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Dana's SpaceApril 06 The FiremanTHE FIREMAN
In Phoenix, Arizona, a 26-year-old mother stared down at her 6 year old son, who was dying of terminal leukemia. Although her heart was filled with sadness, she also had a strong feeling of determination. Like any parent, she wanted her son to grow up and fulfill all his dreams. Now that was no longer possible.. The leukemia would see to that. But she still wanted her son's dreams to come true. She took her son's hand and asked, "Billy, did you ever think about what you wanted to be once you grew up? Did you ever dream and wish what you would do with your life?" Mommy, "I always wanted to be a fireman when I grew up." Mom smiled back and said, "Let's see if we can make your wish come true." Later that day she went to her local fire department in Phoenix, Arizona, where she met Fireman Bob, who had a heart as big as Phoenix. She explained her son's final wish and asked if it might be possible to give her six-year-old son a ride around the block on a fire engine. Fireman Bob said, "Look, we can do better than that. If you'll have your son ready at seven o'clock Wednesday morning, we'll make him an honorary fireman for the whole day. He can come down to the fire station, eat with us, go out on all the fire calls, the whole nine yards! And if you'll give us ! his sizes, we'll get a real fire uniform for him, with a real fire hat-not a toy one-with the emblem of the Phoenix Fire Department on it, a yellow slicker like we wear and rubber boots. They're all manufactured right here in Phoenix, so we can get them fast." Three days later Fireman Bob picked up Billy, dressed him in his fire uniform and escorted him from his hospital bed to the waiting hook and ladder truck. Billy got to sit on the back of the truck and help steer it back to the fire station. He was in heaven. There were three fire calls in Phoenix that day and Billy got to go out on all three calls. He rode in the different fire engines, the paramedic's van, and even the fire chief's car. He was also videotaped for the local news program. Having his dream come true, with all the love and attention that was lavished upon him, so deeply touched Billy that he lived three months longer than any doctor thought possible. One night all of his vital signs began to drop dramatically and the head nurse, who believed in the hospice concept that no one should die alone, began to call the family members to the hospital. Then she remembered the day Billy had spent as a fireman, so she called the Fire Chief and asked if it would be possible to send a fireman in uniform to the hospital to be with Billy as he made his transition. The chief replied, "We can do better than that. We'll be there in five minutes. Will you please do me a favor? When you hear the sirens screaming and see the lights flashing, will you announce over the PA system that there is not a fire? It's just the fire department coming to see one of its finest members one more time. And will you open the window to his room? About five minutes later a hook and ladder truck arrived at the hospital and extended its ladder up to Billy's third floor open window 16 firefighters climbed up the ladder into Billy's room. With his mother's permission, they hugged him and held him and told him how much they loved him. With his dying breath, Billy looked up at the fire chief and said, "Chief, am I really a fireman now?" "Billy, you are, and the Head Chief, Jesus, is holding your hand," the chief said. With those words, Billy smiled and said, "I know, He's been holding my hand all day, and the angels have been singing.." He closed his eyes one last time. My instructions were to send this to at least four people that I wanted God to bless and I picked you. Please pass this to at least four people you want to be blessed. This story is powerful and there is nothing attached, please do not break this pattern; uplifting stories are one of the best gifts we receive. There is no cost but a lot of rewards, let's continue to uplift one another. ***************************** Stop telling God how big your storm is. Instead tell your storm how big your GOD is. March 19 EMTs Defibrillate AlligatorHOUMA, LA (Reuters) - The shift started like any other for Terrebonne Parish Ambulance EMT Marci Thibodeaux and Paramedic Chris Theriault. About 15 minutes after breakfast, they received an emergency call to the little hamlet of Thariot several miles down Highway 318 from Houma. Like most ambulance calls, they were unsure what to expect as they raced to the scene deep within the Mississippi delta. Terrebonne Sherriff's Department Deputy Pat LeDeux met the ambulance and escorted them down a twisting road to a ramshackle barge tied to a large tree. There they were met by Larion and Jean Bellafleur. They soon learned that Jean was in labor and that Larion had waited to call