Powerful picture of an EMT after a tough run

[Major Nikon]

[djean111]

1. I would love to give him a hug, some Valentine hearts - and a raise.

[NuclearDem]

2. EMTs are the real deal. Heroes.

[SkyDaddy7]

47. YES THEY ARE!!!

And they are only paid a fraction of what cops are paid...Because when cops don't get what they want they stop policing the streets & writing tickets holding the society hostage...EMTs keep doing their job helping people for minimum wage lots of times.

[greatauntoftriplets]

3. My nephew is a firefighter/paramedic.

That could be him.

[hunter]

38. My sister is a firefighter/paramedic.

My wife does similar work.

In our family we talk through the "dead baby" days.

I burned out on this sort of work more than two decades ago when our hemophilia patients were dying of AIDS, sometimes one or two of them a week.

People in the most altruistic professions of our society are not treated fairly by the clueless and sociopathic money people.

[justhanginon]

4. I have a lot of admiration and respect for

these men and women. The sickness and sometimes carnage that they see on a daily basis would give most of us horrible ongoing nightmares. There is a physical toll and also a mental toll that takes much strength to endure. In my mind they are special people.

[longship]

5. Some DU posts just speak for themselves. R&K nt

[JayhawkSD]

6. In the ER one night, overhearing EMTs

I was in the ER dealing with a heart problem, and I was where I could overhear a pair of EMTs on the radio with the ER doctor. They were dealing with a crash between a car and a motorcycle and were asking permission to "declare" the motorcyclist. Listening to their description of his injuries was awful, crowned when they said that, "Yes, he's breathing, but with each breath air is whistling in and out through the fractures in his head." I could hear the stress in the EMT's voice. The doctor said to go ahead and declare him.

Read the next morning that the motorcycle had been going through an intersection with a green light at reasonable speed. The car was turning left against a red light at high speed, estimated at 80mph, and hit the motorcycle. Driver of car was not injured, and had run the light because he was late for work.

Dealing with death is hard under any circumstances. Dealing with death that is so utterly senseless and violent...

[unblock]

7. wow takes me back to my one cpr effort as an emt

we arrived on scene and hopped out the back door as usual, to find a policeman running at top speed toward us, carrying a football under his arm, shouting "back in the rig, back in the rig!"

back in the rig we go, and the policeman hops in and lays down the football on the gurney.

only it's not a football, it's a 7-month old girl, no breathing, no pulse, blood coming out of her ears.

we did everything we could all the way to the hospital, which seemed to take forever even though the driver going faster than he'd ever gone before. it's like they said in training, you can't care if your arms are getting tired, you just don't stop until you've handed your patient over to the e.r. or someone who can officially pronounce does so.

usually we leave before we find out the result. in this case, we saw the parents bawling their hearts out as we were packing up.

they tell you 19 out of 20 times, an emt's cpr efforts will end with a dead patient. that's because cpr is really for people already on the scene when breathing and/or circulation stops. by the time emt's arrive it's usually too late.

but that does nothing to help the kick in the gut, even 20 years on.

[uppityperson]

43. <3

<3

Mine was doing waiting in the er for the ambulance to deliver our cpr instructor. Good cpr was done, but...

[olddots]

8. that is a GREAT photograph .

a thousand words .

[TNNurse]

9. These professionals

Are grossly underpaid. We owe them so much more.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

15. couldn't agree more. n/t

[C Moon]

36. Reminds me of a comment I saw on Yahoo News or some online news source...

in which some piece of trash lady called emergency personnel "overpaid cry babies."
If that icon she used was her, she stands a good change of clutching her chest one day and reaching for a phone to dial 911.
EMT's are amazing people!

[Roy Rolling]

10. speaking from experience...

I can speak from experience on this one, I am a former NREMT. EMTs are the most grossly-underpaid segments of the healthcare system. Their skills have gone from being "ambulance driver" to a critical link that keeps patients alive until they can be seen at a hospital.

It is an emotionally and physically demanding task, and one that gets far too little attention in the discussion of healthcare budgets. EMTs need a good union, to protect them from the excesses of a top-heavy hospital industry.

