One of the hot topics for both responders and agencies are their rights when it comes to Social Media. With stories coming out such as the South Carolina firefighter terminated for posting a video and the recent termination of two EMTs from Long Island College Hospital (NYC) for using Chatroulette while in their PPE gear, concern about Social Media is on the rise.

Recently Greg and I were guests on the podcast EMS Garage Episode 79: Fight For Your Right. The episode was hosted by Chris Montera and featured Steve Wirth Esq. of Page, Wolfberg & Wirth, LLC. that is a national law firm devoted to EMS law.

The show topic was the rights of an individual when it comes to Social Media and their employment by an agency. The discussion was lively and jam packed with information that can be applied to all public safety and first responders.

Here are some of the highlights from the episode that you may find very surprising:

• The First Amendment of the US Constitution protects our freedom of speech from the government, not from an employer
• Employees of private agencies have no First Amendment protections
• Employees of government agencies have some protections under very specific conditions
• Agencies should put a Social Media Policy in place because as Steve Wirth said, “You can’t expect people to follow the rules if there are no rules.”
• Due to innovations, policies should look to define behavior as opposed to current technological trends
• The employer has every right to control what you do while on duty

If you are a responder wondering what your rights are to engage in Social Media or if you are an Agency wondering what your responsibilities are when dealing with Social Media amongst your personnel, we highly recommend you take the time to listen to the entire episode.

Interested in subscribing to the EMS Garage in iTunes? Just click here and automatically get new episodes downloaded as they become available

The other participants of this podcast episode were:

• Kyle David Bates
• Tim “Rogue Medic” Noonan
• Justin “Happy Medic” Schorr
• Natalie Quebodeaux

Need a Social Media Policy? Get a copy of our Social Media Poilicy Guide to help you on your way

About the author

Dave Konig wrote 204 articles on this blog.

Dave has been involved in Social Media since 2005 through the current major services and some defunct ones as well. During this time he has been able to hone the craft by testing out the theories of others, creating his own philosophies, and gathering a better understanding of the mediums involved through networking and most importantly actual practice.

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