jrizman said:
... guess i should reup on my first responder certification so i can legally help others again.
Just because your certification has expired doesn't stop you from assisting anyone legally speaking. It would stop you from providing services in a professional role (like you couldn't work on an ambulance and theoretically shouldn't provide medical assistance while working with a club or organization, etc, but if you are "it" in the wilderness and you have training and equipment to help someone, you shouldn't NOT help them because your card is expired. Focusing strictly on the legal issue, most states have good samaritan acts that are designed to protect people from liability if they are trying to help someone (without professional or personal motive) and as long as you do what a reasonable person with similar level of knowledge and training you should not have an issue.
I'm a paramedic and I frequently have a selection of ALS equipment in my vehicle, and while I may not be certified in various states I may be in, if I were in the parking lot of a park somewhere and someone stumbles out with heat stroke, I wouldn't think "I'm not certified in this state," I would just do what needs to be done. That said, I don't bust out the kit at every accident I pass--most of the time that extra minute or so won't do a thing. It's just a matter of what a "reasonable person" would do.
Everything depends on your local laws, etc, so this isn't specific legal advice, I'm just trying to say that you shouldn't worry about your certification level unless you know your state has stupid laws about these things.
Austin
