Some EMT's Never Cease To Amaze Me

So yesterday we get a call.  Just for some background "we" are firefighters.  Our fire department doesn't provide any EMS in our township.  But we never mind helping out our rescue squad EMT's.  Whether it's lifting and moving extra hands, securing vehicles at accidents, once we even shoveled the path for them during a blizzard so they could get the patient out to the ambulance.  We don't mind at all, they are a great group and always there for us through structure fire rehab, getting up in the middle of the night to respond with us during false alarms.  I've known some of them since they were literally kids, watching them respond to thousands of emergencies, some became EMS Chiefs and Officers through the years.  Some went on to Paramedic training and still they volunteer as EMT's.

So back to our call yesterday.  Just when you think you already really respect some EMT's, they go ahead and amaze you even more.  The call?  We were called to assist EMS with lifting.  A patient about 500 lbs.  I'm no EMT but he looked like he was in some poor medical condition.  All you EMT's will understand when I say by the time we got there he had already lets say produced really gross bodily functions from everywhere possible, you could tell the minute you entered the door.  To the apartment.  Oh the apartment.  It was a hoarders dream.  OK I have seen worse, but this was pretty hoard crowded.  Bags and boxes and garbage and food.  Broken furniture, dirty clothes and, well I just don't know, and everything piled everywhere.  This was no easy lift assist.

A path has to be cleared to fit the stair chair with the 500 lb very sick, very smelly, very heavy patient in the stair chair and we lift old heavy tv's out of the way, climbing over bags and bags of garbage to move it out of the way.  Clear some more bags of garbage, lift an old broken stepstool, chair, then a box out of the way so the patient is clear.  Hold our breath while we do it, phew.  By the way, the EMT's are lifting and moving and helping the whole way too.

We all make it outside. Time to transfer the patient onto the cot.  The EMT's calmly and professionally explain step by step as we go what they need for us to do along with them to move him safely.  It's done.  He's on the cot.  We help load him into the ambulance where the paramedics are onboard waiting. 

So what's so amazing?  The whole time through this whole situation, the entire scene was completely professional.  Completely calm.  The patient was treated throughout the call not just with the right EMS procedures but with care.  Communications between the EMT's to get it all done was some super teamwork.  The firefighters that were on my crew that day were treated with gracious thanks and made part of the team.  We got back in our fire truck and felt like we made a difference.

So no, we don't mind helping out the EMT's on our rescue squads, not at all.  How could we mind helping out these incredible EMT's when they help out so many others.  You guys are amazing, glad you are the ones that will be there for me and for my firefighters if we need some emergency medical care one day.