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I wish you could know... |
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I
wish you could know what it is like to search a burning bedroom
for
trapped children at 3 AM, flames rolling above your head, your
palms and
knees burning as you crawl, the floor sagging under your weight
as the
kitchen below you burns.
I wish you could comprehend a husband's horror at 6 in the
morning as I
check his wife of 40 years for a pulse and find none. I start
CPR anyway,
hoping to bring her back, knowing intuitively it is too late.
But wanting
her husband and family to know everything possible was done to
try to save her life.
I wish you knew the unique smell of burning insulation, the
taste of
soot-filled mucus, the feeling of intense heat through your
turnout gear,
the sound of flames crackling, the eeriness of being able to see
absolutely nothing in dense smoke-sensations that I've become
too familiar with.
I wish you could read my mind as I respond to a building fire
"Is this a false alarm or a working fire?
How is the building constructed?
What hazards await me? Is
anyone trapped?"
Or to a medical call, "What is wrong with the patient? Is it minor or
life-threatening?
Is the caller really in distress or is he waiting for us with a
2x4 or a gun?"
I wish you could be in the emergency room as a doctor pronounces
dead the
beautiful five-year old girl that I have been trying to save
during the
past 25 minutes, who will never go on her first date or say the
words,
"I love you Mommy" again.
I wish you could know the frustration I feel in the cab of the
engine or
unit the driver with his foot pressing down hard on the pedal,
my arm
tugging again and again at the air horn chain, as you fail to
yield the
right-of-way at an intersection or in traffic. When you need us
however,
your first comment upon our arrival will be,
"It took you
forever to get here!"
I wish you could know my thoughts as I help extricate a girl of
teenage
years from the remains of her auto.
"What if this was my
daughter, sister, my girlfriend or a friend?
What is her parent's reaction going to be when they open the
door to find a police officer with hat in hand?"
I wish you could know how it feels to walk in the back door and
greet my
parents and family, not having the heart to tell them that I
nearly did not come back from the last call.
I wish you could know how it feels dispatching officers,
firefighters and
EMT's out and when we call for them and our heart drops because
no one
answers back or to here a bone chilling 911 call of a child or
wife
needing assistance.
I wish you could feel the hurt as people verbally, and sometimes
physically, abuse us or belittle what I do, or as they express
their
attitudes of "It will never happen to me."
I wish you could realize the physical, emotional and mental
drain or
missed meals, lost sleep and forgone social activities, in
addition to all the
tragedy my eyes have seen.
I wish you could know the brotherhood and self-satisfaction of
helping save
a life or preserving someone's property, or being able to be
there in time
of crisis, or creating order from total chaos.
I wish you could understand what it feels like to have a little
boy tugging
at your arm and asking, "Is Mommy okay?"
Not even being able to
look in his
eyes without tears from your own and not knowing what to say.
Or to have to hold back a long time friend who watches his buddy
having CPR
done on him as you take him away in the Medic Unit. You know all
along he
did not have his seat belt on.
A sensation that I have become
too familiar with.
Unless you have lived with this kind of life, you will never
truly
understand or appreciate who I am, we are, or what our job
really means to
us...
I wish you could though.
-Author Unknown
KEEP THIS IN MIND... APPRECIATE AND SUPPORT THE LOCAL EMS
WORKERS, 911
DISPATCHERS, FIREFIGHTERS, and LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS IN YOUR
AREA.
ONE DAY THEY'LL PROBABLY BE SAVING YOUR PROPERTY OR YOUR OWN
LIFE. WHEN YOU
SEE THEM COMING WITH LIGHTS FLASHING, MOVE OUT OF THE WAY
AS QUICKLY & SAFELY AS POSSIBLE, REMEMBER THE LIFE/PROPERTY WE SAVE MAY
ONE DAY BE YOURS! |
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Copyright © Neversink FD No reproduction, partial or in whole of any
text, photos or any other content without the written permission of the
NFD. If you have any questions you may contact us at
neversinkfd@gmail.com |
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