Editor’s note: The EMS community has reacted strongly following the premiere of NBC’s new paramedic show, ''Trauma.’' As outlined below, the reactions have ranged from dismissive to disturbed, with the IAFC’s EMS Section issuing a formal letter of complaint to NBC expressing its disapproval . We want to hear what you think. Do you feel ''Trauma’’ is a threat to the reputation of the profession? Are there any benefits in such mainstream exposure, regardless of the show’s accuracy? How does it fare next to shows such as ‘Rescue Me?’ Make your voice heard in our comments section.
By Jamie Thompson
FireRescue1 Editor
It was billed as “an adrenaline shot to the heart.” Dario Scardapane, the Executive Producer of NBC’s new paramedic show “Trauma”, had claimed last week that “Everything in the script, on stage, and in the field is seen and influenced by real doctors and paramedics.”
It’s unclear which “real” professionals Scardapane was referring to; Monday’s pilot episode featured paramedics having sex in an ambulance, questionable medical procedures, and explosions. Lots of them.
TV critics largely panned the opener; the New York Daily News trumpeted, “Truth’s a Casualty,” while USA Today urged viewers to, “Escape Head Trauma” and avoid the show. Now leading EMS figures are weighing in, including the IAFC’s EMS Section and FireRescue1 columnist Mike McEvoy, with the show being labeled an “injustice” to those in the profession.
It began Tuesday, with National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians President Patrick Moore drafting a letter to the chairman of NBC, Jeff Gaspin. “I am sure that the intent of your television program is simply to entertain,” Moore wrote. “However, the actual impact of the perception on EMS by the public is quite negative and could even result in individuals not seeking emergency medical services when needed.”
Moore outlined how the show depicts EMS practitioners exercising poor judgment in the conduct of their duties, behaving inappropriately on the job and undertaking illegal activity such as driving after drinking. It all presents a “grossly inaccurate and misleading impression of the more than 800,000 EMS professionals,” he added.
In the EMS1 interview before the first episode was broadcast, Scardapane said they had solicited advice from expert consultants during the making of the show. Whether they actually listened is open to debate.
In the letter, Moore offers to provide NAEMT’s “experience and expertise” to ensure the content of “Trauma” offers an accurate and fair portrayal of EMS.
It’s an offer that has also been extended in another letter, this time by the EMS Section of the IAFC. In it, section chair Gary Ludwig said his organization can lend its expertise if producers choose to modify the show to “accurately describe the professionalism of our vocation.”
Ludwig calls the show “an injustice to the many professionals who work in emergency medical services,” before adding, “I would ask that either the show be cancelled or modified to accurately portray the sacrifice of those who perform emergency medical services to comfort and treat those who have suffered a serious trauma or illness.”
Are there any saving graces for “Trauma” from an EMS perspective? Judging from the pilot, giving a realistic depiction of the profession may not be the show’s goal. But with agencies across the country suffering recruitment problems, can a show that puts the spotlight on EMS – no matter how unrealistic it is – be an asset in bringing attention to an often overlooked profession and serve as a recruitment tool?
Not so, according to Mike McEvoy.
“As a recruitment tool, I can see the show ‘Trauma’ working to bring a whole cadre of irresponsible, egotistical, careless, and unethical recruits to the service,” McEvoy said. “This totally unrealistic portrayal of the fire and EMS service has set our credibility with the public back some 50 years. It is difficult to imagine what producer or television executive would possibly believe that our nation’s emergency services providers see their work as though it were a social playground, but apparently that’s the image they decided to use.”