I am 911

Chapter One

***PLEASE NOTE NOT ALL OF THESE STORIES ARE MY OWN. ALL NAMES, LOCATIONS, AND IDENTITIES HAVE BEEN CHANGED TO PROTECT PRIVACY RIGHTS AND HIPPA LAWS. THANK YOU***

*Two hours later*

          Having finally left the hospital and arrived back at headquarters it was almost 6 am. It was technically time for me to get ready to leave after having worked for 24 hours strait but EMS personal NEVER got out on time and I was used to staying late. I alerted dispatch that our rig would temporarily be OOS or "Out of Service" while we cleaned up and restocked. We were out of most of our ALS or "Advance Life Support" equipment like a bag to breath for the patient when they are no longer breathing on their own and the AED to restart their heart if it stops. All of the gauze in our Jump Bag was gone and we had used one of the airways. 

     Our driver got out after backing the rig into the bay and pulled the stretcher out of the back before heading down the line of ambulances to retrieve the mop bucket on the other end of the bay. We had thoroughly cleaned the stretcher at the hospital but the back of the ambulance was full of blood and needed to be hosed out. I went to the supply cabinet and began restocking the Jump Bag and the ALS cabinet in the rig. Our paramedic had restocked his equipment at the hospital and was driving back to headquarters in his fly car, a firefighter had given him a ride out to pick it up from the scene. 
          After restocking the bag I pulled the IPad put of the passenger seat and logged into emscharts. Every single thing we did with our patient needed to be charted or it didn't happen. I got on the radio,

Me: Orlando A9
Dispatch: Go ahead A9
Me: Could I have the times for that call

          Dispatch then read off the times of dispatch, enroute, on scene, enroute to the hospital, at the hospital, and clearing the hospital OOS.

Me: Roger that

          I hated talking on the radio. The thought of everyone being able to hear me... but after years in the business you got used to it. Once the time were written, the call was charted, and the rig was clean and restocked we headed into the bay room. I pulled on the the computer chairs around while our driver found a seat of the couch. I pulled out my backpack and headed to the bathroom to change out of my blood soaked clothes. Once changed I clocked out, said goodbye to the driver and headed home.

          That day I woke several times in the middle of nightmares, terrified it was my own loved one and hearing his mother's screams all over again.