Notes from Mosquito Hill » EMS

Blue skies (P366 – 1/28)

mack505 — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 13:05:12 +0000

I’ve written in the past about my white cloud. I try not to be superstitious, but I went through a long dry spell at work. Slow days, ‘no-hitters’, cancellations; It was nice for a while, then it was boring.

Recently my cloud has evaporated. I haven’t developed a black cloud yet, but I see sick people. Chest pain, respiratory, head bleeds, STEMIs, even a fair bit of trauma have all come my way. I’ve been able to do my job and feel like people need me. It’s been nice.

I don’t need a cloud, white or black. The blue skies are treating me very well.

Duet

mack505 — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:05:57 +0000

Friends since high school, their lives have orbited and intertwined for decades. War, marriages, children, careers; all have come and gone yet friendship remains.

Upstairs we dance the ballet. Compressions, airway, breathing, electricity. Three paramedics, four firefighters, and an EMT all choreographed around one person on the floor.

Downstairs a lone EMT does the real work as the curtain closes on a duet.

P366 – January 20

mack505 — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 13:05:10 +0000

January 20, 2012

Dropping names

mack505 — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 21:58:40 +0000

He sits on our stretcher inside the Medic 9 looking slightly dazed. The firefighters and police officers have retreated to their respective vehicles, their part in our little drama now complete.

As I peel back the layers of sweatshirts to check his blood pressure, he fixes me with an alcoholic gaze. His eyes struggle to focus, and I’m reminded of my trusty Nikon trying to decipher a complicated scene. In, out, in. Bzzzt. Finally the image resolves itself into something coherent.

“I know Mike Smith,” he tells me.

Good for you, sir. ”And who might he be?”

“You know, the Smiths. They own this ambulance company.”

Oh, the SMITHS. Why didn’t you say so sooner? Of course, I know the Smiths too. One of them signs my check every week. I may never be invited to their home for dinner, but I’ve met them all and had conversations with them.

I’ve never heard of one named Mike. If there is a Mike in the family tree, he must be way out among the leaves.

“So do you drink with Mike Smith often?”

“Yup, every day.”

Uh-huh. Let’s go see the nice nurses at Local Suburban Hospital, shall we? I think they know Mike Smith too.

Sunrise over Econoline (P366 – 1/8/12)

mack505 — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:05:36 +0000

January 8, 2012 – starting the shift early with tea & Toughbook in the ambulance bay.

Tightrope

mack505 — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 04:26:36 +0000

Our city is one of a number of places which can lay claim to being the “Birthplace of the American Navy.” Local fishermen and sailors figured prominently in George Washington’s narrow escape from New York and in his famous crossing of the Delaware.

Tonight there are no foreign troops in our harbor, yet the marina is protected by a large wrought iron gate. If the Redcoats do come by sea, they won’t get in. A firefighter holds the gate for me as I muscle the stretcher across the brick walkway. NRP has gone ahead with the bags.

The stretcher and I rumble down the gangway. The metal grating seems ephemeral; a literal ocean of blackness yawns beneath my feet. At the bottom, the narrow wooden dock suddenly becomes a tightrope. An ocean of cold black space looms above; an ocean of reflected stars lurks below. We pick our way among the ropes and cleats, guided by tiny lights along the edges. The winter’s night air seeps under my jacket, and the thought of that frigid water creeps into my soul.

Somehow our high wire act makes it to the end without incident, where a large white blob rocks in the darkness. It’s completely shrouded in plastic and ready for the worst weather a New England port can muster. A zipper is cracked, and light and sound come from inside. I step in to find my partner, the patient, and an entire apartment’s worth of furnishings crammed into a space only slightly larger than my ambulance.

It’s light and warm in here, but I know we will have to walk the tightrope again soon.

Back to work (P366 1/1)

mack505 — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 13:25:10 +0000

It has come to my attention that 2012 is a leap year, so welcome to Project 366.

I started the year back at work for 24 hours. It was a theme day, with multiple overdose calls. Here’s hoping that’s not the theme for the coming year.

The fog of life

mack505 — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 04:47:48 +0000

Slightly less than a year ago, I departed for my first shift of 2011 through thick fog. It broke dramatically that morning, signifying hope and promise.

If I try to be objective it was a decent year. 362 days later I’m still working a good job with a good employer, my family and I are healthy, and our finances are in better shape than they were a year ago. Second grade is going fabulously!

Emotionally it’s been rough though. Mrs. Mack505 suffered the loss of two family members. My Public Safety family has been rocked with multiple losses, both on duty and off.

I was not there personally, but I was on duty and listened live as a firefighter lost his life. I’ve held my breath with each subsequent radio transmission and felt the ice in my gut as it became apparent what was happening. I’ve looked into the eyes of the crew who worked to save him, and of the good friend he relieved at shift change that morning. I can happily go the rest of my life without ever repeating that experience, thank you.

The fog returned this morning, bookending the year in gray. Goodbye, 2011. It’s a new day tomorrow, and I’m on duty at the best job in the world.

Stay tuned.

Make it stop!

mack505 — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 03:33:59 +0000

Sunday night we were in a Christmas mood at work. We dug the tree out of storage, hung the lights, and took a few embarrassing photos for Facebook. Then we started to notice the updates.

A Fallon ambulance was struck head-on on the other side of our metropolitan area. We followed live on FB, Twitter, and the Internet radio stream as the events unfolded. I listened as the crew was airlifted to Big City hospitals.

Overnight a NH State Trooper crashed his cruiser and was seriously injured along with his K9. I saw the crash site in my travels before I knew what happened.

Monday morning, a police sergeant in one of our cities was struck on the highway. He was seriously injured but is recovering in Big City Trauma Center.

Wednesday night, a Worcester firefighter was killed in the collapse of a burning three-decker. John Davies, a 17 year veteran, was searching for a missing civilian when he and his partner were trapped. His partner survived.

Services are next Thursday.

This evening I learned that FF Sarah Fox of Portsmouth, NH, lost her hard-fought battle with cancer this week. I’m not feeling much holiday spirit right now.

Tomorrow is a new day. . .

Sparky

mack505 — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 10:05:37 +0000

“Hey guys, anything interesting?”

Ambulance 10 has arrived on scene uninvited and unexpected because they have a brand new trainee. Our chest pain patient is hypotensive, tachycardic, diaphoretic, and as pale as my uniform shirt. More help is always welcome.

We toss the trainee and his preceptor into the extrication role, and soon he is learning tricks they don’t teach in school. The stair chair isn’t glamorous, but it’s arguably our second or third most important piece of equipment.

Four of the five of us function as an automatic machine. Oxygen, IV, monitor, aspirin, 12-lead ECG all happen quickly. The trainee looks a bit lost, but he manages to keep up.

We take him with us to the hospital. A10 can catch up later. He’s here to learn, and we’re the ones with the patient right now.

I find myself wondering, was I ever that new? I suppose I must have been. I remember looking up in awe to the paramedics I worked with in my early days, and I suddenly realize that now I am one of them.

Good luck kid, you’ll do fine.

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