the ambulance in hopes he could get his truck started to take Jean to the hospital in Houma. The EMTs assessed Mrs. Bellafleur and began the 25-minute drive up Highway 318 to the hospital. But, about 3 miles north of Thariot, it became painfully apparent to the EMTs that the Bellafleur baby was not going to wait until Houma to make his entry into the world. They carefully parked the ambulance next to Dexter Bayou and prepared for emergency childbirth. Working together, the ambulance crew delivered the baby. The Bellafleur baby came into the world with a good healthy cry. Just as the baby had been delivered, the EMTs prepared to cut the baby's umbilical cord. Then, suddenly and out of nowhere, a 9-foot alligator reached through the open doors of the ambulance and clamped down on the umbilical cord. Shocked, the EMTs found themselves in a tough situation. The umbilical cord was still attached to the baby and the afterbirth remained in the mother's womb. In a tug-of-war that lasted a few minutes, it became apparent that the alligator was not giving up. The EMTs rushed to cut the cord. Finally, after several attempts they cut the cord and freed the baby. But, the aggressive alligator held on. The afterbirth would not release and the alligator was getting closer and closer to Mrs. Bellafleur. Then, instinctively, Theriault grabbed the ambulance defibrillator. Although usually used to start hearts, he figured it might stop one as well. Theriault turned on the machine, placed adhesive pads on each side of the alligator's face, and pressed the shock button. There was an immediate spark around the alligator's head followed by a putrid-smelling smoke. Much to the surprise of the EMTs, the alligator let out a gasp and fell dead behind the ambulance. At this time, the Mrs. Bellafleur's womb released the afterbirth and the dying alligator dragged it and the cord to the pavement behind the ambulance. They then directed their attention to the baby and completed the transfer to the hospital without incident. Today, both mother and baby were released--neither the worse for wear. Mrs. Bellafleur said, "It was the strangest thing. I have been around 'gators all my life and never seen one do that." An unassuming Paramedic Theriault said, "Well, I kinda' figured it might work. But, them 'gators being cold-blooded, you can never tell what might happen." Terrebonne Parish Justice of the Peace and Game Warden Bubba Bedouin examined the carcass alongside Highway 318. He said, "I have heard of such things happening before. The baby's cry is like the cry of a wounded swamp rabbit, a normal part of the 'gator's diet. He was just looking for food." He also stated that he would not seek charges for killing the alligator during the nesting season against the ambulance crew as they truly acted in self-defense. He awarded the carcass to Mr. Bellafleur who assured all that it would be a permanent fixture over the stove. Both EMTs said that this was certainly one of their more interesting calls, but they could never know what the future might bring. March 16 EMS STUPID Frequently Asked Questions -- With answers!EMS STUPID Frequently Asked Questions -- With answers! By Jerry Fandel Q. Do you need to go to school for this or can anyone do it? A. You have to go to school, it is long and hard and most of the people involved like to abuse the hell out of you while you are doing it. Q. Hey, Ambulance dudes, how do I get to the Dead concert at the Oakland Coliseum? (or any other request for directions) A.Hmm, well,uhhh. I'm sorry I don't think you can get there from here. Q. I'm seeing things, will you take me to the hospital? A. Sure, if you are seeing rats and bugs we will take you to County Hospital, if you are seeing music and hearing colors we will take you to the Berkeley border and drop you off, you'll fit right in. Q. Do you like you like your job? A. Yes, in spite of everything I do like my job. Q. Do you make a lot of money? A. Not enough by a long shot. Q. How come the Police come to the call with you? A. Investigation, crowd control, and to keep me from getting my ass kicked by an irate bystander/family member/patient. Q. How come all the Firefighters come to the call too? What do they do? A. Beats the hell out of me, it's not like the patient is on fire or anything! Q. Have you ever seen a dead body? A. Yes, in all the various states of decomposition and putrefaction. I've even seen maggots in ones that weren't dead yet. Q. Do you have anyone (like maybe a patient) in the in the back of your ambulance right now ?