Let's Look At The Positives Of EMS.

Quite frankly I have seen a lot of negative light on the world of EMS and emergency services in general lately. Talking a lot about the difficulties of these jobs, and the mental trauma and anguish that we go through. These are very real, and very true things that happen within the EMS culture as well as the other emergency services who swear oaths to protect the public. I am not discounting the very real and very tangible issues of PTSD, mental burn out, physical exhaustion and high injury rates that we as emergency service providers face. I just want to take a moment today to focus on the positive parts of what we do, and the reasons why some of us find it in our very bones to get up every day and put on our uniforms to go to work.

I will speak from my own experience first and build on what I believe draws people to this line of work. As a child I used to watch one of the very first shows on TV that represented the humble beginnings of Paramedicine outside of the world of combat medics that parachuted in to battle zones to care for injured soldiers. The show as many of you will remember was called Emergency, with firefighter/paramedics Johnny Gage, and Roy Desoto. This show was a look at a fire based paramedical service that strived to show how emergency medical service was rendered in Orange County California. I used to watch this show religiously as a child, and even had a hot wheels version of the rapid response fire truck that Johnny and Roy rode in.

I didn't know it then, but even that choice to watch that show birthed something in me that would later change the direction of my life. As I grew up I became a journeyman welder and when the market fell apart in the late nineties I found myself unemployed and unclear in a direction to go. It was then that I discovered my local volunteer fire department, and the first steps to becoming an, as I called them then, ambulance attendant. The rest is as they say history.

So that's my story on how I got into EMS as a career, a cole's notes version anyway. As this story is not about me, let's change the focus back to the positives of EMS. The first and foremost positive of doing what we do is that we get to make a difference in the lives of complete strangers. When a person faces a crisis, we are the people that arrive and help to fix the problem. This is an amazing feeling whether it is from something as simple as a small cut to as serious as restarting someone's heart who has had a cardiac arrest. When we arrive and get to make a difference, and you can see the gratitude, even if it isn't shared with you at the time, it reminds us why we do this. Something as simple as holding someone's hand and hearing them when they share their problem with you is rewarding. When you offer them a simple solution and a ride to the hospital the impact you can make is sometimes completely immeasurable.

Every day our office surroundings change, we have different views, we meet different people, and we get to see entire portions of the cities we live in, areas we might not otherwise ever see! There are places I have found in my city that amaze me, and it's all because my office is portable. We get to hear stories from people we never would have met! Recently I was blessed to hear a story about a soldier in the Scottish Navy who served at the same time as my Grandfather. I wasn't able to find out if they ever met, but to hear a story from a different perspective of the same time is a surreal experience. The world is a small place and experiences can be lived through the eyes of others if you were not able to be there yourself.

These are only a few of the reasons that make this career so rewarding, but I think the number one driving force behind all of us in this business, is this ONE thing. We are all blessed with an overwhelming desire to help our fellow man in their time of desperate need! To those of you that feel embittered at work sometimes, take a moment and close your eyes, and remember what got you started in this field! Something brought you here, I know this career is not all lollipops and sunshine.  I have my days too, but despite all the bad that we see and deal with at the end of the day, we do this because we want to make a difference. When people reach the end of their coping skills, that's when they call us. It is sad that today coping skills seem to be lacking in many instances, but remembering those reasons why we started doing this should help you to refocus and will remind you why this career is the best career out there! Please share and like my posts, and feel free to comment!!

How Did You Think This Would End

In the world of YouTube, Tosh.O, Ridiculousness, AFV and other video evidence of the Empirical Wisdom of Darwinism I pose the following musing. If we can watch a plethora of bad decisions being made in Ultra High Definition, why oh why am I STILL going to people that continue to make really bad decisions. It makes me ponder the future of the human race and the question of whether or not evolution is dead.

These stories are not all witnessed directly by me, but need mention to back the question of "How did you think that would end?" I'll start with easy ones and work up to the Grand Finale of bad decisions, a call I alas was not present on but is the number one winner in bad decisions that had a dire consequence.

Let's start simple with a call I remember vividly as a thank goodness we got there when we did. The story starts with a girl on her 18th birthday, she goes out, she drinks far far more than she should.  When 911 is called we find her in a house... There are at least 6 men in the house and this one girl! I was so thankful she had made the call before anything more happened but the potential end result was obvious! This young girl was extremely lucky, and the advice to offer is simple. When you are going out for your 18th birthday, make smart decisions! Go with friends you trust, always guard your drink and try to maintain some self control to make the right decision to stay with your friends!

