What should you do if you cannot locate a patient or the call is canceled?

• A. Stay on scene until someone else arrives.
• B. Call a bystander for help.
• C. Proceed to hospital without dispatcher notification.
• D. Notify dispatch, update status, and safely disengage from the scene as directed.

Answer: (D)

When you can’t locate a patient or the call is canceled, the priority is to keep the response properly coordinated and resources available. You should notify dispatch of the updated situation, update your unit status to reflect that you are no longer active on that call, and disengage from the scene safely as directed. This ensures dispatch can reallocate units appropriately and prevents you from remaining in place unnecessarily, which could delay other responses. Safely disengaging means leaving the scene in a controlled, safe manner—follow any instructions from dispatch or incident command, move to a safe area, and return to service when cleared.