Safety and the violent person: guidelines for emergency services.

Emergency service providers (EMS), police, health-care providers, counselors, and other helping professionals are at times called upon to provide services to violent or potentially violent individuals. Providing these services safely can be enhanced with six general guidelines that can be implemented to reduce the risk of violence or contain what violence may have already erupted. Thinking about medical/ psychiatric illnesses, call log information, scene surveillance, old brain stem functioning, early warning signs of loss of control, and the theories of violence may provide strategies to enhance both the safety and quality ofservices provided in these difficult situations.