This next event was also a young man who managed to be extremely lucky! Picture yourself out in the open air, wind in your face,  and your riding! You decide to take the ride off the path and into the trails. More jumps,  More turns,  more fun right? This is a great plan and can lead to a great time and a great work out! Unfortunately this young man had done that and had forgotten to wear his helmet!  Well one wrong lean and a he wiped out. He knocked himself clean out and risked an incredibly serious head injury! On arrival to the patient we found him still extremely groggy and confused! Fortunately after we immobilized him, and oxygenated him he started to have a clearer head and managed to make a full recovery but he does wear a helmet all the time now.

It was a dark and quiet night in the country as we responded lights and sirens, breaking the night air with flashing lights and occasional siren blasts. As we rolled up to the scene our eyes were shocked.. What we saw was a car, but it wasn't where we suspected it should be. Our eyes were drawn up, into the tree! About 4 feet off the ground there it was. Wedged like a door stop between two trees. As we approached the car we suspected the worst. I looked in the driver window and was surprised to see a gentleman, awake(sort of), and you could smell the alcohol coming from his breath. For his trouble the gentleman got himself a hospital visit for minor injuries, but for driving wreckless and drunk he was subsequently arrested and charged with a long long list of vehicular and environmental infractions.

Before you read this final story I must warn you, it has some graphic content of a sexual nature. If you are easily offended or squeemish I encourage you to skip this paragraph.  I also will admit that I was not on this call but know the details. A young man and his girlfriend had decided they wanted a method to help him stay erect longer during intercourse. Instead, however, they did not go to a sex store and pick up any of the miriad of products that can help with this they thought they would be creative. Their thought was to place a small piece of copper pipe over his pens before it was erect. A lesson in blood flow had apparently not made it to his memory from high school biology.. Unfortunately this young man paid a dear price for his ignorance. The young man had to have his penis amputated and now can no longer have sex. 

These stories and many many more like them are a result of bad decisions. Every day we meet people that only come up with half a plan or half an idea. When you fail to think of the end consequence or fail to ask yourself... How do I think this will end? If the answer is anything other than positive, it might be a good idea to reconsider your decision.  

Am I saying you shouldn't take risks? Of course not! I'm saying calculate them, plan them and execute them safely. In other words, ideas that start with "Here, hold my drink...." should really warrant a second thought, and friend that let friends drink and do dumb shit are not very good friends! Take a moment before your next bad decision and think, is the price worth the reward, or is there a reward? 

Please share and like if you enjoyed this article!! 

5 Things To Never Say To A Police Officer

I have been struggling to find a jump off point for my life lessons and words of wisdom I can share with you. There are many thoughts and stories that run through my mind, but I felt this was a good place to start. This advice is meant for those people that tend to overindulge in the use of alcohol. I speak from a place of experience here as I'm sure some of the comments will reflect. The difference being I know what things not to say and therefore have managed to avoid unpleasant experiences.... mostly.

When you find yourself in a situation involving paramedics and police there are certain things you should never say. The wisdom you are about to receive has two positive outcomes. Number one you have a pleasant visit with Paramedics that can empathize with you, possibly pre-treat your hang over and give you a warm place to sleep it off. Number two, you don't end up hand cuffed to a bed in such way you can't scratch that really annoying nose itch that every drunk person inevitably gets.

Paramedics and Police work side by side when we deal with people who have tied one on a little too much. The police are our allies in the securing and treating of intoxicated individuals who start random fights, get beat up or generally make a nuisance of themselves. These individuals can and inevitably do say some things that land them in some hot water.

Prior to getting into those top 5 I will share the inevitable consequence of saying any of these five things. The result is generally the same so to avoid repetition here it is. When a police officer makes a request of you and you choose one of the soon to follow 5 replies this is the basic end result. First the officer who made the request will grab your arm... Then from out of no where 4 of his buddies will join him and you will find your self eating any number of surfaces... Pavement is a police favorite, but the list also includes; gravel, shale, your own vomit pile, grass, dirt and in some rural settings cow shit. Then if that isn't enough you can expect a rather large knee somewhere on the crux of your neck in a most painful fashion. At that moment you may here the words,  is he ready for sedation. At this point the medics will enter the fray and you will feel a sharp sting to your backside, and this my friend is the sedation just mentioned above. At this point if you retain any sense of self control you should stop struggling and just wait. The next phase of this battle is out of your control so resistance is futile. The medicine will take effect and you will find yourself falling asleep.  Go with it, that is best.  So without further adieu here are the top 5 things you should never say to or around police officers.

Number 5: If a police officer tells you to "back off from the scene and let the medics work". The correct response is to say nothing,  turn around and walk away. What you should not say is,  "But that's (enter any person or object here), and I need to tell them (doesn't matter what's here)." This response will not garner an immediate response BUT persistence will result in the above mentioned events happening if you continue to push your point.

