have you hugged an EMT today? WHY NOT?? HURRY UP & DO IT!!!!
Somewhere in the realm of society, located just between the security of
sanity and the neurosis which precedes psychosis, there is a group of
individuals whos training and actions often make the difference between life
and death.
This is the group of men and women who make up what is known as Emergency
Medical Services.
You will find this special group of individuals located in various positions
in your cities readied to respond to the next possible disaster which could
occur, may it be a car accident or heart attack, readied to respond to a
school shooting or a downed plane, hindered only by the natural obstacles of
daily traffic.
No other group of humanity can carry so many items in their pockets which
are strategically located in optimal positions of the body. Perhaps youll
find scissors, band aids, tape, chap stick, combs or essential lifesaving
sustaining items, but one thing that is certain, the last paycheck has long
since met its demise and will not be found within. If they did it for the
money there would be none.
With an overwhelming desire to sustain the flame of life from the last
flicker of a spark which is near spent, this special group of individuals
cope on a daily basis with variables which few people could ever tolerate.
When things go right the public loves them, the newspapers ignore them and
the many lives that have been lost fighting to save a stranger, may rate a
article on page twelve, yet their efforts and daily life goes on.
Then the earth shaking bill arrives, which automatically turns the very
patient they saved and their friends and family hear how terrible the
$500.00 bill was, instead of the efforts that saved their life or a family
members. As Emergency Medical Services does not generally receive tax
dollars such as police and fire agencies.
These men and women who make up E.M.S. come from all walks of life, and
rarely stand on common ground until they meet you as a result of violence,
accidents, and medical emergencies on the streets, housing developments and
office buildings then all seems to come together with you in need of their
training, their lifesaving skills and their emotional support. E.M.S.
personnel lean on each other for support and understanding in sharing
horrible calls that cerates a flurry of emotions.
They are the people who for a moment at a time that you may need to trust
with a life of yourself or loved ones.
They are the individuals who crawl into a twisted steel cage which once was
a fine automobile, to search for signs of life amongst its occupants and
treat them while fuel leaks endangering their own lives so that you may live
.
They are the calm voice on the other end of the telephone when it seems as
though your world is crashing around you and your family.
They are the individuals who are the last to win the respect of the public
even after they ran in to towers that would collapse. Despite their advanced
medical training and certification they are called Ambulance Drivers. They
are the first to be brought to court for decisions and actions that were
made on the spur of the moment in environments of absolute chaos and often
cleared after thousands of dollars of defense money when their decisions are
backed up as appropriate.
They are individuals who carry no weapons and are attacked frequently,
yelled at and spat on, then criticized for defending themselves from
assaults from distraught patients or drug addicts who have turned violent.
It makes you ponder what kind of dedication it must take to shoulder the
responsibility of life and death decisions that must be made in split
seconds, and not in a controlled environment most often in inclement weather
and dangerous scenes such as Columbine high school were EMS came under fire,
and the attacks on September 11, 2001, that injured 119 EMTs and Paramedics
and resulted in the loss of life of 13 EMTs and Paramedics, which are a
couple of examples faced by this group called EMS.
These are the men and women of Emergency Medical Services. These men and
women are not Ambulance Drivers.
