Patience is a virtue in short supply these days In our fast-paced, instant gratification society, no one seems to want to wait for anything However, when it comes to public safety, patience is paramount. Responding quickly without having all the necessary information can be disastrous. Public safety professionals understand this, which is why they kindly request us to “please be patient” as they work to protect lives.
As civilians being patient is the least we can do to support our emergency responders. It allows them to do their jobs thoroughly and avoid dangerous mistakes. While waiting may be frustrating, it’s a small sacrifice to ensure everyone’s safety.
Why Patience Matters in Public Safety Situations
During emergencies, time is of the essence. However, first responders still need patience from the public before rushing into action. Here are some key reasons why:
Ensuring Correct Information
When someone calls 911, operators need time to gather accurate details about the emergency. Where is it located? How many people are involved? What is the exact nature of the situation? Even small errors can waste precious minutes by sending help to the wrong place. Being patient and answering the dispatcher’s questions helps provide responders with the right information.
Assessing Threats
Whether responding to a fire, medical emergency, or crime in progress, first responders have protocols to keep themselves safe. They won’t charge blindly into a hazardous scene. Patience allows them to analyze the risks and determine the appropriate response tactics. Rushing in without full awareness puts lives at risk.
Coordinating Logistics
Large-scale emergencies require coordination between police, firefighters, medics and other agencies. They need time to mobilize personnel and resources and develop strategies. Patience provides the opportunity to get all key players on the same page, ensuring an organized and efficient response.
Avoiding Missteps
Even with experience, first responders can make mistakes when forced to act hastily without sufficient information. Patience prevents careless actions like breaking down the wrong door or administering improper medical treatment. It allows them to be prudent and minimize errors.
While waiting is difficult, recognizing these reasons helps us understand why public safety professionals plead for patience. It’s about protecting victims and responders alike. A few minutes of patience can save lives.
Asking the Public to “Please Be Patient”
During emergencies, first responders may directly ask people to “please be patient” as they work the situation. They also request patience in public communications and educational materials. Here are some examples of how patience is sought:
- Dispatchers asking callers to stay on the line and verify details
- Police cordoning off the scene and only allowing in authorized personnel
- Firefighters carefully surveying a burning structure before entering
- Paramedics immobilizing a patient and loading them into the ambulance
- Agencies posting updates asking the public not to flood 911 with calls
- PSAs advising people to let first responders do their job
While urgency and alarm are understandable reactions in crises, responders know that patience ultimately helps lead to better outcomes. They politely ask for it to set the right tone and priorities.
Settings Where Patience is Crucial for Public Safety
Some public safety scenarios more critically require our patience than others. Situations where restraint and care are especially vital include:
Medical Emergencies
When someone’s life hangs in the balance, EMTs and paramedics need to focus intently on providing proper treatment. Allowing them space and time without distraction is key. Resist the urge to crowd around or bombard them with questions. Have patience and let them safely do everything possible to save a life.
Crime Scenes
Preserving and analyzing a crime scene is crucial for identifying perpetrators and pressing charges. If evidence is corrupted, justice may be denied. Refrain from contaminating the scene – wait patiently behind police tape for investigators to do their work.
Fire Emergencies
Fires spread rapidly, but fire crews must assess the situation before tackling it. Rushing in blindly can worsen the blaze and endanger firefighters. Stay calm and yield to their instructions so they can safely suppress the fire.
Severe Weather
Storms, floods and other natural disasters require unique emergency strategies. Trying to drive or go outside too soon can put you and rescuers in peril. Have patience for emergency crews to determine it’s safe to leave shelters.
While waiting through sirens and uncertainty is hard, recognize the importance. Avoid interfering – let public safety personnel handle things properly. A few extra minutes of patience can save lives and bring criminals to justice. It allows the good guys to win.
How the Public Can Demonstrate Patience During Emergencies
Here are some key tips for the public to actively practice patience during public safety situations:
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Remain calm – Avoid panic. Take deep breaths and keep your composure.
