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Saturday, July 16th 2005

00:19:47

And then some..

  • Feeling: Sad

Well, my valliant readers...

When we last left our hero (ME) he was banished from the field and confined to the dark recesses of the communication center.  Just kidding.  I was promoted to supervisor for the communication center.  This...I thought...was the end of my field career.  Boy was I wrong.  I am being cross trained to be a field supervisor (Think EMS or Batallion Chief for the FD).  As part of this training I have been doing several ride-outs with the current field supervisors.  Well, tonight (Friday) we were having a BBQ for our employees when the field supervisor and I heard a call go out for a TC Major.  When we heard the report, we were out the door.  FD was reporting 5-8 patients all ejected during vehicle multiple roll-over.

We were about 5 minutes out when FD stated they were closing the freeway and all units should access from the off-ramp.  Too late, we were already fighting bumper to bumper traffic.  As we were pulling on scene I could not believe what I was seeing.  First thing I noticed was the vehicle (mini van) quite a ways up a hill...and demolished almost beyond recognition.  The next thing I saw was chaos.  Two bodies were covered (black tag).  Total patient count was 8.  A 12-14 year old and her 32-35 year old mother were both dead.  The father was drunk and had been the driver.  3 kids 4 and under were flown out to a PCCC (pediatric critical care center). 2 Teens and the father were also flown.  I found out about the ages and also the fathers DUI status well after the call.  Thinking  back on it makes me sick.

On our way back to the station after clearing the MCI we were responded to a TC with persons trapped.  The report was a vehicle under a Semi.  Not pretty I can tell you.  We spent 30 minutes on scene while FD cut the car apart to get to the victims.  To put it bluntly, the passenger door was touching the driver door.  Both the driver and passenger were DOA.

That's 4 DOA's tonight...is there a full moon?

Stay Safe!

~Sean

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Monday, July 4th 2005

11:14:05

This is the end...sort of...

  • Feeling: Happy and Sad

Hello all,

I have some good news and I have some bad news.  Last Monday, I was promoted from EMT to Communications Supervisor.  I will be working in dispatch for the most part.  I will try to post here as much as possible, but I don't know how often I will have something worth writing about.

Until Then,

Stay Safe!

~Sean

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Tuesday, April 19th 2005

08:31:41

Happy Anniversary

  • Feeling: Tired
  • Hearing: Ambulances
  • Thinking: I'm up too early!
I just celebrated my 10th anniversary with American Medical Response.  For those of you who are unaware, I am a cross trained dispatcher for AMR.  My primary responsibilities include working as an EMT on a 1 to 1 paramedic ambulance (1 EMT to 1 paramedic).  About two weeks ago I met a person who should be nominated for a Darwin Award.  This bonehead thought it was a good idea to reply to a Sheriff Deputy's request to stop with some gunfire.
 
Not being the brightest bulb in the box, he figured that he could out shoot a trained law enforcement official.  As I am sure you may have already guessed, he ended up on the loosing end of that exchange.  The officer was not hit, the suspect was hit twice.  As we were arriving on scene, we had to dodge all the black and whites that were swarming the area.  I think we had at least 90 percent of the units on duty between Lancaster and Palmdale.
 
Our patient was found prone by some bushes.  He was approximately 19 years old.  His wounds included on entry wound to the right lower leg.  He also had one entry/exit wound (through and through) to the left flank.  Our patient in question got 2 large bore I.V.'s, C-spine precautions, and a helicopter flight to the trauma center.  I guess since he was a "gang banger" he could shoot better than a sheriff deputy who has been trained to shoot under pressure.
 
Due to my lack of a steady partner, I have been detailed into the dispatch center quite a bit.  Saturday night we received a request for a traffic collision vs. pedestrian.  The crews on scene requested the air squad (helicopter) to respond.  Unfortunately due to the severe head trauma, they were unable to secure his airway.  The patient was transported by ground ambulance to the local E.R. for stabilization.  After the crew cleared the call we heard about the whole incident.
 
It seems that the patient was actually an armed robber.  He had just held up a local liquor store for several hundred dollars and was making his getaway by running across a busy surface street.  He didn't get very far, and the Sheriff's Dept. was able to recover the money and the hand gun used in the robbery.  Another Darwin award nominee!
 
Well, I'm in dispatch right now and things are picking up, so I will sign off now.
 
Remember...Stay Safe!
 
~Sean
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Monday, March 28th 2005

23:19:58

Some Party...

  • Hearing: Iron Chef
A big hello to everyone out in journal-land.  Unfortunately I don't have a steady partner for the next 2 months.  My partner is out recuperating from surgery.  I get the overtime partner of the day.  Basically whoever had their partner call out, etc, I get stuck with.  Boy this is going to be a long 8 weeks.
 
As luck would have it, I had a medic partner for Friday night.  That meant not much happening until after 23:00.  That is 11:00 P.M. for you civilians out there.  We were finally pulled into the 911 system and were holding down our piece of street busily watching Star Wars Episode 1 on DVD.  Now, in order to properly enjoy a feature motion picture while street corner posting, I turned my fire dept. scanner way down.  (It only gives me about a 10 second warning of an incoming call.)
 
About the time that the onscreen fight was at the climax, we noticed some police lights down the street from us.  Naturally being curious, the volume got cranked back up on the scanner.  Just in time to hear "Rescue 24's with Squad 84".  Followed immediately by our MDT screeching "Emergency Pending".  I looked at the screen and saw "STAB" as the patient condition code.  Time to kick the tires and light the fires!  With a cloud of dust, flash of strobes and wail of siren we were on the way. 
 
Now, being a crime scene, we always stage out for sheriff to secure the area.  In this case there were so many black and whites that we couldn't get to the scene even if we wanted to.  Finally the local constabulary made a path for us to access the patient.  As we walked up front lawn we saw a problem...two patients.  On second glance we saw that both patients had stab wounds to their flanks.  Let's do the math, two patients that meet our trauma center criteria + one ambulance = oh SH*T!.  About that time, the fire engine arrives on scene and orders one of their air squads to respond.  I got on the radio and requested a second ambulance.  Luckily we had a unit that was only 2 minutes out of the scene when the request was made.
 
My partner and I took the first patient to our unit (Being an ALS unit we began treatment right away.) and the second ambulance and fire medics took the second patient.  On exam our patient had about four stab wounds to the left flank at about the 7th & 8th intercostal space.  An additional two stab wounds were noted to the right flank in the vicinity of the patient's kidney.  My partner established two large bore (16g) I.V.'s while I got vitals on the patient.  B/P 110/70, pulse 120 (sinus tach w/o ectopy) SPO2 95% prior to supplemental oxygen.  Lungs clear and equal. 
 
Friday was a night of luck.  The FD air squad was a Firehawk. (Black Hawk adapted for FD use).  Both patients were able to fly to the trauma center 60 + miles away.  Chances are they both will make a full recovery.  What a way for them to end a party...with a helicopter ride.  Me, I just want to finish my movie.  Fast forward to tonight.  The local news showed the incident, and my partner and I were no where to be seen!  Now that stinks!  We were the primary unit and it looks like we were never there.  Oh well (shrug) at least I know the truth!
 
Stay Safe!
 
~Sean
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