A few shifts ago we were sitting in the station drinking our morning coffee and waiting for something exciting to happen. At that point, the tones went off and we were dispatched to a pedestrian vs. auto. Usually, this is of some significant concern (mostly for the victim) but since this was in a small parking lot, we immediately assumed this was probably some minor scrapes and bruises sort of call.
As we arrived, I saw a well-dressed 60 year old lady lying on her back in the middle of the parking lot. Not so much unusual about that, until I noticed and very distinct tire track that ran diagonal from shoulder to hip. And yes...she had been ran over by her own vehicle (Ford Escape) as she tried to stop it from rolling as she forgot to set the brake.
The long and short of the story is that she was really was not hurt badly. Since in my assessment, she had some built-in "padding", the vehicle caused some bruising and broken skin, but really not much beyond that. In the end, as she was trying to straighten her wig, I realized her dignity was probably bruised almost as much as her body.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Monday, November 09, 2009
Diagnostic Experts in the Field
It is common and downright entertaining to have self-proclaimed experts doing diagnostic work in the field. Sometimes this is the crowd gathered around some hapless old lady who happened to slip and stumble over a curb. The crowd usually insists that the victim must lie down on the cold ground until we arrive because of a broken hip, heart attack, paralysis, hyperglycemia, etc., never mind that the victim usually bounces to their feet and dust themselves off, given half a chance. This same process is a purveyor of sinister and worst-case scenario predictions. Kind of like the kid that thinks a headache MUST be a tumor.
Within the last week, we have had two calls that fall into the above mention category. One was nursing home request for transport for a guy recuperating from back surgery. When the nurse decided he was in pain (note that the patient wasn't the one making decision about calling 911) we got called to haul him back to the hospital. Of course we were dispatched code 3 (lights and siren) and on our arrival the patient was resting as comfortably as you can with recent back surgery and really did not have a complaint. It was then that the nurse quietly announced that we were called because of a possible DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis), which does occasionally happen, but is very unlikely and would rarely be considered an emergency.
And just today...we were dispatched to a not breathing, unconscious older lady. After making the best speed possible, we arrived to find the husband on the porch saying that his wife was in a coma. As soon as I entered the bedroom, I found the wife chatting on the telephone - obviously NOT in a coma. Apparently, she had been asleep, and with the sleep medication she took, was a bit hard to wake. On the return to the station, we decided that technically the old man's diagnosis of a coma was correct, but the sleeping was a very common type of coma with a rather short duration.
Within the last week, we have had two calls that fall into the above mention category. One was nursing home request for transport for a guy recuperating from back surgery. When the nurse decided he was in pain (note that the patient wasn't the one making decision about calling 911) we got called to haul him back to the hospital. Of course we were dispatched code 3 (lights and siren) and on our arrival the patient was resting as comfortably as you can with recent back surgery and really did not have a complaint. It was then that the nurse quietly announced that we were called because of a possible DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis), which does occasionally happen, but is very unlikely and would rarely be considered an emergency.
And just today...we were dispatched to a not breathing, unconscious older lady. After making the best speed possible, we arrived to find the husband on the porch saying that his wife was in a coma. As soon as I entered the bedroom, I found the wife chatting on the telephone - obviously NOT in a coma. Apparently, she had been asleep, and with the sleep medication she took, was a bit hard to wake. On the return to the station, we decided that technically the old man's diagnosis of a coma was correct, but the sleeping was a very common type of coma with a rather short duration.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Old and Experienced
This morning we responded to a 92 year old lady with some chest pain. That is about as routine of a call as you can get. City-wide, we probably responded to a similar call about five to ten times a day, every day of the year.
As we arrived, we found a little old lady sitting in bed, really not looking too bad considering that she was born during WWI, the Russian Revolution, and the same year as Ernest Borgnine. When asked what the problem was, she stated, "Well, my chest feels heavy since I had a heart attack on Sunday (this being Tuesday)". This of course lead to questions about what the doctors said about the heart attack and if this was her first one, etc. She was certain that she had never really had heart trouble before, but she was just as certain that her old ticker was not ticking normally. As we focused on how she was treating her heart attack, she finally gave us the whole truth. Apparently, at 92 years old you learn some things because she then stated, "I did not go to the doctor or the hospital, but I had a heart attack...I KNOW how they feel!"