(asked while we are sitting in the unit eating lunch in the parking lot of Doug's Bar B Q) A. No patients. Only the Paramedic Student; don't bug him, he's a stress case and might crack. Q. Do you have any spare change? A. Take a hike, I don't believe there is such a thing as spare change. Q. Can I have bus fare to get to the hospital? A. Yes, if it means you won't take an emergency rescue vehicle out of service so you can get to a routine appointment for your toothache and if you promise to quit bugging me. Q. How long have you been doing this (asked by a recently hired rookie Paramedic)? A. Let me figure it out. Since you were in second grade, partner. Q. Can me and my four kids ride in the back with my boyfriend to the hospital? A. No. Q. Can I ride up front on the way to hospital? A. Maybe, if I like you and think you wont bug my partner in the back. Q. How come AMBULANCE is painted BACKWARDS on your front grill? A.There is a device on motor vehicles that is known as a rear-view mirror, some people have even been known to use it to see what is behind them when they are driving. Q. How fast will your ambulance go? A. I don't pay that close of attention, faster than my employer would be comfortable with, most likely. Q. Is he going to make it?!! Is he going to make it?!! (asked in reference to a patient who puked after too many 40 ounce bottles of Old English 800 Malt Liquor). A. Yes, I am sure that in spite of our best efforts , he will survive. Q. Can I have a band-aid? A. This is an ambulance, our band-aids are 8 inches x 6 inches. How many do you need? Q. What happened? (at a minor fender-bender auto accident). A. Plane crash! Q. What happened? (outide of a house where a person was having shortness of breath). A. Plane crash! Q. What happened? (at a plane crash) A. Shark attack! Q. What does EMT stand for? A. Every Menial Task, Eggcrate Mattress Technician Q. What does the EMS on the side of your rig stand for? A. Earn Money Sleeping, now please let me get back to earning some money, thanks. Q. What is the worst thing you have ever seen? A. A 12 gauge shotgun blast to the left side of a woman's face that didn't kill her, so she was writhing on the floor and trying to scream through the blood running out of her mouth with a good part of her face missing. Either that or it was the 6 month old baby who died because his drugged out parents left him on the floor heater grate until he was so cooked that the flesh of his fingers split away from the bones. Now aren't you sorry you asked? Then of course the tables can be turned when I ask a stupid question....... Q. How old are you (to a little kid) A. 6! Q. When will you be 7? A. On my birthday!!! Q. Are you always this much of a smartass? A. No, I am usually much worse, but the medication is helping. Q. Do you think the patient can be triaged to the lobby? A. Since they demanded transport for a refill on their prescription I am sure that the lobby is more than an appropriate place for them to go. Unless you can triage them to the parking lot or the nearest bus stop. Q. How come the patient didn't just call a cab or take the bus? A. Because the taxi services and the bus lines are smart enough not to take Medi-cal instead of cash payment. Q. What are the patients bowel sounds? (On a critical 'auto vs. tree' patient). A. Since we were on the side of the freeway and now are enroute to the hospital the bowel sounds pretty much resemble a diesel engine. Q. Did you look for ID? A. Sorry, no. I might find guns, knives razors and crack pipes during the physical exam but I am not going to reach into his pockets looking for ID and find a needle. Q. What's the patient's name? What's the patient's name?!! (on a cardiac arrest victim). A. I don't know, I asked him four times after he coded and he wouldn't answer me once! Q. What are the vitals? (Different Nurse, same code). A. If we're doing CPR right he should have a pulse rate of 80-100/min, 24 respirations/min, and a blood pressure of maybe 40 systolic. Q. Can the patient sign the insurance and permission forms? A. Only if they use your pen. Q. (On the radio) Are you sure she's in ventricular tachycardia? The complexes are rapid and wide not narrow, right? A. Uh, yeah I'm sure it's V-tach, we covered this rhythm in some detail in Paramedic school. Is this a pop quiz? Q. Can we clear? We don't do this medical stuff. (Fire Captain). A. Yes, you can clear. I am sure there is a La Z Boy recliner and a quart of ice cream waiting for you somewhere. Q. Is he dead? (Different Fire Captian, same department). A. What tipped you off? The dependant lividity, the rigor mortis, or maybe the ants crawling in and out of his nose? Q. Why can't you hold over for a few hours this morning? (Managment). A. Why not? I've only been awake for 26 hours straight and been puked on twice, I think it is safe to say I would rather floss my teeth with barbed wire. Q. Can you guys hear the siren when it's on while you are in the cab of your ambulance? A. What?! You will have to speak up I can't hear you from all the years of listening to the siren inside this ambulance. February 21 When God Made ParamedicsWhen God made paramedics, He was into His sixth day of overtime. An angel appeared and said, "You're doing a lot of fiddling around