Number 4: When a police officer makes a request to know your personal information you should not respond with "Go F*&k your self cop, I'm not telling you Sh&t!" This response upsets police officers as they are only concerned about your safety and they will ask again politely a few times until the decision is made to arrest you and identify you by other means. The scenario above does not always ocurr but if you become scrappy at this point... You will most likely end up in that situation.

Number 3: Here is where things can become more intense, far more quickly.  You have found yourself under arrest and as the officer reaches to cuff you you respond with "Get your Fu$&;ng hands off of me!!" And throw in a shove.... I don't think I need to explain where this ends you up. Just hope your not in a rural setting. .

Number 2: When a police officer is talking to you and your are continuing to be beligurent, and the officer voices this very simple question, "are we going to have a problem here?" You should think carefully about your answer. There is only one correct answer here!  My personal favorite wrong answer was "Only if you make one!!" At this point you will find yourself in a basic or slightly varied version of the scenario above.

And at last Number 1: the reason this story is being told by a medic. When you utter the words "I'm gunna Eff you up Medic!!" And then make a move to assault the medic. ... This illicits the quickest response by the police on scene! You will most definitely end up sedated in this scenario.

These anecdotes and words of wisdom may portray a darker side of our lives in paramedicine, but the reality is, these instances are rare. The point of this story is that we can and do encounter dangerous situations for both the police and EMS. Our response to these situations may appear harsh in the public eye, but for the number of times police officers and paramedics are assaulted on the job we take our safety very seriously.

Please remember if you see a situation as described above I want you to remember; We do not enjoy doing this to people and the part that people miss is the length of time we have tried using words and talking a patient down prior to using these methods. We are out here to help people everyday and sometimes we have to help them from themselves.

No one can predict when someone's stresses cause a break in their psyche as a result of too much alcohol or other reasons. This often results in them doing something that results in people being injured. As part of the service we provide we attempt to prevent these situations when we encounter these people in acute psychiatric distress or from just having too much to drink. We always use words first before resorting to force or sedation, and for the most part we succeed with words.

Always remember if you are headed out to party with your friends you should heed the commercials all over television and the Internet. The words are simple and true. Drink responsibly.  That doesn't mean you can't have a great time or even get pretty loaded, just be safe and be with friends and be civil. 

Please like and share this story and stay tuned for more!!

The Uniform, What It Means.

Each day or night in the last 13 years of my career I have worn a uniform. This uniform represents a culture of people who regularly come into your home and meet you in the worst possible circumstance. When a person chooses to become a Paramedic or EMT they are saying that helping people is important to them. EMS practitioners show up every day to provide excellent patient care to people that are sick or injured without any thought of being thanked or the risks they face.

The uniform of an Emergency Services worker represents pride and professionalism. It represents, that despite the risk of contracting any number of communicable diseases, entering unknown situations and risks of physical violence, we will show up. We will be there to help you in your time of need. We will drive through traffic that doesn't move for us, or stop for us. We will risk our lives to come to you and yours to patch up your wounds, treat your hypoglycemic episode, help you breathe, or start the process to stop your heart attack. We do this at any hour of the day or night whether we have had dinner or not, and we will treat every patient the same regardless of how many calls we have done that shift!

To me the uniform represents honor. It represents MY honor to be there to help you. It is unfortunate in the world that people get sick, or injured, but I am honored to be the person that you will trust with your life. In my years of training I learned many skills and vast amounts of information, but there is far more to paramedicine than skills and knowledge. This is a people industry. We are deeply rooted in a form of customer service that is unlike any other. To the patient we are comfort, pain relief, and the person there to make them feel better and on occasion save their lives. To the family we bring calm, and confidence that their loved one will be looked after. We are the front line of medical care. No one sees a patient before us when an ambulance is called. We arrive into scenes that are chaotic and often uncontrolled. It is our job to bring calm to the people, control to the scene and help to the patient. This is something that I do with honor and with pride, as I am honored to be that person that is there to help you in your time of greatest need.

The uniform is overall our way of showing that we are professionals and that we are there for you and your family. The pride that we feel each time we put our uniforms on is represented in the patient care we provide and the professionalism that we will demonstrate when in the public eye. The next time you see a Paramedic I hope you will know that at any given moment that person may be called to task to respond to a person in cardiac arrest, or a child that has suffered a traumatic injury, or any number of other serious situations. Take a moment to understand that that person who may be smiling at that moment has seen things that no one should ever see, and continues to show up to help people every day because of his deep honor to wear that EMS uniform.

Stay tuned for anecdotes of some of our more humorous calls, and some important life lessons that can be learned from the eyes of a city medic.