If you live in a decent size community, chances are you’ve come across an ambulance or two at some point, either going the other direction with lights spinning and siren screaming. Maybe you’ve even had to call for an ambulance for a friend or loved one, or been taken by one yourself. Ever wonder who the patient was and what happened, or if it was you or a loved one, think that those EMTs or Paramedics were the closest person to God when there was a serious problem?
I have been a volunteer EMT for three years now. My wife, for 6 years. We all put our pants on the same way as you do, and yes, at times we too do stupid things that most people would shake their heads over. For myself, and I know my wife too, being an EMT through the years has been a very rewarding and eye opening experience. Sometimes it just kills me (no pun intended) how people hurt themselves and how we lecture them, even though we KNOW that sometimes we make the same mistakes as they just did! Some EMTs have no manners at all. Others are very compassionate, or OVERLY friendly which can be a little sickening for the rest of the crew.
You may wonder why someone would want to be in the emergency medical field, or how they cope with that stress. I wasn’t born and raised with a silver spoon in my mouth, so donating to needy people or families was nearly impossible for me, though I really would if I could. I thought that the next best thing as a compassionate person wanting to help people was to get right in there and be the first one to get out of a warm bed at 3am when it’s 20 below to help some poor fat guy who was having a heart attack. Nuts? Well, it’s sort of a rush. It does have an excitement factor in there. I spent several years in law enforcement working a rural community. Incidentally, that’s how I met my wife. On a law enforcement assisted ambulance call. She stalked me after that! HaHa! Who would’ve guessed. She was already an EMT, and after we started dating, she encouraged me to give it a try. Everybody, well, almost everybody seems to hate cops. Hearing someone say “Thank you” usually warranted a “WHAT?” in response. Yes I loved the work, but felt more fulfilled as an EMT.
I hear people ask me all the time. “How do you do it”? Or, since we are in a small community, “What do you do if it’s a family member or someone you know? I won’t lie to you. It isn’t always easy. Several years ago, there was a page for both of our ambulances, including fire and paramedics from the next city north of us, for a two-car head on collision at around 2:30 in the morning. Wind chills near 10 below zero. Not only were there six patients, but worries about if our fire and ambulance service members kids were involved after leaving “that” party that night. Imagine how devastating that would’ve been if there were? Fortunately, I was drinking quite a bit earlier that night, so I couldn’t go with my wife. I say “fortunately” because my wife needed so much support afterwords. I’m a firm believer in “everything happens for a reason”. That night, I was supposed to be intoxicated. It gave my wife someone too. Someone that wasn’t there. The ambulance service nearly lost her, a great EMT, and everyone ELSE that was on the scene that night. Fortunately I was able to talk her into staying with it. I tried to get her, and everyone else to understand that they are not supermen. That they were all human and it was ok to cry, but yet are strong enough to endure these tragedies, and that the community needed them. Aside for the horrific scene that night, they needed to not dwell on the fact that they lost four young people, but that they SAVED TWO! As you could imagine with a head-on crash, with the four that died, the best doctor in the world never could have saved them. It’s life. People die, but we have to move on. We always have to remind ourselves that we are in the business of saving lives. NOT bringing back the dead.
Two years before, when I was a police officer, my wife was there for me when I needed someone. Two days before Christmas, I responded to a crash where a family of five were headed to a relative’s house for their holiday celebration. They never made it. Freezing rain was the cause of the crash, and left a nine year old and her five year old sister dead. I remember seeing the five year old’s feet pointing upwards from underneath that white sheet in the cold wet grass. Two days later while sitting in church for the mid-night Christmas Eve service, I was looking up at the alter at a wood carving of an old man bending over to help a little girl who had fallen down. Right then, a small girl in the balcony behind me started singing “Silent Night”. I immediately broke down and bawled through the whole service thinking of the victims two days prior. How could I ever be an EMT?? Let me answer that question with this thought. If you can’t cry… If you can’t be “human”…. If you can’t be compassionate, you can’t be an EMT. It’s not for you. Families don’t want to deal with someone that’s cold and emotionless, though they need someone who can be strong for them. It’s not always diabetic, or heart problems, pinched fingers, fallen elderly or someone who ripped a scab. Sometimes it’s things we NEVER want to deal with. But sometimes, that’s the way it goes. What if you’re going to a call for a family member? We just went through that when I was home last. My wife was nearly hysterical, and I knew that we were going to beat the ambulance to the scene for her youngest daughter. I talked to her all the way there, telling her that her dad is with her and she will be glad to see her mom, but she needed to not be a mother right then, but rather an EMT just until the ambulance got there. Medical help was more critical than being a mother.
In time, you’ll begin to develop what’s known as the “sick sense of humor”. Now granted, there’s nothing humorous about traffic related tragedies and traumas. I’m talking about the “natural” incidences. Life in general. Sometimes we laugh and joke amongst ourselves and ONLY ourselves of course. Unless you’re in the field, you may not understand, but you will if you do get involved in it. It’s our way of getting through the stress and difficult times.
So if you’re thinking about volunteering, I would encourage you. But the one mistake I have seen in people going through the semester long classes, is the mentality that it’s all going to be sick people, “tip ups” (elderly who’s fallen) A.K.A., “LOLOL”s (little old lady on the linoleum), and that there won’t be blood and dead or dieing people. People WILL die on you no matter WHAT you do. If you have a supportive and patient spouse or significant other, you’ll be just fine, and you too will feel fulfilled. There’s nothing in the world better than saving someone’s life, and see the smile on their face after.
