#EMSlife
Emergency calls come in clusters.
Maybe it’s the mind grouping things from random events, however last night says otherwise.
We started our 16 hr shift with back to back cardiac arrests (and four others dispatched) followed by a rash (8+) assaults with possible broken jaws dispatched.

#EMSlife
3 minutes before going out of service dispatched for unknown problem person down.
In a car
Parked at a meter
In front of the hospital
Called in by a passing motorist
No cars at the meters on arrival at code 3
Deep breath

#EMSlife

#EMSlife
Not all hospitals are the same.
Some can treat strokes, some heart attacks, some delivery, some trauma.
EMS knows which can do what AND provide treatment on the way.
Driving a person to the closest hospital might work out.
You still won’t get treatment on they way in a car.

#EMSlife
Them “What took you so long!”

We just cleared from the hospital from the prior patient
The same hospital you want to go to
The hospital that is 25 min away
Because your leg pain made you “short of air”, we made the trip in 16 min lights/sirens

Us “Sorry, traffic.”

#EMSlife
Had a passing motorist (pm) call for person down at intersection
We pulled up, got out, called out the persons name
The sat up and said “oh I’m fine, just a little spice”
We offered water and they took.
Three minutes later same PM call that the “ambulance drivers” abandoned the person down

#EMSlife
The abuse of the 911 EMS system is massive
Very little fraud, mostly just entitlement that the people who show up are there to do as demanded
Had a call for “sore feet”, who wanted to go across the county to a hospital near the person they date.
An expensive uber going by 4 other hospitals

#EMSlife
A mid 20’s person, calls 911 for a spider bite at 2230 (10:30pm)

It happened yesterday

They went to the hospital yesterday

Got a prescription for medication sent to the drug store down the street from their address

Calling now because they “just never had time to get it”

buff.ly/zuKY9h7

#EMSFamily #AirMedical #FirstResponders #EMSLife #NeverForgotten

#EMSlife
You work along side police
They show up when you call where the “unresponsive” person you just narcan dosed is trying to choke you out They don’t ask questions, just do their job
You show up and try to save the life of the 15 year old shot by police
You don’t ask questions, you do your job

#EMSlife
Only in EMS can you go from a person shot in the face, pouring blood all over, struggling to breath while you try to do everything to keep them alive.

To a person with tummy issues x3 days who wants a note for work because the doctor didn’t have an appointment today.

#EMSlife
Treated shooting number 232 in my career.
Second time I’ve given blood in route to the hospital. It kept the patient alive.
They would have died with out it.
Give blood!
Save Lives!

#EMSlife
If you are going to drive to the hospital while we take your family member:
Do not tailgate us
Do not run red lights directly behind us
Do not get upset when we call police to ticket you for putting everyone at risk with your reckless driving.

#EMSlife
One of the few jobs where you will tell a family their loved one has died after working the cardiac arrest for 40 minutes in the bedroom, followed immediately with transporting a belligerent rude drunk, the police did not want to deal with, to the hospital.

#EMSlife
Had back to back shootings. (Numbers 230, 231 since I started in EMS)
Both were people trying to get away from a car jacker (not the same one)
The police got one of them (the ex boyfriend of one of the victims girlfriend) a felon with a gun illegally bought.

I have had the blood of innocent children on my hands

#EMSlife means this literally

5 years ago this was very true as I fought to stop the bleeding of a 16 year old who was at a bus stop a gang member used some times when a rival gang fired into it

The target was not there

#EMSlife

#EMSLife
Shift over. For a Sunday it was ruff. Serious cardiac event; fever in 22 yo x3 days; Cardiac Arrest; fall femur fracture; shooting; overdose; intoxicated person who “can’t walk” to the police car; e-bike vs parked car; shooting; ELVO Stroke
“Did you get billing info for the cardiac arrest?”