As we arrived, we found a little old lady sitting in bed, really not looking too bad considering that she was born during WWI, the Russian Revolution, and the same year as Ernest Borgnine. When asked what the problem was, she stated, "Well, my chest feels heavy since I had a heart attack on Sunday (this being Tuesday)". This of course lead to questions about what the doctors said about the heart attack and if this was her first one, etc. She was certain that she had never really had heart trouble before, but she was just as certain that her old ticker was not ticking normally. As we focused on how she was treating her heart attack, she finally gave us the whole truth. Apparently, at 92 years old you learn some things because she then stated, "I did not go to the doctor or the hospital, but I had a heart attack...I KNOW how they feel!"
Sunday, August 23, 2009
The Games We Play
As I have related before, some firefighters take no small pleasure in playing practical (and sometimes not so practical) jokes on one another. Of course, the practical joke is usually improved, enhanced, or otherwise made more outrageous with the repeated telling of the story.
A good engineer is more than just the guy that drives the firetruck. He also take great pride in the equipment, polishing things until they shine. Some take the details and specifications of all to a whole art form, with extensive memorization of minutia down to the number of bolts required to hold the motor to the frame. So when one engineer got the reputation of being more detail oriented then any other engineer, the stage was properly set for a practical joke.
Another crusty old engineer, seeing the effort to detail, seized the opportunity to pick up any old bolt, nut, or other small part lying in the street, hit it with some red paint, and throw it under the engine. This caused a great deal of mirth and entertainment, as the detail oriented engineer spend hours with a flashlight under the engine, determined to find where that loose part belonged.
In another case, a firefighter rolled up several towels and stuffed them between the box springs and mattress of the probie. Three weeks later, he noticed there was more sheets and other "stuffing" in the same space in an attempt to level the bed. Eventually, the probie complained about how another very large firefighter how worn out the mattress. Dispite the presumed many nights of tossing and turning, did anyone ever mention the real problem to the probie.
A good engineer is more than just the guy that drives the firetruck. He also take great pride in the equipment, polishing things until they shine. Some take the details and specifications of all to a whole art form, with extensive memorization of minutia down to the number of bolts required to hold the motor to the frame. So when one engineer got the reputation of being more detail oriented then any other engineer, the stage was properly set for a practical joke.
Another crusty old engineer, seeing the effort to detail, seized the opportunity to pick up any old bolt, nut, or other small part lying in the street, hit it with some red paint, and throw it under the engine. This caused a great deal of mirth and entertainment, as the detail oriented engineer spend hours with a flashlight under the engine, determined to find where that loose part belonged.
In another case, a firefighter rolled up several towels and stuffed them between the box springs and mattress of the probie. Three weeks later, he noticed there was more sheets and other "stuffing" in the same space in an attempt to level the bed. Eventually, the probie complained about how another very large firefighter how worn out the mattress. Dispite the presumed many nights of tossing and turning, did anyone ever mention the real problem to the probie.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Bird Gone Bad
Today we were dispatched a small grass fire. This being July, that is really quite common. As usual, we were trying to piece together all the information about the size of the fire, the location, any buildings that might be threatened, and the best access to the area. Into the mix of information coming to my computer was a note about a large bird. Typical of emergency communication, some weird notation is pretty much ignored in light of the more evident column of smoke spreading across town.
As we put the fire out, more details came floating in. The business said that their electricity briefly went out. Another report specifically said a large Peregrine falcon landed on the wires and burst into flames. What we found...one leg with attached talon...well cooked.
As we put the fire out, more details came floating in. The business said that their electricity briefly went out. Another report specifically said a large Peregrine falcon landed on the wires and burst into flames. What we found...one leg with attached talon...well cooked.
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Trying to Help
It is very common to get dispatched to respiratory distress. For some reason, this is the "catch-all" term that is used to describe everything from traumatic murder victims to someone with left toe pain (on-going for the past 3 days). Then on very rare occasions, we actually have someone gasping for air, circling the drain, or otherwise failing to properly use oxygen.
