Emergency Care, 13e (Limmer et al.)
Chapter 11 Scene Size-Up
1) Which of the following is NOT determined in a scene size-up?
A) Chief complaint
B) Mechanism of injury
C) Potential hazards to the EMS crew
D) Need for additional resources
Objective: 11.1
2) At what point is the scene size-up complete?
A) When crashed vehicles have been stabilized
B) At the end of the call
C) Upon stabilization of the c-spine
D) When the number of patients has been determined
Objective: 11.2
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3) At which of the following points should you begin your scene size-up?
A) After exiting the ambulance, but before making patient contact
B) When you arrive on the scene, but before exiting the ambulance
C) As you approach the scene in the ambulance
D) When the patient or family member opens the door to the residence
Objective: 11.2
4) Which of the following situations requires additional action by the EMT during scene size-up?
A) A vehicle collision involving a tractor–trailer that appears to be empty.
B) The sound of a barking and growling dog upon approaching the door to a residence.
C) A bystander who is smoking a cigarette at the scene of an assault at a local park.
D) A news media helicopter arrives and hovers overhead at the scene of a vehicle collision.
Objective: 11.3
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5) You are called to a motor vehicle collision where the car is on fire. You should ensure safety
by:
A) borrowing turnout gear from the fire department.
B) remaining a safe distance from the car until the fire is out.
C) putting your unit back in service and leaving the scene.
D) using your fire extinguisher to put out the fire.
Objective: 11.3
6) As you arrive at the scene of a house fire, a very upset man screams at you to help his young
son, who is trapped under a piece of burning wood on the ground. Which of the following should
you do first?
A) With the father’s help, grab the boy by the arms and pull him from underneath the wood.
B) Size-up the scene before acting.
C) Perform an initial assessment on the patient.
D) Use a blanket to put out the fire on the piece of wood.
Objective: 11.3
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7) At the scene of a vehicle collision in which there are no apparent hazards, which of the
following guidelines should be followed for establishing a danger zone?
A) The danger zone should be 50 feet in all directions.
B) The danger zone should be 150 feet in all directions.
C) The danger zone should be 15 feet in all directions.
D) There is no need to establish a danger zone when there are no apparent hazards.
Objective: 11.4
8) Which of the following is NOT a consideration that should be used by the EMT in
establishing the size of the danger zone?
A) Presence of hazardous materials
B) Wind direction
C) Amount of equipment needed
D) Fire
Objective: 11.4
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9) You are on the scene of a tanker truck versus passenger vehicle collision on a rural highway.
The vehicles are just beyond a curve in the roadway and there is a distinct odor of diesel fuel. It
is dark and there is little traffic. Which of the following should be used to alert oncoming traffic
to the situation?
A) Flashing lights on the ambulance
B) Yellow crime scene tape
C) Flares
D) Reflective triangles
Objective: 11.4
10) You and your partner respond to a residence for a fall. You arrive to find a group of
approximately 30 adults surrounding a middle-aged man who appears to be unconscious. A
police car pulls in behind you. You should:
A) wait for the police officer to assess the safety of the scene.
B) enter the scene ahead of the police officer to provide care.
C) leave the area and stage until the scene is cleared of people.
D) have the police officer drag the victim over to the ambulance.
Objective: 11.5
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11) Which of the following is true concerning the potential for violence at the scene of an EMS
call?
A) An unusual lack of activity at the scene may signal impending violence against the EMT.
B) The chance for violence is very low at emergency scenes.
C) You do not need to worry about violence at an emergency scene once the police have secured
it.
D) Signs of impending violence are obvious if you know what to look for.
Objective: 11.5
12) You are on the scene of an explosion at a suspected methamphetamine manufacturing
operation. You and your partner are the first to arrive and note two middle-aged men and a
woman on the front lawn with burns and cuts on their faces and arms. The fire department is en
route. Which of the following resources should be the LEAST important to be requested by the
EMT during the scene size-up?
A) Gas company
B) Law enforcement
C) One or two additional ambulances
D) Hazardous material clean-up crew
Objective: 11.5
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13) As you are assessing a 32-year-old asthmatic woman who has called EMS due to difficulty
breathing, her husband enters the home through a back door and shouts, “Get your hands off her;
she doesn’t need your help. She needs to be taught a lesson about her smart mouth.” Which of the
following is the best course of action?
A) Attempt to remove the patient from the home and continue treatment en route to the hospital.
B) Continue assessment and respond that the patient is sick and needs medical attention.
C) Leave the scene and patient, then notify police.
D) Let the husband know that his behavior is inappropriate, and if it continues you will call for
the police.
Objective: 11.5
14) You are dispatched to a local bar for the report of an unresponsive female patient found in the
bathroom. As you approach the scene, you notice a large crowd outside the front door holding
beer bottles. The group has pulled the patient outside. As you approach the scene, people from
the group start yelling, “Do something! She’s not breathing.” What concerns you the most about
this scene?
A) The large crowd that has been drinking and is now yelling at you
B) The fact that the patient has been moved from where she was found
C) The crowd stating the patient is not breathing
D) All of the above
Objective: 11.5
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15) As you approach the scene of a motorcycle accident, you see an EMR trying to stop the
bleeding on the patient’s left arm. You notice that the EMR has blood covering the front of his
shirt and running down his arms. What Standard Precautions are needed?
A) There is no need for Standard Precautions because you have no open injuries.
B) Gloves, gown, and face mask with eye shield are needed.
C) Gloves, gown, eye protection, and an N-95 or HEPA respirator are needed.
D) Gloves and gown only are needed.
Objective: 11.6
16) You have just arrived on the scene of a motor vehicle collision in which a compact car was
struck from behind by a delivery truck. The driver of the delivery truck is standing outside his
vehicle talking to police when you arrive, but the driver of the car is still seated in the driver’s
seat. You have noted moderate damage to the rear of the car. For which of the following injuries
should you have the highest level of suspicion?
A) Fractures of the lower extremities
B) Chest injury
C) Abdominal injuries
D) Neck injury
Objective: 11.7
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17) Your patient, a 29-year-old female, was the front seat passenger in a vehicle that was struck
in the passenger’s side door by another vehicle that ran a red light. Which of the following is
most likely to have occurred?
A) The patient impacted the steering wheel with her chest, causing a fracture of the sternum.
B) The patient took the “down and under” pathway, causing trauma to her lower extremities.
C) The patient’s body was pushed forcefully out from under her head, causing injury to the
cervical spine.
D) The patient took the “up and over” pathway, striking her head on the windshield.
Objective: 11.7
18) When considering the potential for injury from a fall, which of the following is LEAST
important?
A) Height of the fall
B) Type of surface onto which the patient fell
C) Whether the patient struck anything with his body on the way down
D) Patient’s weight
Objective: 11.7
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