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Paramedic Stories, Part XIV: The Knife And Gun Club (By Pat Moss, EMT) by Karen Lynn Vidra, The Texas Tornado
Saturday, July 24, 2004
Rated "PG" by the Author.
The paramedics belong to an elite club, a club that tackles life and death on an every day basis.
For lack of a better nickname, our paramedic unit of Rescue Unit #17 has officially christened our unit "The Knife and Gun Club." The reason is being we deal with death every day, and we see the worst of humanity on a lot of our runs.
We see it all: nothing surprises us anymore. We see direlicts, drunkards, druggies, psychos, and God knows what else; and we often put our lives on the line, purposely putting ourselves in harm's way. We deal with the sick, dying, and injured, and we deal with everything from stabbings and GSW's (shootings, GSW is "Emergencyese" for Gun Shot Wound; it is all self explanatory), to car accidents, drownings, natural disasters, fires, contagious diseases, whacked out psychotic patients who have, for some reason or another, gone off the deep end, life-threatening conditions such as heart attacks or respiratory crises, and even the not-so-urgent cases, like your basic babies with nothing more than bad head colds or run-of-the-mill ear infections, lonely seniors who only want a friend to talk to because they are feeling sorry for themselves again, children playing pranks by calling 9-1-1 and then hanging up (such things drive me up the wall; they don't have any business in calling us in the first place if there isn't a real-life emergency because when they are talking with us, they could be keeping us from a true emergency, thus, endangering a person's life), or people who want you to come to attend to their hangnail or stubbed toe (believe it or not, we have had calls like this!).
We deal with all ages, all backgrounds, all nationalities, all religious affilliations; and we deal with the worst of humanity. We deal with nasty or ugly people, and things can only get uglier if drugs or alcohol is involved; or if it is a domestic disbute and someone ends up getting shot or stabbed. We also deal with the heartbreaking cases, such as those children with terminal illnesses, or those children who have severe disabilities that have severely curtailed their quality of life, and no matter what you try to do for them, they never get any better, and they remain the same (or get worse over time). You want to do what is best for these little children, but at the same time, you wonder why you even bother trying to help them if there is no hope for them. Or you deal with families who don't speak English, and you are playing charades, trying to guess what they are saying in their native tongue, and you have no clue as to what they are saying to you or what they are talking about. It is akin to beating a dead horse because you aren't going to get any results, no matter how hard you may try.
You deal with all sorts of weather conditions: hot, cold, rainy/stormy, calm, clear, doesn't matter if an F-5 tornado is tearing up your city, or a blizzard that dumps 3' of snow on the city: if you are needed to go on a run, you have to go, no questions asked. And forget about weekends or holidays, especially if you happen to be the one who is on call, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 12 months a year, 365 days a year. You work all the time, and it doesn't matter if it is Christmas, your birthday, or whatever. If you are scheduled, then you work, no questions about it, bub.
Yes, we paramedics sure have an exciting, interesting career that is as varied as the days themselves; but it is a job I wouldn't recommend for just anyone. You have to have the drive and determination, and you also have to have the stomach for it. You see a lot of ugly, gross, or nasty things in our field of work, and if you are going to puke your guts out if you see one tiny drop of blood, then I would steer clear away from being a paramedic and find something more suitable for you. It takes a lot of stamina, strength, brain power, and know-how to be a paramedic/EMT, and you have to be quick-witted, ready and willing to go out during all hours of the day, day and night, and perform brave feats of rescue and daring in all conditions. You also have to deal with an incredible amount of stress, and if you can't take it, then paramedic/Emergency Rescue is not the job for you.
Take it from a member of the Knife And Gun Club who truly knows what it means to be a paramedic. Paramedics have a job to do, and if you can't handle it, then you're shit out of luck, friend!
wow, you've covered all the bases...paramedics see the worst in humanity and in nature, yet the job has its own rewards...most of them wouldn't trade their job for love or money. they love it, and they should be thanked for the hard work they do. beautifully written tribute to REAL heroes!
Rovella is a beautiful woman with a cold heart whom blames herself for an unfortunate old family secret that is literally ruining her life. This secret impedes a gorgeous woman from having happiness in her childhood, and throughout her life. Dark sec
Rovella is a beautiful woman with a cold heart whom blames herself for an unfortunate old family secret that is literally ruining her life. This secret impedes a gorgeous woman from having happiness in her childhood, and throughout her life. Dark sec
For lack of a better nickname, our paramedic unit of Rescue Unit #17 has officially christened our unit "The Knife and Gun Club." The reason is being we deal with death every day, and we see the worst of humanity on a lot of our runs.
