The Things We Do...

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!

This is NOT What it Looks Like

We were recounting our stories of how much effort it took to be hired as a firefighter. It is not uncommon for firefighters to spend 2-5 years testing all over the country. When I was hired, there were about 600 applicants for 12 positions. Now days, the numbers are much more in favor of the applicant, but still it is a competitive process.

My engineer Roger, who is one of the more senior members of the department, told the story of how he once tested for a department near Portland, Oregon. As he is a rather meticulous character, he traveled to the area the night before, checked the location, and was all set for the test in the morning. The application included a warning that at the appointed time, the doors would be locked and no late-comers would be allowed to test. As he was driving to the test, he had a flat tire. With no taxis, cell phones (in that era), and no one willing to pick up a stranger, he was resigned to missing the test.

Suddenly, a local police officer arrived and asked if he could help. He then graciously offered a ride to the testing location. Here is where the story takes a dark turn. Although the police officer was more than willing to help, he had rules to follow. So in order to carry someone in the police car, it required a pat down check for weapons, and the customary handcuffs. At this point, Roger had no other choice but to accept the inconveniences in order to make it to the test on time. They rushed off to the test place, just in time to see the officials locking the doors and starting to turn the late-comers away. The police officer graciously dashed up to explain the situationand returned to uncuff Roger in front of the somewhat confused small crowd that was gathering. Roger bolted for the door and was allowed to take the test. For some reason, they never did call poor Roger back for an interview.

Did I Actually Say THAT?

Every once in a while, we forget about the public that tends to notice everything we do and say. In particular, it is common to say something on an emergency scene that is badly misunderstood or taken offensively. A classic example of this is when a paramedic says to "bag 'em". We in the know, understand that to mean "get a bag-valve mask and assist the patient with ventilation." The family nearby interprets, "time for one of those body bags" and their loved one is dead. Like I said, this one has happened on more than one occasion.

On a medical call in a elderly couple's home recently, it was apparent that the gentleman with some slight chest pain, also had some dementia. After he answered the same question several times and was confused about his date of birth, we had a bit of discussion about his dementia and whether it was getting worse. As we were chatting with the couple, their family, and a few neighbors that stopped by for the entertainment, it was determined that perhaps we should call the patient's doctor. The wife says, "sure, use this phone" and hands a tv remote to our young paramedic. After a brief look of confusion on his face, be blurts..."I thought he was the one with dementia..." As the rest of the crew stared at him stunned, the wife quickly laughed and we all got a good chuckle out of that one.

How to Avoid Accidents

A common theme when it come to accident investigation is the concept of "chain of events". This concept is based on the premise that a sequence of events occurs in such a way that anytime a link is broken the accident is prevented.

For example, say a "fender bender" happens in a busy intersection. When investigating, it would be common to say that the chain of events includes a cell phone call, speeding, a dirty windshield, heavy traffic, and early morning sun glare. If you consider all of these factors as a chain, breaking or removing any of the links would have prevented the accident.

So with that concept in mind, a totally "preventable" fire call happened late last night. The call came in as a house fire and a total of 18 firefighters and one tired district chief were all rolled out of their bunks at about 1 AM. This exciting yet inconvenient little exercise could have been prevented:

• Life Flight helicopter had not landed on the hospital roof.
• if the wind had been blowing a different direction or a window had been close.
• had the lady on the third floor not been medicated very heavily.
• if the telephone in her room had not allowed outside calls.
• by dispatch realizing the person they had on the line was not sure what direction was "up".

So by putting this chain all together, you get a large of amounts of sirens, lights, and sleepy firefighters tromping all over a house out in the suburbs, disturbing the neighbors, just for grins...

A Career First

Having been in the business for a lot of years, it is not very often that a total new experience hits me like what happened last night...

Engine 6 was dispatched to a car fire at about 3 AM. We just got on the road when we were diverted to a chest pain call. So far, this is pretty normal - but then, it became apparent that the chest pain call was two doors down from the car fire. Technically, the car fire which was spreading to the garage, was a lower priority than someone dying from a heart attack. But, as you may have gathered, dispatch information is rarely accurate, and always assumes the worst when it comes to medical conditions.

Now 5 blocks out from the call, we see a glow in the sky, a plume of smoke, and know that we have a real problem on our hands. From two blocks out, it is obvious that this is a ripping fire, in a cul-de-sac, all the neighbors were awake, and we had multiple people directing us into the fire. To bad we were supposed to park the fire truck, ignore the fire, and go check on the little old lady with chest pain.

There is something about selling confidence to the public and managing your PR that dictated what we actually did. I had the engineer put the pump in gear and by himself, keep the fire out of the garage. While he was doing that, the firefighter and I went to check on the lady. As it turns out, she was actually having indigestion/heartburn and did not want to go to the hospital. She simply had read the signs and symptoms chart on her refrigerator, determined that it said to call 911 if you had chest pain, and the rest is history.

Another engine arrived shortly, finished putting out the fire, and we all went back to quarters.

Lifestyles

In this profession, we touch down with all types of people from all walks of life. For example, a few shifts ago, we were dispatched to a "respiratory distress" call at about midnight. Since 95% of all "respiratory distress" calls are anything but that, it was no surprise for us to find a 20 something guy with his leg in a cast. It was obvious that this was not an emergency so we dug deeper into the story. He had been riding in a cab and had asked the cab driver to call. When questioned, he explained..."I just needed someplace to spend the night." He had recently undergone some fairly minor ankle surgery at the local hospital, but was on his way to Texas after spending a few months in Hawaii. Now, considering that he did not work, had no money, no possessions, and not even enough money for cab fair, I decided he was the modern rendition of the hobo. He was able to travel at will, had no money, yet it was obvious that not only was he doing pretty well, but in these modern times, he had the best of medical care and was able to get 5 firefighters to look after even the most basic need of a place to sleep for the night. In the end, the Red Lyon motel had a shuttle running towards the mission and offered to take him there for the night. A true "King of the Road!"

Random Dialing of 911

I have come to the conclusion that some people have nothing better to do than to call 911 and try to create some excitement in their day. So far today, we have run the following calls (in order with NO embelishment):

• 58 year old female backing out of her driveway, hit the mailbox and scratched her car. She then was so upset, she basically had a panic attack and someone (not sure who) called 911 and we were dispatched to a respiratory emergency - code 3 of course.
• Fuel spill on the on-ramp to the freeway. Multiple calls with description of a major spill and some confusion as to whether it was diesel or gas. On our arrival, we found a small wet area of about 6 square feet and it was rapidly evaporating. Traffic was now backed up for at least a mile.
• Motor vehicle accident on another freeway ramp. Because of the various directions of travel associated with freeway intersections, we had total dispatch of 2 trucks, an engine, and a medic unit all dispatched code 3. There was a chief in the area who also responded, giving the total personnel dispatched to 12. On our arrival, the one vehicle had already exchanged information and left. The other vehicle had no damage other than a slight mark in the dust on the rear bumper. The only reason that 911 was contacted, according to the people in the car, was to make sure there was some documentation done by the police. Which in fact, does not occur unless there is injury or some significant legal violation.

They call us heroes...I think that is because we can still smile and act gracious in situations like this!