This past week nearing the end of one of my many shifts my partner and I were en route back to the station to restock and handover the truck
Partner and I were joking and talking about the days calls when all the sudden we see one of our trucks and a semi in the middle of the grassy median.
The mood instantly went from jovial to dead silence.
Both of us felt like we were dying inside. He looked over at me and without words we shared the same sentiment, “This isn’t happening”
Partner was driving so he put lights on, got traffic to the right and approached the scene. As we approached we saw the truck was not in bad shape at all.
We both audibly breathed a sign of semi relief.
We then saw that between our guys and the semi was a HORRIBLY crumpled sedan.
Our guys had come upon this horrible accident and were doing their jobs… in one, safe, untouched piece.
The lump in my throat made me feel like I was choking. I wanted to cry tears of joy.
Our guys were okay.
We asked if they needed assistance, they both made eye contact and they thanked us and told us they had it under control. We nodded and uttered two words that until that day I didn’t fully recognize the complete significance of:
“Be safe”
That night everyone went home. That night there were no EMS fatalities in the US , the US contingent of the EMS family remained untouched.
This is not always the case.
Each and every time I hear of an EMS LODD I can’t help but try to hold back tears, sometimes I cry.
I think I have the same fear every single one of us has in the back of our minds but does not talk about:
“Will today be the day I make the ultimate sacrifice?”
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