PAX Centurion - Summer 2014

Page 36 • PAX CENTURION • Summer 2014 617-989-BPPA (2772) An apology Boston EMS Corner: Ed McCarthy T o the guy in the suit and tie driving the all-white, marked, Boston EMS Explorer: I apologize for the other day when we passed each other in traffic. I realize now that it must have been awkward for you. Al- low me to refresh your memory.You see, we were in an ambulance. You know, one of those noisy things that we take people to hospitals in, right? They have orange stripes, reflective lettering, and lots of lights. Kind of hard to miss. Anyways, we saw the Department vehi- cle you were driving, and waved.You saw us, made eye contact, and then a strange thing happened.You looked down, and away, averting your eyes, as if you were uncomfortable at the thought of associating with us. I couldn’t figure out why you did that. I know we are just a pair of EMTs. Barely worth noticing. Apparently only slightly above the amoeba on the evolutionary scale, but still. It says ‘Boston EMS’ on your truck. I gave your motives a great deal of thought. I have to admit, I was initially a little angry. I regret that now. After mulling over your visible cringe at the sight of us, I suddenly realized why you could not meet our eyes. Shame. Shame that you didn’t earn that fancy SUV you’re driving. Shame that while EMTs and Medics break their backs carrying people down multiple flights of stairs, do CPR, and struggle with violent patients all day, you get a company car. EMTs have to pay their own way to work. I figured somebody gave you an unearned Boston EMS badge, to go with your fancy car too.You probably pull it out all the time, and say things like “I’m with Boston EMS,” or “I represent Boston EMS,” and try and impress people with that. Is it in your wallet? Do you make sure it flips all the way open so the cashier at Whole Foods can see it? I bet you do. Is it gold? I bet it is. It’s probably really shiny too. When you wear one out in the rain, and snow, carrying patients through Boston’s weather, they get tarnished after a while, but you wouldn’t know about that. I’ll bet you even have one of those belt- clip things to hold it. And all the while you’re doing this, it occurs to you that you haven’t actually laid eyes, or hands on ‘Patient One,’ let alone the dozens upon dozens that the EMTs treat and transport every week. No wonder you looked away. If I were in your crocs, I’d take a sudden interest in the pattern of the car seats’ upholstery too. It all makes sense to me now. It’s the EMTs and Paramedics that do the work around here. We’re the ones that actually crawl under the trains, walk into darkened houses, and climb the five flights to the attic dormer apartments. We’re the ones that execute the mission statement of this department. Not you . If anyone should be getting nifty perks and bennies, it’s the people who might have to change out of their bloody shirt halfway through the shift. Not you. Do you know we don’t have a contract? Do you know we are critically short staffed? Do you know the vast majority of EMTs languish with no hope of promotion? Do you realize we’ve had important support personnel laid off? Do you know we cannot do Stop by our store located at 53 Plain Street (rear) in Braintree or call us at (781) 843-5293. When your business or personal needs require custom embroidery or screen printing,we hope you choose The Embroidery Clinic for high quality and competitive pricing. See Apology on page 37