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Follow instructions – Listen to and cooperate fully with first responders.
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Keep distance – Don’t approach emergency scenes unless directed to. Give responders space to work.
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Hold questions – Save inquiries for after the situation resolves, if not urgent.
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Turn on alerts – Monitor emergency broadcasts and warnings.
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Prepare essentials – Have food, water, medications ready in case you must shelter.
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Check on others – Help neighbors, especially vulnerable groups like the elderly.
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Support first responders – After it’s over, thank them for their service.
Avoid interfering with operations or ignoring guidance. Stay informed but let public safety personnel take charge. Patience minimizes confusion and allows proper protocols to play out.
Why Impatience Can Be Dangerous
While being patient aids public safety, impatience can seriously impede responders and put lives at greater risk:
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Withholding intel – Failing to fully answer a 911 operator’s questions leaves responders undersupplied.
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Rushing in – Hastily entering hazardous scenes can worsen situations and cause injuries.
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Not following orders – Disobeying on-site emergency personnel undermines entire response efforts.
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Panicking – Spreading alarm and chaos instead of remaining calm hinders rescue operations.
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Getting too close – Approaching scenes blocks first responder access and disrupts their work.
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Not preparing – Failing to gather essential supplies in advance of sheltering leads to scarcity.
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Spreading misinformation – Circulating rumors and unvetted social media updates breeds confusion.
Avoiding these impatient tendencies allows public safety protocols to unfold effectively. Patience is contagious – remaining level-headed helps others do the same.
Remember, First Responders Face the Most Risk
Finally, maintaining patience is important because first responders shoulder the most risk in public safety situations. They are the ones entering burning buildings, confronting dangerous assailants, and racing into disaster zones. A few minutes of patience from us pales in comparison to the grave sacrifices they make regularly to keep their communities safe.
We owe them our full cooperation. So the next time they ask you to “please be patient”, remember why it matters. Stay out of the way, let them work, and be thankful these brave men and women put service above self. Through patience and partnership, we’ll get through emergencies together – safely and securely.
How to Help Public Safety Professionals Better Respond to Hospital Emergencies
As of 2020, Kari’s Law requires that designated on-site personnel are notified when a 911 call is made and the facility’s phone system enables direct 911 calls. Meanwhile, RAY BAUM’S Act mandates that organizations using multi-line phone systems, such as hospitals, provide public safety professionals with the necessary data about a 911 caller’s physical location.
Responding to an emergency on a large campus, especially at a university hospital, can be as challenging as finding a needle in a haystack. First responders may have trouble finding the correct building entrance. Maybe their only option is to enter through the main door and travel around the building. There may be multiple buildings and floors affected by the emergency. Plus, receiving the correct location information during the initial call is essential to responding effectively. For this reason, facilities need to engage with a solution provider rather than a reseller of a specific technology.
Whether you’re operating a hospital, nursing home, or another healthcare setting, keeping your facility — along with its employees, visitors, and patients — safe is essential. And to do so, it starts with first responders obtaining critical and accurate location information about emergency incidents and related events.
Medical facilities should look for vendors that provide location discovery services and detailed multimodal notifications that feature audio and video information. In addition, they should choose vendors that offer connectivity to network providers that support emerging data formats and protocols through Next Generation emergency networks. As a result, carriers can provide information directly to the emergency communications center (ECC) and public safety answering point (PSAP), while simultaneously integrating any onsite resources that can expedite response efforts and coordinate with public safety.
Providing accurate and immediate information to first responders and on-site personnel can improve situational awareness, which is especially important when multiple agencies and jurisdictions are involved in an emergency response. Facilities have an opportunity to prioritize public safety and optimize security, rather than simply complying with regulations. Some of the key technologies that facilities need to be aware of and evaluate include:
- Interactive mapping. In the event that a patient or employee mistakenly provides an incorrect address during a 911 call, interactive mapping and location discovery services can assist in determining the correct location. Interactive mapping allows facilities to quickly and visually lock and unlock campus doors with just a few clicks. It also offers camera access to common areas and real-time communications capabilities, allowing everyone involved to streamline emergency communications. By offering these solutions and making relevant details available to 911 call centers, first responders will have the information they need to address situations promptly and accurately.
