Firefighters blog

Personal Story

We were toned out for a medical aid on the freeway that runs through our district. It's a bit unusual to be sent to the freeway for a medical aid instead of an accident but it's not unheard of.

We pulled up to the silver quad cab Tacoma which was sitting the side of the road. The rain was really coming down. Visibility was really limited. I approached the truck from the passenger side and opened the front door. Inside I found a woman about 30 years old sitting on her husbands lap with his seat reclined almost all the way. She was shaking and in tears and he was unresponsive.

I moved to the back seat and encourage the wife to sit in the front seat. She explained that her husband had been driving and then had had a grand mal seizure. This woman couldn't have done things more right.

She had first reached over and taken control of the steering wheel. She then stretched with her left foot and tried to find the brake pedal. After first depressing the emergency brake she was able to slow the car down to a stop, still in traffic lanes, before shifting the transmission into park. She quickly unbuckled her seat-belt and reclined the drivers seat. She was then able to hop onto her husbands lap and drive the truck to the side of the road. At that point she broke down and cried from all the stress.

Once I got to the patient I was able to determine that he was post-ictal. Within a few minutes he was able to answer basic questions. By the time the ambulance arrived on scene he was completely alert and oriented. His sugar had been checked and a head to toe exam performed.

Five minutes later the patient was on his way to the hospital and we were on our way back to the station discussing how that lady was a hero. Because of all the rain we wouldn't make it home. Dispatch had yet another traffic accident for us to respond to.