“Dear PoPville,
This weekend I called 911 for someone passed out in front of my boyfriend’s apartment building in DC. They were breathing but more slowly and had blood on their face. The 911 operator, when learning that the person was not responsive to my voice, told me that I should start CPR. Now, I’m a former EMT – I know this person didn’t need CPR, they were clearly breathing. I told the operator on the line that CPR wouldn’t be necessary and I also am not comfortable performing it without having gloves given the blood on the person. In response, the operator said, “just to let you know, this is a recorded line, so are you declining to perform CPR?”
And kept repeating it. Fortunately the ambulance arrived shortly thereafter and I could hang up. Now, a question for folks familiar with laws in DC and perhaps other places: is it a legal requirement to provide CPR to someone if a 911 operator asks you to? Are there potential repercussions if you decline to perform CPR and the person you decline to perform CPR on passes away? I’m familiar with the Good Samaritan laws and based on quick googling it seems that there are also laws around certified medical providers having to provide CPR but I’m curious if this extends to people with first aid certifications or, someone like me, with an expired out of state EMT license?
For those wondering: the person who was unresponsive was attended to by the EMTs and woke up / were sitting up and engaging in conversation before I left.”