“Hey John, welcome to the squad, we’re always glad
to see some new blood around here.”
	“Thanks, ever since I was a kid I always wanted to be
an EMT...”
*pager* “Well it looks like you’ll get the change to prove
yourself kid”
(Run in place) “What are you doing slick?” (Confusion on
John’s face)
“I’m getting ready to go...”
“You know? The more equipment you see on an EMT’s belt,
the newer they are. Not like that, (Move over to John) look,
you don’t need this (Pick something off belt) rope, flame
retardent shark repellant, duct tape, plastic sheeting, and
TWO flashlights? Alright, all you really need is what’s in your
EMT bag (Tosses him the bag) now come on, we have a
rescue to get to”
The EMT’s Call
	Air goes in and out, blood goes round and round, any
variation of this, is a bad thing.  You’ve just met John Q.
Public and his welcome to the exciting world, of the
emergency medical service. Since the events of 9-11, many
have come to realize, just how important these people are.
Come along as I take you into the career of a small town
EMT John (Q. Public) and what he has to deal with, on a
daily basis.
	Some time passed since those early years on the
squad, John landed a job as a loan officer at Oakville Bank,
but when the page comes, that all goes away...
	“Peter Johnson! Come on in have a seat and we can
get to work on your loan.”
	“Thanks John & thanks for seeing me on such short
notice.”
	“Nonsense! I always have time for a friend, besides
there’s still an hour left before my lunch break, plenty of time
in the day.”
*pager* “Charleston County Sheriffs office paging the
Oakville first responders, we have an elderly woman
complaining  of chest pains @ 220 North Prairie Avenue.
Units responding please acknowledge.”
	“I apologize Johnson...(edging towards door) looks
like we’ll have to... (halfway out) reschedule this (Run in
place)

	At least not all the pages took place during the middle
of the workday, most of them seem to take place when you’d
rather be unwinding from it, or asleep”
	There  was a time.... (voice change) “This is the
Charleston County Sheriffs office paging the Oakville first
responders, please respond to medical @ 816 West Green
street... patient down and unresponsive...” The call came in at
9:30, it was a structure fire, and the patient wasn’t down, he
was up, on the third floor to be exact.  *laugh* It seems a
patient’s weight is always in direct proportion to their altitude
in the building, because he was a big boy.  It was John (Q.
Public) along with Anderson, Friesen, and Nelson who where
the only ones that responded to the call.  
“Alright chief what’s the situation”
“We’ve contained the fire in the lower east corner of the
building, your man is up there, (pointing) in the upper
northern portion.  Just get in and get your men out ASAP and
you should be okay”
*cough* “John, I thought the fire chief said there wasn’t any
fire on this side, what’s with all the smoke?”
*cough* cough* “Smoke rises Nelson, come on we have
another floor to go”
(climb more stairs) “There! sir are you okay? Hello,
hello?”(shake, commence CPR)
“Come on, let’s get him out of here!” “1...2...3... argggroan!”
“Anderson you’re not even thinking of letting go! I’m not
having this guy ride me all the way down the stairs!”
(Walking up sitting in chair) “Hey guys” (sitting head in
hands) (another walk up hand on chairguys shoulder) Nel “I
never want to do that again” 
“Alright guys let’s get in on the roster: Anderson; here,
Friesen; check, Harding, no, no, no, Nelson, yep, and Myself”
“Does any one know how bad the fire was?”
“They made a pretty good stop, no surrounding buildings
where damaged”
“So how’s Mr. Obese doing?”
“HEY!!! He has a name! Mr. O’ Connor is doing alright and
is expected to make a full recovery @ State General Hospital”
“Yeah man, he could have just as easily died”
“So? What are you always saying Anderson? ‘Death is a
stabilization of the patients health?’ Or how about ‘all fevers
fall to room temperature, eventually’
“Yeah,” (eyes down)
“Alright, alright, now come on guys I want to go through
inventory and clean the whole rig tonight before we take
anymore breathers, aaand I expect those reports on my desk
by tomorrow, let’s get to work”

*page* One could describe life as an EMT as extended
periods of boredom, interrupted by moments of sheer terror.
There are those calls that cling to our memories for all the
days of our lives
	“This is the Charleston County Sheriffs office
dispatching the Oakville EMS team, we have reports of a
10-50 (that’s accident with damage to personal property to
you an I) on County road 1 units responding please
acknowledge” 
“This is Public, I am enroute in my personal vehicle at 02:00
hours.” 
“10-4 John, we’ve gotten word the ambulance is now also
enroute”

“Town base, pulling up to the scene now, it looks like the car
hit an embankment and rolled into a field, this is definitely a
10-52(damaged to people and personal property). It looks
like three occupants, one of them is up and walking around.
Get that ambulance here now!”
“10-4, we’re doing all we can”
(out of car heading towards victim)
“Hi, how are you feeling? Can you tell me your name?”
*sobb* “We where just heading back home... I never saw the
road curve...this wasn’t supposed to happen!!”
“Alright, miss how about you just sit down and I’ll go help
your friends”
	The other two didn’t seem too badly injured, John
worked to stabilize their conditions just as the ambulance was
pulling up.
(John kneeling beside patient) “You’re going to be good as
new in no time, I promise”
“Hey John how about you take a little breather? We can take
it from here, okay?”
“Yeah, okay”
Within the ring of EMS, they say If you respond to an MVA
after midnight and you don't find a drunk, keep looking -
you've missed a patient. John took at walk from the scene to
clear his head, just breathing, and the glint of his reflective
safety striping in the lamp light.  That was when he saw it
(point and look out of the corner of eye) a crumpled form, on
the other side of the road.  Without thinking John sprinted
across the road to help the forth victim, as he drew near, the
aroma of alcohol mingled with vomit permeated the air
(revulsion to smell) “Hey buddy are you okay? Can you tell
me how you’re doing?”
The boy, most likely the driver couldn’t have been over 16
years old.
(Start CPR/ mouth to mouth) “Hey over here, found another
one! Too far away... (look between boy and scene) alright sit
tight buddy, I’ll be right back okay? I’m going to get some
more help, hang tough alright!”

John forgot about another rule of EMS The more reflective
stripping there is on your jumpsuit, the easier it is for the only
drunk driver going by the MVA to find you. 
	Other EMT’s that night, recall seeing Public half way
across the road, (stare at slowly moving point) they saw the
car swerving, wildly... (wince, suggesting the connection of
Public and vehicle) they say John Q. Public, laying on the road
as the vehicle continued it’s reckless path. The boy, Bill was
found soon after, if it hadn’t been for John, he would have
bleed to death. The four teens, survived the car crash,
Samantha had a cracked rib, Julie suffered severe lacerations,
and Craig will never walk again. John wasn’t nearly as lucky,
the fellow EMT’s did all that they could for him, but it was
too late.
John is survived by his stay at home wife Jane and his two
month old son

If an EMT get’s killed and leaves a family destitute...
	They say: That’s the chance he took when he joined
the force

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