on this one." God said, "Have you read the specs on this order? A Paramedic has to be able to carry an injured person up a wet, grassy hill in the dark, dodge stray bullets to reach a dying child unarmed, enter homes the health inspector wouldn't touch, and not wrinkle his uniform." "He has to be able to lift three times his own weight. Crawl into wrecked cars with barely enough room to move, and console a grieving mother as he is doing CPR on a baby he knows will never breathe again." "He has to be in top mental condition at all times, running on no sleep, black coffee and half-eaten meals, and he has to have six pairs of hands." The angel shook her head slowly and said, "Six pairs of hands...no way." "It's not the hands that are causing me problems," God replied. "It's the three pairs of eyes a medic has to have." "That's on the standard model?" asked the angel. God nodded. "One pair that sees open sores as he's drawing blood, always wondering if the patient is HIV positive." (When he already knows and wishes he'd taken that accounting job) "Another pair here in the side of his head for his partner's safety. And another pair of eyes here in front that can look reassuringly at a bleeding victim and say, "You'll be alright ma'am when he knows it isn't so." "Lord," said the angel, touching His sleeve, "rest and work on this tomorrow." "I can't," God replied. "I already have a model that can talk a 250 pound drunk out from behind a steering wheel without incident and feed a family of five on a private service paycheck." The angel circled the model of the Paramedic very slowly. "Can it think?" she asked. "You bet", God said. "It can tell you the symptoms of 100 illnesses; recite drug calculations in it's sleep; intubate, defibrillate, medicate, and continue CPR nonstop over terrain that any doctor would fear... and it still keeps it's sense of humor." "This medic also has phenomenal personal control. He can deal with a multi-victim trauma, coax a frightened elderly person to unlock their door, comfort a murder victim's family, and then read in the daily paper how Paramedics were unable to locate a house quickly enough, allowing the person to die. A house that had no street sign, no house numbers, no phone to call back." Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek of the Paramedic. "There's a leak," she pronounced. "I told You that You were trying to put too much into this model." "That's not a leak," God replied, "It's a tear." "What's the tear for?" asked the angel. "It's for bottled up emotions, for patients they've tried in vain to save, for commitment to that hope that they will make a difference in a person's chance to survive, for life." "You're a genius!" said the angel. God looked somber. "I DIDN'T PUT IT THERE" He said. I Wish You Could Know...I wish you could know what it is like to search a burning bedroom For trapped children at 3 AM, flames rolling above your head, your plams and knees burning as you crawl, the floor sagging under your Weight as the kitchen below you burns. I wish you could comprehend a wife's horror at 6 in the mornins as I Check her husband of 40 years for a pulse and fine 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 to 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 cracking, the eariness of being able to See absolutely nothing in dense smok-sensations that I've become too Familiar with. I wish you could read my mind as I respond to a building fire "Is This a false alarm or a working fire? How is the building Constructed? What hazards await me? Is anyone trapped?" Or to a Call, "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 emergencey room as a doctor pronounces Dead the beautiful five-year old girl thaat I have been trying to Save during the past 25 minutes, who will never go on her first date Or say the words, "I love you mommy" again. I wish you could know the frustration I feel in the cab of the Engine, squad, or my personal vehicle, 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 yeild 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 it was my Daughter, sister, my girlfriend or a friend? What were her parents 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 dispatchiing officers, Firefighters, and EMT's 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 realize the physical, emotional and mental drain or 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 know. PLEASE APPRECIATE AND SUPPORT THE LOCAL EMS WORKERS, 911 DISPATCHERS, FIREFIGHTERS, and LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS IN YOUR AREA. WHEN YOU SEE US COMING WITH LIGHTS FLASHING, MOVE OUT OF THE WAY QUICKLY CAUSE WE MIGHT BE GOING TO A LOVE ONES HOUSE, THEN PLEASE PRAY FOR THEM January 03 What Element is Your Love?
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In love, you inspire and respect your partner.|
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