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

17. Agreed. They are incredibly underpaid.

nt

[polly7]

25. Up here, our pay was horrible until they decided on more or less a

national standard .... which almost doubled it, for us.

[Enthusiast]

11. Wouldn't they be happier beating up a suspect?

I kid.

[we can do it]

27. They are not police. They treat patients, not suspects.

[Historic NY]

12. They are very busy in my town...

my local paramedic - volunteer ambulance corps employes 15 full-time paramedics who are backed up by 40 or so volunteer EMT's - drivers. My niece is the president & a FT NICU nurse. I don't know how she does it.

[polly7]

13. Yes, that's pretty much what it's like. nt.

[KittyWampus]

14. What a lot of people don't realize is that EMT's have a lot of forms to fill out and cleaning up

to do plus a sometimes long ride back to local. We still have volunteer EMT's here. It's tough cause it can take a big chunk of the day for one call and employers have to be very understanding.

[polly7]

21. We've had many days with two 2.5 hr trips to the city and back,

plus one, two, or however many other calls to closer hospitals. The PCR's can take a long time to finish up at the hospital because more often than not you're too busy to do much to it on the way up, plus helping in the E.R. until they're settled, .... in our smaller hospitals, helping pts. stand for x-rays if they're too weak - it can end up being an hour there with everything combined. And when you do get home after completely cleaning up the unit and restocking, checking the equipment, you don't sleep unless you're totally burnt out, because you're either so upset, or you're too on edge waiting for the next call. That's my experience anyway, but it's (except for causing permanent insomnia) still the best thing I've ever done.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

16. respect. n/t

[heaven05]

18. they are truly special people

that have my ever lasting respect and admiration.....

[OldRedneck]

19. Know the feeling

I'm 70 yrs old, retired from the Army in 1995, worked several jobs, then retired for good.

Six years ago, I started volunteering with local rescue squad -- we serve a rural VA county, 12,000 people, 30% over 65. I'm now an Advanced Life Support EMT. We are all volunteers

We had a call Wednesday morning, 0200 -- house fire. Father asleep on sofa downstairs dived through a window to get out; broken glass caused huge, deep lacerations in abdomen, both arms, head, legs. Went back through the window to get 19-month-old daughter who was sleeping upstairs; fire forced him back, he couldn't get to her. Roof and two walls collapsed just as we and volunteer fire dept arrived.

Our local general hospital does not have trauma services, so, we had to call a helicopter from Richmond, all the while keeping his intestines in his abdomen, bandaging, treating for smoke inhalation, and calming him down over the loss of this daughter (mother is a "crackhead who lives in NC" -- his words).

The child was found dead late Wednesday afternoon after FD cooled down the rubble enough to search.

Most of our calls -- and most rescue calls -- are routine -- shortness of breath, broken arm, chest pains, low blood glucose -- but now and then there are calls like the one in this photo. They stay with you.

[wendylaroux]

20. I could not do this job,

and I was an aid in nursing homes all my life.
2 grossly underpaid jobs!!

[Curtis]

22. I did Firefighter/EMT work for 5 years

And it broke my brain. Picking up a motorcycle accident victim with a snow shovel, doing CPR on a 16 year old who shot himself in the head with a .357 because his body wouldn't die and other horrors along with being in an explosion that almost killed me left me with PTSD. I'm glad I did the work, but it broke me.

[redstatebluegirl]

24. You have earned a heart Curtis....

and a cyber hug....

[Curtis]

41. Thank you so much.

I didn't expect this response, but it does feel good.

[NuclearDem]

29. Thank you for what you did.

I can't say anything to make it easier, but you did a great thing, and you have my utmost respect for it.

[Curtis]

42. No, thank you.

This kind of recognition helps. I just wish I could get myself to go back out and help because I was very good at it.

[uppityperson]

44. Best wishes to you

It is difficult and too often brains are broken. Can you find some sort of non-emergent not life or death care situation? It is hard when that happens, been there, am that.

[Curtis]

48. I do help still on committees

When I hear sirens, I get chills. Sorry you've gone through it too.

[redstatebluegirl]

23. He needs a hug and a raise!

I have seen these people in action, they are fabulous! They hate losing a patient, it helps to remind them how many they save, but not much . They more than earn their pay!

