PAX Centurion - Summer 2014

www.bppa.org PAX CENTURION • Summer 2014 • Page 37 From Apology on page 36 An apology We don’t run… well, eight of us do! By EMT Mike Moran I remember workingAmbulance 11 on the day shift a few years back and getting dispatched to the “Diabetic” at a softball game. My partner and I headed that way. We arrived and could see roughly 100 yards away a group of people surrounding a person on the ground by the pitchers’mound. They waved frantically for us to rush. There was no movement by the person on the ground. This had all the makings of something else going on, probably a cardiac arrest. “Run, run…” is all we heard as we opened the ambulance doors. Trying to grab all the gear, and then the stretcher, and then start rush- ing with a fully loaded cot across the very uneven dirt and grassy field was much akin to watching a school bus careen toward an out of control dump truck in slow motion… a nightmare. “Run, run…”We both wanted to rush… to run… the people were becoming increasingly anxious and screaming, “run! run! why aren’t you running?” So we did, or we attempted to…The stretcher immediately started to twist and try to flip. Gear started falling off. Luckily a strap caught the defibrillator, but it was too late for the green oxygen bag, which was now dragging on the ground and of course, tripped my partner. My radio chose that moment to come flying off my belt, and smacked me in the eye… ah yes… perfect! “Run, Run…” the crowd continued to scream. We tried so hard to go as fast as we could while keeping what remained of our Boston EMS cool. We finally got to the patient. It was a cardiac arrest, and we began resuscitation. Paramedic 3 got on scene a few moments later and together we did what we do best. We brought this guy back from the dead. We actually got a nice card and a fancy rosary from his wife and kids a few months later thanking us. Last I heard, he was at home with little to no ill effects, and looking forward to getting back to spring softball. Nothing felt more paralyzing than being so close and wanting to run so fast, but being held back by obstacle after obstacle. But we handled each and every thing that came our way. We overcame the environment. We overcame our gear trying to kill us. And ultimately, we overcame death that day. Last years’ Boston Marathon pressed Boston EMS to run again. Obstacles, explosions, chaos, people everywhere, and Boston EMS, with the help of others, organized, treated and transported 118 pa- tients and had cleared the blast scene of injuries within 18 minutes. The international community wanted to know: How did you do it? What was our secret?Administrators travelled around the world to give “Lessons Learned” power point presentations and lectures. Street EMT’s and Paramedics were interviewed and featured in all sorts of media. Boston EMS members felt we were finally getting some recognition for our day to day hard work. We were off and running. And then our budget got cut dramatically, layoffs ensued, promotions cancelled and contract negotiations stalled. Since that time we remain a department fighting to exist in a world that we helped to save. This year’s Boston Marathon has eight of the bravest men and women you will ever meet running alongside the largest Marathon field of all time. Eight Boston EMS members motivated by last year’s’ tragedy and heroics. These EMT’s and Paramedics will be running for the other roughly 350 Boston EMS members who will either be working the event or working the street that day. Thank you to: EMT Steve Garceau EMTWalter Dunbar EMT Frank Deaton EMT Felicia Mohammed EMT Roger Hamlet EMT Dan Morgan Paramedic Sharon Efstathiou Paramedic DougWilliams You might be running with your two feet, but you’ll have 350 of us right behind you. Thank you. many of the things that made us the best EMS service in the world anymore? Do you realize EMS has had to do more and more with less, and less in the face of an ever-increasing call volume? Do you ever hear on the scanner that we’re at ‘zero availability’? Wait. never mind that last one. Scanners are an EMT thing. You don’t know what that is. So, since I do not wish you to experience any further discomfort every time you see one of those ‘ambulance-things’ drive past, I’ll tell you what. Please feel free to ignore us. I’ll try to do the same. It’ll be easier on both of us that way. Just go on your way and get your latte, and your Boston Globe, and sit in that nice comfy office you probably have. Go ahead, kick off your crocs. Don’t mind us. We’re just doing what keeps you in that office, In that SUV, and that unearned badge in your pocket. E. This story happened a while ago in Dublin, and even though it sounds like an Alfred Hitchcock tale, it’s absolutely true. J ohn Bradford, a Dublin University student, was on the side of the road hitchhiking on a very dark night and in the midst of a big storm. The night was rolling on and no car went by. The storm was so strong he could hardly see a few feet ahead of him. Suddenly, he saw a car slowly coming towards him and stopped.  John, desperate for shelter and without thinking about it, got into the car and closed the door…only to realize there was nobody behind the wheel and the engine wasn’t on. The car started moving slowly. John looked at the road ahead and saw a curve approaching. Scared, he started to pray, begging for his life. Then, just before the car hit the curve, a hand appeared out of nowhere through the window, and turned the wheel. John, paralyzed with terror, watched as the hand came through the window, but never touched or harmed him. Shortly thereafter, John saw the lights of a pub appear down the road, so, gathering strength, he jumped out of the car and ran to it. Wet and out of breath, he rushed inside and started telling everybody about the horrible experience he had just had. A silence enveloped the pub when everybody realized he was crying. And wasn’t drunk.  Suddenly, the door opened, and two other people walked in from the dark and stormy night. They, like John, were also soaked and out of breath. Looking around, and seeing John Bradford sobbing at the bar, one said to the other: “Look Paddy ... there’s that idiot that got in the car while we were pushing it!” A true Irish ghost story…