Support your local Emergency Services

I wish you could comprehend a wife's horror at 6 in the morning as I Check her husband of 40 years for a pulse and find none. I start CPR anyway, hoping to bring him back, knowing intuitively it is too late. But wanting his wife and family to know everything possible was done to try and save his life.

I wish you knew the unique smell of burning insulation, the taste of soot-filled mucus, the feeling of intense heat through your turnout gear, the sound of flames crackling, the eeriness of being able to see absolutely nothing in dense smoke-sensations that I've become too familiar with.

I wish you could read my mind as I respond to a call, Is a this false alarm or a working fire? How is the building constructed? What Hazards await me? Is anyone trapped?" Or to call and ask what is wrong with the patient? Is it minor or life threatening? Is the caller really in distress or is he waiting for us with a 2x4 or a gun?

I wish you could be in the emergency room, as a doctor pronounces dead, the beautiful five-year old girl that I have been trying to save during the past 25 minutes, knowing she will never go on her first date or say the words, "I love you Mommy", ever again.

I wish you could know the frustration I feel in the cab of the ambulance or engine or cruiser, the driver with his foot pressing down hard on the pedal, my arm tugging again and again at the air horn chain, as you fail to yield the right-of-way at an intersection or in traffic. When you need us however, your first comment upon our arrival will be, "It took you forever to get here!"

I wish you could know my thoughts as I help extricate a girl of teenage years from the remains of her automobile. What if this was my daughter, sister, my girlfriend or a friend? What were her parent's reaction going to be when they opened the door to find a
police officer with hat in hand?

I wish you could know how it feels to walk in the back door and greet my parents and family, not having the heart to tell them that I nearly did not come back from the last call.

I wish you could know how it feels dispatching officers, firefighters and Paramedics out and when we call for them and our heart drops because no one answers back or to here a bone chilling 911 call of a child or wife needing assistance.

I wish you could feel the hurt as people verbally and sometimes physically abuse us or belittle what I do, or as they express their attitudes of "It will never happen to me". I wish you could realize the physical, emotional and mental drain of missed meals, lost sleep and forgone social activities, in addition to all the tragedy my eyes have seen.

I wish you could know the brotherhood and self-satisfaction of helping save a life or preserving someone's property, or being able to be there in time of crisis, or creating order from total chaos.

I wish you could understand what it feels like to have a little boy tugging at your arm and asking, "Is my Mommy okay?"! , not even being able to look in his eyes without tears from your own and not knowing what to say. Or to have to hold back a long time friend who watches his buddy having CPR done on him as they take him away in the Medic Unit. You know all along he did not have his seat belt on. A sensation that I have become too familiar with.

Unless you have lived with this kind of life, you will never truly understand or appreciate who I am, we are, or what our job really means to us...I wish you could though.


KEEP SENDING THIS ON. APPRECIATE AND SUPPORT THE LOCAL FIREFIGHTERS, EMS EMT-B,Emt-CC PARAMEDICS, 911 DISPATCHERS, and LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS IN YOUR AREA. ONE DAY THEY'LL PROBABLY BE SAVING YOUR LIFE. WHEN YOU SEE THEM COMING WITH LIGHTS FLASHING, MOVE OUT OF THE WAY QUICKLY, and THEN PRAY FOR THEM.

Re: Support your local Emergency Services

Re: Support your local Emergency Services

Thank you for sharing this very important message!!!

Re: Support your local Emergency Services

I grew up in a house with a firefighter and EMT, and spent many time with lots of them over the years. They are ALL true heroes.

Thanks for sending this on .....

Re: Support your local Emergency Services

Coming from a family of volunteers and as an ex-volunteer myself that really is all the things we experience. Yet there are people/newspapers out there, who would rather focus on other things.

Re: Support your local Emergency Services

to my DH and all the EMS professionals and firefighters out there!

Re: Support your local Emergency Services

I did a "shout out" to thank the volunteers over the weekend. My brother has been a volunteer with Sag Harbor Ambulance for a lot of years now...he had to go to the scene of the MVA in North Haven where a gorgeous promising local 19 year old girl had a fatal car accident, trying to avoid the deer. ITs truly devastating for the families involved as well as everyone who responds. Thanks for posting this--sometimes people just get too caught up and forget about the people who risk their lives to save others lives.

Re: Support your local Emergency Services

Those statements are so true - where did you find that??

Re: Support your local Emergency Services

Coming from a family with a long line in the FDNY & police departments, I can totally hear what you say!!!!

Re: Support your local Emergency Services

When I was in second grade my teacher told all of us that when you hear sirens, say a prayer that everybody will be ok.

that stuck with me...I do it everytime and I say it out loud.

Re: Support your local Emergency Services

This thread should be bumped whenever fund drive time comes up for the local volunteer Ambulance Corps and Fire Departments.

Tell them you appreciate them but show them too by providing even a small donation each year. Even $5.00 per household goes really far when a lot of people give.

Thank you for posting this.

Re: Support your local Emergency Services

Posted by greenfreak

This thread should be bumped whenever fund drive time comes up for the local volunteer Ambulance Corps and Fire Departments.

Tell them you appreciate them but show them too by providing even a small donation each year. Even $5.00 per household goes really far when a lot of people give.

Thank you for posting this.

Re: Support your local Emergency Services

Re: Support your local Emergency Services