- Jurisdiction satellite maps. If a PSAP or ECC uses jurisdiction satellite maps, they can easily toggle on the vendor’s solution for supplemental data at no cost to first responders. West Central Dispatch in Missouri is one of many centers that already uses this. Instead of a pin dropping on a map, the call center can view campus boundaries and floor plans within its geofenced perimeter for a better sense of the situation. They can also immediately notify on-site personnel. As a result, authorities won’t waste time sending first responders to the wrong location.
- Incident command and control customization for first responders. With the advancement of technology in the public safety industry, 911 professionals can become more dynamic and productive while reducing their workload. Facilities should look for vendors that understand the entire workflow, as well as the individuals that will consume the information. The inclusion of a separate police menu for incident command, for example, is an essential requirement. With special capabilities, first responders can manage situations quickly from a menu with functions that allow them to clear buildings or invite other responders to the scene, including hazmat teams, health departments, or tactical teams. As a result, incident commanders and staff can view the situation from the same vantage point. This improves efficiency and effectiveness, and better protects employees, patients, and visitors.
Despite technology advancements, building security solutions remain in their infancy. And as a result, many niche businesses have entered the market with myopic and siloed one-off solutions. Some offer weapons detection. Others provide facial recognition or video mapping. This model forces organizations to contract with multiple vendors and piece together a security solution. By choosing a vendor with an all-encompassing vision and built on interoperable standards-based solutions through a secure, but easily consumed web portal, facilities can protect those on their campus and ensure everyone involved in an emergency has access to identical information.
When you tailor an emergency toolkit to your facility’s needs, you do more than just ensure compliance. You also provide a higher level of safety and protection for each employee, visitor, or patient who steps foot on your campus.
Ivo Allen is a 30-plus-year veteran of the telecom industry. He is the CEO of 911inform, a public safety company providing mission-critical situational awareness to the existing 911 system.
Note: The views expressed by guest bloggers and contributors are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, Campus Safety.
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FAQ
Why are people putting student driver stickers on cars?
What does please be patient student driver sticker mean?
What does “Please Be patient” mean?
Using the phrase “please be patient” can indeed be considered professional, formal or informal, and polite. This phrase is best employed in situations where delays are expected, and you wish to reassure the other party that progress is being made.
Is avoidable patient harm a public health concern?
Avoidable patient harm is a major public health concern, and may already have surpassed heart disease as the leading cause of death in the United States. While the public health community has contributed much to one aspect of patient harm prevention, infection control, the tools and techniques of pu …
What is a synonym for “Please Be patient”?
Here are twelve alternatives that serve as synonyms for “please be patient.” 1. Thank you for your patience This alternative is both professional and polite, making it an excellent synonym for the original phrase. It acknowledges the waiting time that someone has already spent, adding a touch of gratitude.
Does public health contribute to patient safety science?
While the public health community has contributed much to one aspect of patient harm prevention, infection control, the tools and techniques of public health have far more to offer to the emerging field of patient safety science.
What are the National patient safety goals for 2024?
2024 National Patient Safety Goals Presentation NPSG 15.01.01 Suicide Prevention Resources Look-alike/sound-alike drug list Official “Do Not Use” List of Abbreviations Reduce the likelihood of patient harm associated with the use of anticoagulant therapy. The Joint Commission’s National Patient Safety Goals presentation for 2024.
Why do we collect information about emerging patient safety issues?
Each year we gather information about emerging patient safety issues from widely recognized experts and stakeholders. This information is the basis for our ®, which we tailor for each specific program. It also informs our sentinel event alerts, standards and survey processes, performance measures, and educational materials.