Had an unusual string of events last shift. We caught a respiratory distress call at about 0530. Turns out that it was an actual respiratory distress call with real distress. Since the man did not respond to treatment, it continued to be a serious call. In these cases, we often put an extra Paramedic or two in the ambulance for transport and we follow with the engine to pick up our firefighter/paramedic at the hospital. At this point, I became the designated ambulance driver for the code 3 trip back to the hospital. Usually, this in not a big deal, since I have been doing this for years. Only this time, we just took delivery of a fleet of new, very large ambulances. So, having never sat inside one, I need to drive in the dark code 3 with a critical patient. Once I figured out where the key, the brakes, and the lights were, we were off... Good news is, my maiden voyage did not result in any damage to anything and I did not have to spend the rest of the day filling out paperwork.
After arriving at the hospital, I get a radio call for me to contact dispatch via phone. I was told there was a man who fell out of his wheelchair on the other side of town, and he was needing some lift assistance. Before I could ask, "Why not send an engine in that area?", they continued with the details that included the door being locked and the keys being with the wife who was currently trying to hatch a baby at the hospital. So, off to Labor and Delivery for the keys, back to the other side of town to pick the man off the floor, and finally back to the station, just in time to finish up the reports and go home.
Just another day when you need to expect the unexpected!
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