[BHowett]

I'm thinking about joining the local rescue squad to give a little back to the community .... any other EMT's out there?

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I can picture you, here's the image I have



Sorry I couldn't resist

Edited by Niyol, 26 August 2013 - 05:18 AM.

[Niyol]

I can picture you, here's the image I have



Sorry I couldn't resist

Edited by Niyol, 26 August 2013 - 05:18 AM.

[DonnaB]

What do you want to know? I, personally, am not a local volunteer EMTI/Firefighter but everyone else in my family is. Might be able to answer a few questions for you. You could also contact your local Chief (or whatever they're called in your area) and ask if you can sit in on a monthly meeting if you don't know the other volunteers to discuss your desire with.

[BHowett]

I don't really have any questions, I have been looking in to it for a wile. I was just wondering how many others were here, and just wanted to see what they had to share.

[DonnaB]

I could share some horror stories then again I could share some very rewarding stories that will make you cry happy tears. Being a volunteer for your local community is very rewarding. I am very proud of my family. They truly are unsung heros. I'll just bet their are several here that devote their time to their communities.

I say go for it!

[BHowett]

so lets hear some stories.....

[DonnaB]

Well, I could tell you about the time my sister went on the call that involved a motorcycle that ran the stop sign down at the 4 way stop and a semi threw him for a loop into the corn field. The fella on the bike wasn't wearing a helmet. Didn't think it would be a good idea to elaborate on that story here in the open forum. Very sad..... His dad just bought him the bike for his 21st birthday. There are now red lights flashing at the 4 way and the many accidents that once were are no longer as they were.

I could tell you about the time one of the fella's was hooking up train cars down at the grain elevator and..... no. Better not discuss that one either.

Guess I could tell you about the time that my brother in law went on a call at 3am when one of the local senior citizen had a heart attack. He (my brother in law) had just convinced our dept to invest in a defibulator so they didn't have to meet the ALS Ambulance 1/2 way between here and the next town that is 25 miles up the road. Saved the mans life. It's great how all the farmers pulled together and finished combining his corn fields to get his crops into market for him while he was inabled.

At one time, all we had was the volunteer fire dept. My brother in law worked hard to get the Ambulance and EMT's on the dept. Our small farm town is miles away from anything and many lost their lives due to the lack of 1st responders for medical treatment. Once the Ambulance was approved it really seemed that our community became much closer.

Our Firemen and EMT squad has done more for the County in which we live in than our local State Representative has.

[zep516]

Our Firemen and EMT squad has done more for the County in which we live in than our local State Representative has.

That's funny, unfortunately true

Don't forget what *you* do for the community with no help from your local State Representative.


A Little Tabby . . .
speaks for the feral cats of the world.

[PhrantiQ]

I, like DonnaB, am not personally an EMT or apart of any Rescue Squad. However I too have friends (not family) who are, in which I can vouch that you will end up having a lot of horror stories but some amazing, heart warming ones as well. A call my friend had received today, and insisted on telling me as he took me out to lunch, was about a man in his 20's who impaled himself with a plunger in the bathroom. I wont say where or go into details, as this is a family friendly site, however I can say his explanation for it was one of the funniest things he and or I have ever heard.

Anyway, if you do get involved then not only do you have my utmost respect but I hope fortune smiles upon you and you get a few more 'heart warming' calls than the other types.

[BHowett]

yeah, I have went to a couple meetings, and I think I'm going to fill out an application. The only thing that bothers me is, we will only run 6:00pm to 6:00am calls because the paid guys and girls work 6:00am to 6:00pm.

[PhrantiQ]

yeah, I have went to a couple meetings, and I think I'm going to fill out an application. The only thing that bothers me is, we will only run 6:00pm to 6:00am calls because the paid guys and girls work 6:00am to 6:00pm.

Well that would make me hesitate as well. Although the call volume would be lower (on most nights), plus that gives you the ability to work the standard day job hours with a few hours of sleep in ya. Though I've seen a few people who's done alternating day/night shift jobs or volunteer items, which I can personally say has run them into the ground. I had one guy who worked under me that did something like that, he went from being someone I could say is a right hand man to someone I wouldn't trust basic entry level jobs to. So all I can say is know your limits and pay close attention to yourself/your body - You're no good to anyone if you're a zombie (haha).

[DonnaB]

yeah, I have went to a couple meetings, and I think I'm going to fill out an application. The only thing that bothers me is, we will only run 6:00pm to 6:00am calls because the paid guys and girls work 6:00am to 6:00pm.

BHowett. You have my utmost respect as well.

