Helmet Removal Training
By Ric Remz
The opinions and ideas expressed in the following article are those of the author and not those of the New York City Fire Department, The Motorcycle Riders Foundation, the Motorcycle Association of New York State, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, the National Safety Council or any other organization that he may be affiliated with.
Several years ago, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), published a report titled “National Agenda for Motorcycle Safety”, (December 2000). Contained within this document is a section that identifies the need for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) on a national scale, to better meet the needs of injured motorcyclists. On page 57 it states “Issues such as proper helmet removal techniques are still misunderstood and may be incorrectly handled by those who are first to aid an injured motorcyclist”. It then goes on to state “Emergency medical personnel training must include information specific to the medical needs of the injured motorcyclists” and finally it says “This training should include issues such as helmet removal…”.
While researching this subject for a “White Paper”, I was asked to write for the 2001 Motorcycle Riders Foundation’s (MRF) “Meeting of the Minds”. This was to be part of the National MRO Conference held in September of 2001. While conducting my research, I found some very disturbing as well as interesting facts. In most states, this module of the training curriculum for EMTs and Paramedics is generally considered an optional module and as such, is more often than not either dropped from the course or improperly taught. I have been led to believe that at that time, only Alabama and Maine made this training part of the mandatory curriculum. I was also informed that Maine also includes this skill as part of the skills testing that is mandatory for the state EMT certification exam.
In response to this need for better training, the Motorcycle Association of New York State, Inc. (“MANYS”), a not for profit corporation, in cooperation with the New York City Fire Department’s Emergency Medical Service Command’s Bureau of Training, has produced a 15 minute training video showing the step by step techniques to be used when a helmet is being removed. The video explains and demonstrates the proper methods to be used for removal of both the open-face, 3/4 helmet and the full face helmet. The video also introduces and explains how to recognize a new style of helmet called a “modular”, “swing up chinbar” or “opening full face” helmet that is being worn by more and more motorcyclists and others, such as snowmobilers. The video also explains to the viewers the importance of bringing the helmet to the hospital along with the patient. Far too often this is not done and it makes the trauma team’s job of assessing the severity of the patient’s injuries that much more difficult. In conjunction with the training video, I along with MANYS have also developed a training seminar that we will conduct for emergency care provider organizations to teach these skills.
What we are hoping to accomplish by conducting these seminars is to make the motorcycling community aware of this problem and to enlist their aid to help make the Emergency Medical Community aware of both the need for this training and to the fact that there is a training video now available that correctly deals with this subject. As so adequately (and correctly) stated by NHSTA, there is a serious lack of training and understanding by emergency care providers on a national scale, of both helmet removal techniques and specific injuries that are more prevalent with motorcyclists.
Among the Emergency Medical Community, there is still some controversy as to whether or not to remove helmets from accident victims unless they are unconscious, have compromised airways or are in cardiac arrest. Unfortunately this is archaic thinking. Other than football helmets, which are generally left on because of the shoulder pads, there are no valid contra-indications for removing a helmet from an accident victim. Unless, of course, the emergency care provider is not properly trained to perform this procedure. Unfortunately, more often than not, this is precisely the problem.
Now is now past the time for not only NHTSA and the individual States’ regulating agencies such as the respective Departments of Health, Emergency Medical Services, etc. and national organizations such as the National Registry of EMTs and the National Association of EMTs to realize that this training is way past due for all emergency care providers as a mandatory part of their training. We as motorcyclists can no longer sit idly by while our needs are not being met. We need to be a voice that is heard by these governing departments and organizations that develop and oversee these training programs, that we are not only entitled to the same level of care but would also expect to receive, just as any other accident victim generally does receive from the men and women of our nation’s emergency medical services organizations, care that would be appropriate for our specific situation and/or condition.
To inquire as to how to obtain a copy of the Helmet Removal video or to arrange for a Helmet Removal Seminar, you can contact MANYS at the NYC office or Ric may be contacted at: HwyMedic@aol.com
The author (recently retired) was a Paramedic Lieutenant with the New York City Fire Department’s Emergency Medical Service Command, A Motorcycle Safety Foundation Certified Instructor/Rider Coach on faculty with the Motorcycle Association of New York State and a National Safety Council Certified 1st Aid/CPR Instructor.