Career Firsts

After almost 20 years as a firefighter, I often feel that most of the calls we run are so routine as to almost be boring most days. So it was quite a shock to find that I have had four "never before in my career" experiences in about one week.

It all started with the horse being ejected from the trailer (see last post). Then the weirdness continued...

#2 - We have always said that if you have a panic attack, start hyperventilating, and do nothing to correct the situation, eventually you will pass out and your body will correct the problem for you. Well, that had been somewhat theoretical in my mind up to the point we were dispatched to a 24 year old woman who actually breathed so rapidly for so long that she did pass out. All was well as her body "rested" and was allowing the carbon dioxide levels to built up to a normal level. Of course, while this was happening, her body had no desire to breath...so the husband called 911, received CPR instruction, and started crunching on her chest. We arrived just in time to have her somewhat wake up only to get startled by the firefighters and the pain in chest. This caused the panic, rapid breathing, passing out, etc. for another cycle or two until she finally calmed down and was transported for a bruised chest.

#3 - While working at the airport station, life is mostly a slow, somewhat boring routine. At least, usually it is that way. On occasion, we are tapped out on time trials, which consist of dashing out with our truck, spraying some water, and satisfying the FAA requirements. When the tones went off last week, it was one of the time trials again...or so I thought. Actually, it was a small airplane with its engine on fire. Although it was a fairly small fire and I was able to put it out with a hand extinguisher, it was one of those calls that most people go their whole careers without actually having an aircraft fire.

#4 - They say things come in groups of three. With that in mind, I would have preferred not to add this one to the list of career firsts. It all started with a routine respiratory distress call. As the house was rather cluttered, I was crouched down by the couch, sorting through the patient's medications, and typing up the report on the laptop. All was going well until someone opened the back door. Suddenly there was a small bulldog prancing on my keyboard and barking in my face. I immediately closed the lid on the laptop to protect the keys, just in time to have a family member reach over the couch to grab the dog. Apparently, this was like squeezing a lemon because the dog promptly urinated all over my paperwork, clipboard, and everything else in the vicinity. Like I said, could have gone the rest of my career with out this particular experience!