[Divernan]

26. My Ph.D. brother had a high powered job, but his passion was his volunteer EMT/Paramedic work.

He volunteered for this for over 10 years, and then died at age 56 of an inoperable brain tumor. His fellow EMTs/paramedics provided a terrific amount of emotional support and home care and visits to him and his family in his final illness. It was only when they read his obituary in the paper that they realized "Dave" was Dr. Dave working with the next generation of super computers. The church was overflowing at his funeral.

He told me his passion in life was helping people and that if he had it to do over, he'd be a medical doctor. A good-hearted man who died to young. The older I get, the more I miss my big brother.

[we can do it]

28. Great photo, really captures the feeling.

It's a tough job, mentally and physically. Thankfully retired now and proud of all who still do the job.

[uponit7771]

30. Very powerful picture in so many ways

[Stonepounder]

31. I'm alive today, partly because of EMT's!

About 10 years ago I just passed out in the garage one Saturday evening. My wife came out and found me unresponsive and called 911. Luckily we were fairly close to the nearest fire station and even semi-conscious I could hear the siren start up while she was still on the phone with the 911 operator.

The EMT's were the first ones on the scene (followed by the cops and the fire truck). They took one look and knew they were transporting me. The got me into the ambulance, started an IV drop, slapped the EKG leads on me and took off for the hospital. You know those TV shows where the ambulance arrives, pushes the gurney into the ER and it is surrounded by doctors and nurses? That was pretty much the scene when I arrived. But by then I was stabilized.

Remember, this was a Saturday night. Sunday they called in a team and did an angiogram on me. Found 3 arteries on my heart that were about 90% blocked AND a hanging clot (the one that they refer to as the 'widow maker' when they think no civilians are listening) AND a serious case of afib (atrial fibrillation). On Monday morning at 8:00am they cracked me open, did a triple bypass, cleaned out the clot, and did a MAZE procedure to try and get rid of the afib.

Today I am healthy and have been told that I am a poster person (can't really say 'child' or 'boy', I'm a little old for that) for open heart surgery. I even had one cardiologist tell me that if he hadn't seen the scar on my chest he would never have know I had surgery by listening to my heart.

A big thanks to the EMT's who sized up a critical situation and acted with speed and professionalism.

[Oilwellian]

32. Silent heroes, they are

Several years ago we were driving North on Interstate 81 just outside of Harrisonburg, VA. Traffic came to a complete stop and after inching along for about fifteen minutes, we came upon the accident causing the backed up traffic. It was a single car accident that showed a convertible with two bodies in the front seat, covered in sheets. They must have rolled and were probably crushed. Right next to the car was a vehicle similar in size to the one in your photo, with four EMTs leaning against the back of it looking completely spent. Next to them, near the car, there was a pile of hastily ripped open packages that must have enclosed every device available to them to revive the victims. I mean, there was a LOT of paper, plastic, and rubber gloves near them.

I'll never forget how exhausted the EMTs looked and thinking about the tremendous amount of energy they had to exert during their attempts to save those poor people. It was so apparent by the looks on their faces that they really tried and were visibly devastated for being unable to save them. A haunting vision to be sure, I doubt I'll ever forget it. But I've always held a special place in my heart for EMTs after seeing their faces that day.

[Orrex]

33. Meh. I think I'd look pretty much the same

Well, except for the way I'd be sobbing into the pile of vomit I'd have unloaded between my shoes.

[kacekwl]

34. Very powerful

picture. Looks like he could use a hug .

[tiptonic]

35. Pay

Hope they pay him more than minimum wage. Lots of places don't.

[hifiguy]

37. Firefighters and EMTs are real heroes.

No one ever runs from them in more-than-justified fear.

[usafvet65]

39. Our son just became an EMT in the small community he lives in

His mother and I have always been proud of his accomplishments. For me this one is especially significant. His choice to take on this often difficult job helping others. This is something we can now share. His service as an EMT in his community comes 50 years after I served as a military medic. And yes we all will probably have a run that ends like the photo above. But we all share the joy of helping others.

[mahina]

45. Wow.

Congratulations for raising someone who helps others so much. As you did...

[Liberal_in_LA]

40. K&R

[one_voice]

46. k&r