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Firefighter Intern: Day 16 and 17
Jun. 23rd, 2018 09:34 amCourage is the discovery that you may not win, and trying when you know you can lose. - Tom Krause
After showing up and a very brief safety meeting, I spent the morning restocking and resetting Medic 482 and learning where things go, after the previous shift got back after responding to a bad car accident. I learned to fold and prep spider straps (that go on backboards), and refolded all of our spares. After a quick lunch, I spent the afternoon restocking and doing an inventory on our brush truck just going into service for a wildland training exercise this weekend. I had to find parts, gear, and hose lays from all over the station. *smile* I also got to get some extra training on structure protection checklists for wildland fires.
We had no calls at all until after dinner, when we were toned out for a stroke patient that we had to extricate from a sailboat at the Westport Marina. It was my first time driving the Medic unit to the LZ in Westport, and my first actual load-in to a Lifeflight helicopter, a rear-loading chopper going to Legacy Emmanuel. Afterward, I restocked and reset the Medic unit on my own, to the surprise of the Medic crew.
We should have known better than to try to get some good sleep. We had a 3am medical call to an assisted care facility that took until 4am, and then a traffic accident at 6am that I dressed out for, but I got called back in case they needed me for the Engine. We got up again at 7:30 am for the 8am meeting, and then got in our rig checks as well as washing and maintaining ladders (and throwing ladder practice) that gave me a couple of more signoffs on my taskbook -but we were cut short for a medical call.
Enroute to our call, our Medic unit broke down and we had to have the Duty Chief drive us our second-out Medic unit. once we arrived, we ended up transporting, so I drove to St. John's Code 1. Once we were back to the station we started house chores. I'd replaced two toilet paper rolls when we were again toned out again for a young lady with a suicidal gesture, and I again drove the Medic Code 1 to St. John's. Although it would have made more sense clinically to have me in the back with the patient, we didn't have the personnel to allow me to do that - so the Paramedic stayed in the back and I drove, because of the higher level of medical credentials has to stay with the patient.
Once we were back we went for the for house chores, but before we could get started, we were toned back out, this time on Engine 481 with the Department Chief in the right front seat, for a bad single-car traffic accident. Fortunately, no one was significantly hurt and I got the chance to practice traffic management with a Deputy Sheriff and learned some new tricks to clear traffic. We were finally able to finish my house chores, and I even got my pushup and air squats in. While I was waiting for dinner, I knocked out an online FEMA class, IS-235 Emergency Planning - completing a 101 goal. *smile*
Just as we were cutting up a pork shoulder for dinner ... we toned out again for an accidental overdose, and then got a back-to-back call for a minor head injury from a fall. Neither required a transport. We ate a late, slightly dried out dinner, and slept uninterrupted until 5:30am when most of us deployed for a Wildland training exercise. I fell back asleep until 7am, when I was getting ready to shower and get ready to go home... and then we were toned out again for another fall at the same assisted care facility for another person. Back to the station for some scrambled eggs and guacamole before going home.
After showing up and a very brief safety meeting, I spent the morning restocking and resetting Medic 482 and learning where things go, after the previous shift got back after responding to a bad car accident. I learned to fold and prep spider straps (that go on backboards), and refolded all of our spares. After a quick lunch, I spent the afternoon restocking and doing an inventory on our brush truck just going into service for a wildland training exercise this weekend. I had to find parts, gear, and hose lays from all over the station. *smile* I also got to get some extra training on structure protection checklists for wildland fires.
We had no calls at all until after dinner, when we were toned out for a stroke patient that we had to extricate from a sailboat at the Westport Marina. It was my first time driving the Medic unit to the LZ in Westport, and my first actual load-in to a Lifeflight helicopter, a rear-loading chopper going to Legacy Emmanuel. Afterward, I restocked and reset the Medic unit on my own, to the surprise of the Medic crew.
We should have known better than to try to get some good sleep. We had a 3am medical call to an assisted care facility that took until 4am, and then a traffic accident at 6am that I dressed out for, but I got called back in case they needed me for the Engine. We got up again at 7:30 am for the 8am meeting, and then got in our rig checks as well as washing and maintaining ladders (and throwing ladder practice) that gave me a couple of more signoffs on my taskbook -but we were cut short for a medical call.
Enroute to our call, our Medic unit broke down and we had to have the Duty Chief drive us our second-out Medic unit. once we arrived, we ended up transporting, so I drove to St. John's Code 1. Once we were back to the station we started house chores. I'd replaced two toilet paper rolls when we were again toned out again for a young lady with a suicidal gesture, and I again drove the Medic Code 1 to St. John's. Although it would have made more sense clinically to have me in the back with the patient, we didn't have the personnel to allow me to do that - so the Paramedic stayed in the back and I drove, because of the higher level of medical credentials has to stay with the patient.
Once we were back we went for the for house chores, but before we could get started, we were toned back out, this time on Engine 481 with the Department Chief in the right front seat, for a bad single-car traffic accident. Fortunately, no one was significantly hurt and I got the chance to practice traffic management with a Deputy Sheriff and learned some new tricks to clear traffic. We were finally able to finish my house chores, and I even got my pushup and air squats in. While I was waiting for dinner, I knocked out an online FEMA class, IS-235 Emergency Planning - completing a 101 goal. *smile*
Just as we were cutting up a pork shoulder for dinner ... we toned out again for an accidental overdose, and then got a back-to-back call for a minor head injury from a fall. Neither required a transport. We ate a late, slightly dried out dinner, and slept uninterrupted until 5:30am when most of us deployed for a Wildland training exercise. I fell back asleep until 7am, when I was getting ready to shower and get ready to go home... and then we were toned out again for another fall at the same assisted care facility for another person. Back to the station for some scrambled eggs and guacamole before going home.
