Taking the Wealth

This month's First Due Blog Carnival is being hosted over at The Fire Daily. The topic is Sharing the Wealth and is supposed to be about the vast amount of information that we share and learn from each other in the business.

I have learned so much from so many people. This is information that I use on a daily basis. It is so often used that I really don't think about a lot of it any more and don't remember who taught it to me.

One event in particular occurred in the early '80s when I was a probationary firefighter with the K.B.F.P.D. It involves a cast of characters from station 212, including Captain Stoneface, who was my captain.

The message is simple, yet it is often forgotten. I use it to reign myself in when tension is high and focus is required.

I hope you enjoy my entry in this months First Due Blog Carnival.

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The smell of shit, blood and anti-freeze permeated the interior of the mangled car. The twisted metal wrapped around a palm tree, trapping the driver partially in his seat and partially on top of the center console. The driver's feet were entangled in the pedals and folds of steel from the floor of the footwell.

The car had impacted several objects before striking the palm tree. The car came to rest with trunk of the tree intruding into the driver's door by a couple of feet. Our patient was conscious but confused. He felt every bit of his pain, but he didn't know why he hurt or why he couldn't move his legs. Movement caused our patient to scream in pain, his damaged limbs and torso torturing him when moved.

The station had emptied for this one. An engine, the squad with the tools and the truck for manpower had all showed up. Stoneface got off of the engine, sized the scene up and had directed me and Arnie to take care of the patient. He told the squad to get the jaws and put the truck on a protection line and to assist the squad.

The squad went to work on the car, firs taking the roof, then the rear door and going to work on the B pillar. The tree became an issue, preventing the squaddies from getting to the driver's door and to the area below the A pillar.

Arnie and I covered the patient with a blanket while the car was slowly being removed from around us. We took turns with our heads under the blanket, trying to keep our altered patient calm.

The sounds of the tools at work: the tearing and cutting of metal and the removal of parts added with the sound of the Jaw's power unit created a surreal symphony of unpleasant clamor.

The squaddies cut on that car for what seemed like forever. Many parts and pieces were stripped away, but our patient remained trapped, the bent metal trapping his feet and legs not yielding to our efforts. It became apparent that the tree and the damage would not allow a purchase point to be obtained and that a different solution was in order.

Finally, Stoneface ordered that a wrecker be used to pull the car a few feet away from the tree, allowing access to the A pillar. Still the feet remained trapped. Each time the Jaws or other tools were used to manipulate the metal, pressure would be applied to our patient's feet - the resulting screams added to the din.

Our pt was now beginning to slide, his vitals were dropping as was his LOC. It became apparent that our patient would likely lose his battle with time if he was not removed quickly.

Finally, Tony D. reached down into the tangled remains of the footwell, strained and jerked the legs and feet from their entrapment. The patient's screamed filled our ears, the sound continuing as he was removed from the remains of his car and placed onto the backboard.

After it was all over, I approached Stoneface. I asked him how he felt about the call and about our actions.
He said that the conditions were difficult and that we had used all of the tools and the expertise at our disposal. He also said that we should always strive to do our job better and that he had learned some things on this call.

Then he told me the phrase which opened my eyes. "Schmoe, you have to remember that these things are not our emergency. They are our victim's emergency and it is simply our job is to straighten it out."

I use this concept when dealing with these difficult calls, as it helps me maintain a cool head when I need it most.  A simple concept to be sure, but a useful one none the less. Some might find it insensitive or crass. Perhaps it is., but it works for me.

Thanks for reading,
Schmoe