Traveling with lights and sirens to an emergency medical call is standard procedure, but MDA in Israel may be stretching its authority a bit to the limit.

Realizing the need to maintain a higher public relations profile, the EMS organization has established its “on scene photography” unit called תיעור מבצעי. The establishment of the unit is a wise move, keeping in line with the competitive nature of maintaining a high public profile.

Members of this photography unit, which YWN-ISRAEL has learned numbers 80 persons, (the number is unconfirmed), are out and about, armed with pagers and emergency communications equipment like their EMT and paramedic counterparts. They even wear the familiar EMS vests, and have been outfitted with red emergency and sirens for their vehicles to ensure that they are among the first on the scene.

The decision to equip these photographers with emergency lights and sirens begs the question just how urgent is it for a photographer to arrive on the scene. These field photographers have been seen abusing MDA’s license to operate emergency vehicles to respond to a scene to capture the moment.

So the next time you see and hear a vehicle behind you with a siren wailing and lights flashing, you may wonder if it is an EMT, paramedic or simply a MDA photographer in a hurry.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)