Well that would make me hesitate as well. Although the call volume would be lower (on most nights), plus that gives you the ability to work the standard day job hours with a few hours of sleep in ya.

The call volume being lower is not necessarily true, PhrantiQ.

I live in a very small community and our volunteer firefighters respond to calls at all hours of the night. If you know your community well enough, you can almost predict when a call is inevitable. The guys/gals are always prepared on prom night, during any local function where liquor is served, when elderly farmers are in the fields till late hours (many heart attacks after a hard days work in the fields), etc. Always seems that babies decide they want to be born in the middle of the night as well around here. Just last night, my neighbor down the street, who has a tracheotomy, was unable to breath after a long hot day and had to be rushed to the Hospital at 3am. My other neighbor who responded to the call drives our local school bus and had to contact his work place to get a substitute driver to get the kids to school on time since he was delayed filling out reports. Because of this, my other neighbor, who is also on the dept., decided it would be a good idea to get his CDL so they could cover for each other if the situation ever came about again. I love the way this group of volunteers has each others back. Always thinking about what is best for the community and how they can make it better for all concerned.

Those 6pm to 6am hours are not easy on the family unless the kids are grown and the wife/husband accepts the fact that at any given moment the EMT/Firefighter is called away to respond to a call. Many family functions will be missed. You have to have a strong family bond. I've seen many marriages end in divorce due to the commitment and individual devotion that is required to be a part of a volunteer dept. in my community. Works very well if both husband and wife are involved as a team as both my neighbors are on either side of me.

Far as I am concerned, volunteers deserve much more credit than those who are employed as full timers. Our volunteers at one time were paid only $7 per emergency call and $4 per monthly meeting they attended. Volunteers don't do it for the money, nor to gain career experience, or to build their resume. They volunteer as a result of the instilled set of values they have that compels them to act on deeply held beliefs about the importance of helping others within their communities.

Kudos to the unsung heros!

Edited by DonnaB, 19 September 2013 - 11:21 PM.

[PhrantiQ]

The call volume being lower is not necessarily true, PhrantiQ.

This was more or less a comment my friend (who started off as a volunteer and did a career switch) made. As for the prom nights, 4th of July, etc - On those busy nights he says he works, along with a few other paid/non volunteer crews. Reason being the call volume on some nights in particular are expected to be crazy (prom, holidays, graduation, etc). Though I will admit, I don't know all communities and I also have no personal experience, so I don't have much ground to stand on. Also the volume may or may not be lower, but regardless of that 'fact' - The calls are still rough and take a special kind of person to be able to handle and execute them well. Which brings me to my next little quote and reply...

Far as I am concerned, volunteers deserve much more credit than those who are employed as full timers. Our volunteers at one time were paid only $7 per emergency call and $4 per monthly meeting they attended. Volunteers don't do it for the money, nor to gain career experience, or to build their resume. They volunteer as a result of the instilled set of values they have that compels them to act on deeply held beliefs about the importance of helping others within their communities.

Kudos to the unsung heros!

Completely agreed. Someone who gets paid to do it gets kudos. Someone who does the same thing, at more messed up hours and for little to no pay (volunteers) deserve much more credit.

[BHowett]

yeah I live in a fast growing, and very populated county just out side of a major city. the call volume is high at night, they were on the news talking about stats, and asking the community to help out and volunteer.

I figured that I have lived here most of my adult life and its something I will enjoy, and a chance to give back to the community.

[TooNew2]

BHowett:

yeah, I have went to a couple meetings, and I think I'm going to fill out an application. The only thing that bothers me is, we will only run 6:00pm to 6:00am calls because the paid guys and girls work 6:00am to 6:00pm.

There are other things which can affect some, if not most, people. As a retired forensic chemist I too can tell a few stories. Every time you pick up a paper, you will see stories about the events you already know about and maybe were involved in. When you see cars being driven poorly, it will remind you of the gruesome situations it can lead to; the jokes you overhear about 'being loaded' won't be funny anymore. There will be people you save and some you don't and it won't be based on who caused a problem, on who 'deserves' to continue living. Some people can "compartmentalize" these memories, but not everyone is good at it.

That's just the ordinary stuff. My best example of an unusual one would be the time I invited one of my three favorite High School teachers, who I hadn't seen in a dozen or more years, to Christmas dinner. On Monday, December 22nd., I found his name near the top of the Coroner's sheet.

And it doesn't always happen while you're on the job. You can be on the road and have an accident occur right in front of you. A neighbor can fall and break a hip and you might be the first to hear the cries. You too will have stories to remember and to tell, and perhaps will also have a few letters from strangers thanking you for trying.