This morning after work, I walked down to Fire Station 1 for my third ride-along. I had yet to experience a medical/rescue call and had high hopes of someone getting sick or hurt this morning while I was at the station. Not that I truly hope that anyone gets sick or hurt. I just hoped that if it was going to happen today, it would happen while I was “on duty”.
The first hour came and went. The second hour an “Invalid Assist” call came in, but the rescue truck I had been assigned to doesn’t respond to those calls. Finally, as we headed towards the end of the third hour, a rescue call came in. And we were off. I’ve never sped through the streets of Decatur like that. Zoom, zoom, zoom. Weaving in and out of the (mostly) stopped traffic. As we approached, we were released from the call as another unit had gotten there first. But, the captain knew that I was eager to see how the rescue responds to a call, and she asked the rescue if I was still with them and to stay if I was.
Having not been on a rescue before, I was interested to see what they would do. Not only did they see to the patient, taking some history, measuring vitals, inquiring about symptoms, but they also helped to get the ambulance to the back instead of the difficult to maneuver front. Once the EMS took over, we headed out. Back to the station, much more slowly this direction. And to the end of my shift.
Addendum: As I sit and listen to the scanner while working this morning, Rescue 1 has been zoom, zoom, zooming around. I think I’m a lucky charm. As long as I show up, it’s a quiet day for rescue.
