fireemsworld1

Hey All, I just joined a pretty special non-profit org, called Emergency Safety Academy (ESA). We visit schools, camps and scout troops and teach CPR / First aid and fire safety. It has grown very fast in my area, and our demand for this coming spring has overwhelmed us. We have the volunteers we need to visit all our events, but we need more stuff. By stuff I mean, gear. From turnout gear, to backboards, collars, stairchairs, ect. We are looking for new and used, so if you or your department might have a stash of old unused equipment in the attic, or a pile getting ready to go to the trash, please let me know because it may be something we can use. These items are being used as visual aids for the kids, so they become more familiar with them in the event they are ever faced with an emergency. If you have anything....please let me know. Thanks and Happy Holidays!!!- Joe

So I've been writing an ebook about balancing family life and being in Volunteer EMS. I am not a professional author by any means, so I'm looking for some constructive criticism. Here's the intro. Please let me know what you think. The book is intended to help people balance their life as a volunteer EMT and their family life. Here we go….. All of a sudden you feel the vibration, and hear the loud ear piercing sound. The sound you’ve grown to love like a drug. OK – maybe not all the time. But most of the time, for sure. You patiently wait through the static. You wait the few seconds that feel like eternity for the microphone to key up. Finally a voice. The voice of the not so excited dispatcher. He calls out “Volunteer ambulance, please respond for a 9-E-1, cardiac arrest at 123 Main St.” At first, you almost can’t believe it, until he repeats “please respond for a 9-E-1, cardiac arrest at 123 Main St.” Now the panic sets in. Why the panic, you ask? This is only my second call. My first (the day before) was an “imminent birth” that turned into a nervous first time mom with Braxton Hicks contractions. Needless to say – that call was not as story worthy. Back to the panic…..The crew I was riding with on this Saturday was a veteran crew. Two EMT’s, a driver and me (the know nothing probie). As we screamed down the road in the ambulance, I had many thoughts going through my head. What the hell do I do when we get there? How will I react to this? Can I handle this? Why did I leave my house and family on this Saturday morning? What seemed to be an eternity in the rig, was only two minutes in reality. But the nervousness and the unknown seemed to draw the time out. Soon after leaving headquarters we arrived on scene. I jumped off the rig with the rest of the crew and grabbed our oxygen bag. In my few days I have already learned it’s not good to leave the rig empty-handed. We ran to the door and entered. Our ALS first responder was already inside, and informed us that this patient was “signal 50”, which means DOA (dead on arrival). I was confused. “isn’t that what we are here for?”, I thought to myself. Why are we not doing anything? As I’m thinking this to myself, I am looking at our patient, who was in her sixties, blue and lying on her back, surrounded by pills and vomit. Then I glanced at her husband, who had just woken up to find her like that. It was then I realized he was thinking the same thing. Why aren’t they doing anything? Why are they here if they are not going to help her? I think we both knew the answer, but didn’t quite want to accept it. As the gentlemen grew increasingly upset, a police officer walked him to the kitchen for a seat, and to ascertain the necessary information. Knowing I was wet behind the ears, the first responder pulled me over to the victim, rolled her over and began to teach me about obvious death. He pointed out how her back was blue from lividity (blood pooling), and also how her head and arms moved right with the body since they were stiff (rigor). It was then I realized she’s been dead for hours, and there was no chance we would ever bring her back. No wonder we didn’t start CPR. Soon after my lesson, we left. As we walked out the door I looked at the man one last time. When he saw us leaving I think he finally realized why we were not doing anything. He began to cry, and glanced back at us with this look. The look spoke a thousand words. I interpreted it as “you let me down, but I know there’s nothing you could have done.” That’s exactly how I felt about it anyway. As I climbed back on the ambulance, I felt a little nauseous, and saddened. It was a quiet yet quick ride back to headquarters. I remember when we got back, the rest of the crew continued with what they were doing prior to the call. They then proceeded to have breakfast. I could not eat. At least not right at that moment. It took me a couple of hours to feel comfortable eating. It wasn’t that the scene was gruesome. I think it was more the new feeling of being a part of something like that. To realize that doing this job means you are going to be a part of some stranger’s worst day. You will be there when their “unthinkable” happens. When their nightmare will become reality. I think that’s why I felt the way I did.

As a child, I was always interested in the fire department. Like any little boy, I aspired to be a firefighter for a good portion of my childhood. Who wouldn’t want to be. You get to drive in a shiny red truck, lights and sirens. Jump into a burning building and save lives. Sounds a lot better than being a teacher,or a cab driver. When I was 14, I was finally old enough to join the Jr. Fire Department with some of my friends. I’ll never forget how excited I was. The juniors in this department even got the old leftover Motorola “brick” pagers, so we could listen up as the tones went out. We had our weekly meetings, fundraisers, and even got a jump-start on learning the trucks. Now that I am older, I am a volunteer EMT for an Ambulance Company. Our company has a Youth Squad for kids 12 and over. The Youth Squad is definitely beneficial for both the kids, and the Company. The kids are getting hands on experience with all of the equipment on the rigs. They are getting CPR certified, learning first aid, holding fundraisers, and mostly KEEPING OUT OF TROUBLE. The Youth Squad is giving the kids a chance to learn how to do good, become a useful part of our society, and to help people. As a member of the squad, the kids can also ride the ambulance as an observer at 16, and enroll in an EMT class at 17 – which is paid for by the company. What does the company get out of it? New Volunteers. Most of these kids, will join as a Volunteer when they turn 18. And the best part about it is that they are already trained to do most everything. All in all, I think that getting your children involved with a Volunteer organization will help everyone. It will teach your child values, and help ensure the volunteer base for the next generation to come. I urge all companies to start or continue with their youth programs, as it is a win/win for all. Please share your comments.

That is not my intention at all. Here is the youtube link instead. I will make sure to use them from now on. Our blog is striclty to help volunteers by donating to benevolent committees. Just a way to get 10% commission back when we buy gear and that money generated goes back to our local departments. Instead of buying directly through Galls, we buy through the blog, and get the commission back. Won't happen again.

Extra forces may be our way:

Very True. I live by the rule family first, then paid job, the volunteer. Got to have your priorities straight. Yep. We are on Long Island, NY. Bracing for the storm. Should be interesting.