We had a First Response call Friday night and it's been a quiet couple weeks. It was good to put the uniform on again and at the same time, kinda sad. I was thinking this could be a really quiet Christmas holiday with no pages.
But we did get a call and we responded quickly. An elderly woman had been having problems breathing while talking with her son on the phone. He had hung up and called for help.
When we got there we assessed the situation and it was interesting watching 3 grown men take such gentle and caring time with her. I don't know what the problem was because I didn't fill out the paperwork this time. One or the other of the guys, as I watched and learned, would talk to her softly, ask her permission to put on the oxygen mask or the heartbeat monitor, and ask her permission to get her purse and retrieve things, what the concern was, etc. We do this with everyone, but it really got to me this night as I watched. I went with one fire fighter each time he had to leave the room to get something. Always work in pairs. Have your partners back.
At one point her dog came from behind her chair with drooped head, ears flat and tail tucked under his butt. It looked sooooo sad and lost. Command got down on one knee and whispered in it's ear, patted its head a bit before getting up to show the Paramedics where we were. It was heart warming to see him take concern for her pet. I glanced over to see how or if the patient would react; she had tears in her eyes. She was being cared for by two great firefighters and her dog was in gentle hands of one, too.
Ambulance got there about 5 min after we did and took over. When we got back to the hall, I took the clipboard to do the truck inspection. I really didn't want to talk to the guys because I was still processing what I was feeling. Why did this particular situation affect me emotionally? I'd been on a few calls similar to this. Why this one?
Then I realized what it was. If these guys I volunteer my time with. Willingly spend time with helping others could treat total strangers with such care and kindness, then the possibilities of what they showed their wives and kids was even more precious.
I'm blessed to be working with 22 super heros and know their wives and kids. I am so proud to work with these guys and see there are a few great men in this world. It gives this single woman hope.
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