

MANDATORY REST PERIOD PRIOR TO DUTY:

Team Members must observe a period of not less than ten (10) hours of “duty free” time with appropriate rest prior to reporting for duty. It is not acceptable for a Team Member to report for duty directly following another work period with another employer or volunteer agency. It is also unacceptable for a Team Member to report for a night shift after being awake all day.

STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING FATIGUE AT WORK:

Assessing and managing fatigue should be a continuous effort while at work. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are prepared to carry out your job functions when required. You should use your downtime to rest and eat whenever the opportunity arises.

DEBRIEF:

Performing a post-call or post-incident debrief following a particularly difficult situation enables participants to understand that they are not alone in their reactions to a distressing event and provides them with an opportunity to discuss their thoughts and feelings in a controlled, safe environment. This type of debrief should not be confused for a Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) which is a structured, formalized event.

TIME OUT:

If, during a shift, a Team Member or crew determines that their level of fatigue or emotional state requires a rest period, they (or a supervisor) may call Time Out. Upon calling Time Out, the crew shall be granted a rest period of up to three (3) hours for fatigue or up to one (1) hour for debrief. Crews must use this time for its intended purpose.

During the time out period, the Team Member/crew shall be unencumbered by work duties. Communications and supervisory personnel should assume the Team Member/crew is unavailable for the entire duration of the time out period unless notified otherwise by the Team Member/crew.

NOTIFICATION:

The Communications Center shall be notified as soon as the Team Member/crew identifies that a rest period is needed. It is not acceptable to call Time Out upon dispatch of a trip, as the trip has already been accepted by the company. The exception is long-distance trips. In this case, the Communications Center shall contact the crew prior to acceptance of the trip.