MY morning would start like any other person’s morning, I presume. Except there are messages on my phone, about motor vehicle collisions and incidents that happened the night before and probably loving coffee more than most?
While driving to work, I am already starting to prepare myself mentally for the day ahead, which is quite hard, as you don’t know what’s going to happen. The day shift is from 7am to 7pm and I’m standing in on a shift that doesn’t have an Advanced Life Support paramedic.
Duty calls
WHEN I arrive at base, I’m met by some of the off going paramedics who had worked the night shift.
They are over tired and in a lighthearted mood, glad that their shift is over. I asked how the night was and “It was crazy man” was the sort and blunt answer I get, I should have known it was busy, it is an month end weekend and some of the crews had traveled several hundred kilometers during the night.
I meet the night shift paramedic in the Advanced Life Support paramedics office, which is more of a mini store room with medical stock and different kinds of medical equipment and monitors kept there, than a traditional office.
She had just returned from an ICU transfer, where a patient was moved between two hospitals.
A quick staff parade is done before checking the response vehicle. I have to check not only the vehicle for defects and damages, but also all the medical stock and equipment. I need to check that the equipment works and is charged and that there is enough medical sundries.
Clean up before duty starts
AFTER checking the response vehicle I make a turn at the Emergency Call Management Centre, where the emergency calls are received. Some of the day shift paramedics have already taken details for cases. There are still cases where an ambulance needs to be sent.
I help the dispatcher re-prioritise the cases, which are mostly assault cases.
While in the center, a call comes in, there has been a house fire and the police and fire department who are on scene suspect that an elderly woman has died. An ambulance crew and I are dispatched to the case.
On the way to the case I’m reminded of the diversity of the people we encounter. What reminded me of this was that on the main road to the case, some people were just milling around, others standing around a car parked on the side of the road, listening to music, while others dressed in their church clothes, were waiting for their lift next to the road. Due to it still being early and cool, there were also a few runners exercising, which included runners ranging from fit looking athletes to a small group of teens in their karate clothes.
Just after turning off the main road and starting to look for the scene I was stood down on the case, the ambulance had already reached scene and sadly the woman had already passed away.
An unattended candle left burning during the night was the suspected cause of the fire.
No time for admin
WHEN I got back to base there was no time to put my feet up and relax, I had plenty of admin work to complete.
A laborious, but vitally important task, especially in the medical field. As fate would have it, I was saved from too much admin work.
I am dispatched to a bottle store, where two men had been fighting and they assaulted each other. To my relief, when approaching the scene I could see that the police were already on scene.
Early evening I am dispatched for a motor vehicle collision about 40 minutes away from the base. The shift supervisor and I responded to the collision.
Caring for the critically injured
WHILE driving I notice a truck on the side of the road, with its hazard lights on and a few people standing behind the truck, with others still running closer, they were standing around a man lying motionless on the side of the road.
I realise that he had been hit by a truck. The accident just happened. The station officer continued on to the original accident, but I stopped to assist the man who was hit.
I park my response vehicle between the oncoming traffic and the injured man. It was on a bend in the road and it’s almost dark. I am worried that oncoming vehicles are going to hit us. Using the two way radio I asked the control centre to send the police and an ambulance to assist.
I carry my equipment to the man’s side. Some of the bystanders are already crying, they think the man is dead. I assessed the man, who is critically injured, but still alive.
At that stage I’m still the only person from the emergency services on scene, but I start treating the man, giving him oxygen, putting up drips and connecting the relevant monitors, to check and monitor his vital signs.
A police van arrives from the nearby station and one policeman dons gloves and helps me while the other policeman assists with traffic flow passed the scene.
When the ambulance arrives, they assist me in treating the patient. We administer the required medical care to the man and load him into the ambulance. The trip to hospital seems to take forever. The hospital had been updated regarding the patient’s status and there was a trauma team waiting for us when we got to hospital.
During the hand over of the patient to the doctors, I tell them what is wrong with the patient, what the injuries are and what treatment I have already administered. I then complete a written hand over, which the doctor signs. This then goes into the patient’s file.
It is already well after 7pm and when we got back to base. Some of the night shift crew, who are now rested, are full of energy and jokes ready to start their last night shift before going off on their rest days.
Daddy’s home!
WHILE driving home, I am thinking about the case I had just done. Is there anything I could have done differently or better and if the patient would be alright.
Thoughts which end quickly when I get home, as my son screams “daddy’s home”.
My baby is asleep and my other son needs to be carried to bed after falling asleep on the couch, not managing to stay awake to see dad.
My working day was over for now; I am at home, or now at least, something that I cherish, because a paramedic is never really off duty. There is always a phone that can ring, with the person saying “there is a child”, “there’s a bus overturned”, “multiple critical patients, we need you”, “there is a…..” before you can even say hello.
