Snow is falling, and there are clouds of grey, but the one over me lately has been really WHITE! It always happens this way. I have noticed that there seems to be a revolving wave of death and destruction that swirls about the EMS galaxy. Behind it is a calm and tranquil sea. You never know when your calm sea will be suddenly heaved up into a horrific wave. Right now I'm pretty much sunburned and drunk from floating about the calm sea. It seems strange to want death and destruction to show up, but it's what we train for. It is what makes us needed. Other shifts are getting hit with all kinds of things, but so far the wave hasn't hit here. I'm always hoping and waiting. Stay safe out there and keep an eye out for each other.


S

Well this past summer has gone by in a flash! I am currently working on some really cool online EMS and Fire training programs. I just wanted to take a minute to bring this blog up to date. The H1N1 thing is still going out of hand, and I would like to take a minute to offer some advice: If you think you have the flu, stay home! Your doctor isn't going to wave a wand to make the flu disappear. Stay in bed, rest, eat a high fruit diet, drink lots of water, get AS MUCH SUNSHINE as you can, don't eat high fat and sugar, as these can lower your immune resistance. I will start trying to post more often now that I have a chance to get to it. More information on the training programs will be coming soon! Stay Safe out there!



Scott

It was amazing. 24 hours without a call!! I know what happened. The day was the first one of the year in the 80's and the sun was hot and bright. Everyone decided they would rather die than be taken to the hospital on such a lovely day. The nice thing is this... as I left the station this morning I could hear the tones dropping for emergencies all over the county. Ah yeah, it's nice to not be needed (at least once in a great while).

I am always amazed at how well drunk people can drive. Yeah, usually when I get called they have finally hit something, but when you look at where they started and where they made it to it is pretty amazing. So the call came in for a vehicle accident. This wreck occurred on the backside of a local lake. The road to get there is filled with lots of tight corners and hairpin curves. Large trees, rocks, and steep hills line the 20 mile drive around the lake. So it was with amazement that I stood looking at the wreckage of a car that had managed to navigate over 1/2 that drive before finally going off the road and into a tree. The young person driving had fled the scene (or so the story goes) leaving behind a couple of injured passengers. Fortunately their injuries were not life threatening. That would have been different if that same car had struck the same tree after going down the same hill only 2 feet sooner. Instead of a glancing blow that caused a LOT of damage, it would have been wrapped around the tree and there could have been fatalities. That's the way these things go... I subscribe to the McManus theory of convergence. It takes alot of things to happen at just the right time and in just the right way for anything to happen. Two cars don't just hit each other. Those people had to make decisions to leave at certain times, drive a certain route, stop for coffee at just the right time, hit the green light at each intersection along the way, etc. before they collided. 2 seconds of delay on either part could have avoided the wreck. The problem being, if you are aware of this, you still can't change it, because if you skip your morning coffee stop, chances are you are still converging on a wreck! That's my take from reality.



Scott

So the first trip to the Emergency Room with a patient this morning brought a sight to my eyes that I was hoping not to see. People wearing yellow masks in the lobby of the ER wondering if they have contacted a new strain of Influenza. Yes, the comments heard were about 'I woke up with a cough, could it be....?' This of course probably brought on by the incredible media hype going on in even the small local newspapers about 'SWINE FLU'. I don't mean to downplay a viral infection. They are deadly to certain groups in the population, those with weakened immune systems, etc. But so is every other illness floating around. People need to turn off the news for a week. It would result in less emotional strain for them. That being said, if you feel sick, stay home. No one wants what you have, no matter if it's the common cold or 'swine flu'. If you start oinking when you talk, then I would recommend going in and getting checked. That's my take from reality!

Scott

So yesterday was Chest Pain day. Have you ever noticed how calls seem to come with the changing of the weather? I have noticed this in Chest Pain and Difficulty Breathing type calls. Yesterday we had a pressure system moving out of the area and sure enough, about 3 am, the chest pain calls started in the county. A little after sunrise and daylight, they tapered off as the sky cleared and the weather became nice. Just strange. None of the ones I saw seemed to be cardiac related however, which was weird.
The interesting call of the day was a man who's best friend knocked him down into a 6 foot deep window well. He had to be extricated out through the window (or should I say, in through the window) into the house, onto a backboard and then up the stairs. He told me he wasn't having a very good day. I would have to agree. Fortunately he was very stable and I was able to help him out with a little pain control with my friend MS. BTW his best friend has 4 legs and fur. Feel free to post any interesting runs you have during your shifts, ride alongs, or ER rotations, etc.


Scott