So with nearly every medical call being dispatched as respiratory distress and most if not all, being false alarms, it is very easy to become a bit jaded and suspect of the patients when we arrive.
On one occasion, after being dispatched to a "respiratory distress" we found a very large woman sitting in a chair in no obvious distress. The questioning continued as we began taking vitals (all normal of course). Typical of a scene like this, there is always at least one family member, concerned friend, or casual passer-by that has all the answers, knows exactly what is wrong, and is shocked that we with all our training and equipment, do not agree with their obviously superior diagnosis of the patient.
So initially, the old duffer in the corner was ignored as he seemingly wanted to weigh in on the proceedings. Eventually, one of the crew managed to pay enough attention to realize he was actually in respiratory distress as he croked, "hey....you are...gasp gasp....standing...gasp...on my ...gasp...oxygen......supply tube...gasp".
Well, at least we now had a legitimate respiratory distress patient that we could easily help!
So with nearly every medical call being dispatched as respiratory distress and most if not all, being false alarms, it is very easy to become a bit jaded and suspect of the patients when we arrive.
On one occasion, after being dispatched to a "respiratory distress" we found a very large woman sitting in a chair in no obvious distress. The questioning continued as we began taking vitals (all normal of course). Typical of a scene like this, there is always at least one family member, concerned friend, or casual passer-by that has all the answers, knows exactly what is wrong, and is shocked that we with all our training and equipment, do not agree with their obviously superior diagnosis of the patient.
So initially, the old duffer in the corner was ignored as he seemingly wanted to weigh in on the proceedings. Eventually, one of the crew managed to pay enough attention to realize he was actually in respiratory distress as he croked, "hey....you are...gasp gasp....standing...gasp...on my ...gasp...oxygen......supply tube...gasp".
Well, at least we now had a legitimate respiratory distress patient that we could easily help!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
So What CAN You Do?
Firefighters are action oriented and have strong tendency to try to fix or improve the situation, no matter what. So you can imagine the growing frustration in the following story, related to me by the crew of Truck One.
It started out as a routine car fire in a parking lot downtown. Usually this is a single engine response, but since Engine One was on another call, the truck was dispatched. This truck in particular did have a small pump, a booster line (hard rubber hose), and about 200 gallons of water. This would normally allowed the firefighter to rapidly "fix" the situation and get back to the station. But not today...
The car was a VW bug very much on fire, and all was going well as the truck arrived and attempted to put some water on the fire. Immediately, the rubber hose blew apart due to some recent and obviously incomplete repairs. Then...the battery of the car shorted out through the starter and with the car in gear, the car started moving. The firefighters grabbed and used every fire extinguisher to no avail. The took an axe and flattened all the tires. The valiant VW still sputtered along. Eventually, with three (count 'em three) more cars now on fire, backup arrived to relieve the crew who were now wishing for hole in which to hide.
To the crews defense, VW bugs are known to have magnesium which will burn at a very high temperature and is not readily extinguished with water or pretty much anything for that matter.
It started out as a routine car fire in a parking lot downtown. Usually this is a single engine response, but since Engine One was on another call, the truck was dispatched. This truck in particular did have a small pump, a booster line (hard rubber hose), and about 200 gallons of water. This would normally allowed the firefighter to rapidly "fix" the situation and get back to the station. But not today...
The car was a VW bug very much on fire, and all was going well as the truck arrived and attempted to put some water on the fire. Immediately, the rubber hose blew apart due to some recent and obviously incomplete repairs. Then...the battery of the car shorted out through the starter and with the car in gear, the car started moving. The firefighters grabbed and used every fire extinguisher to no avail. The took an axe and flattened all the tires. The valiant VW still sputtered along. Eventually, with three (count 'em three) more cars now on fire, backup arrived to relieve the crew who were now wishing for hole in which to hide.
To the crews defense, VW bugs are known to have magnesium which will burn at a very high temperature and is not readily extinguished with water or pretty much anything for that matter.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
