First EMS call

So I am doing a ride along (you have to have so many hours before you can certify) and I am so excited! It is my first ride along and I want something super exciting to happen. You know... something like a bad car accident, a heart attack, something super bloody... this isn't because I am twisted (ok, well maybe a little), and it's not because I want bad things to happen. My theory is... if something bad is going to happen, which it is, I wanna be the one to be on call and be there to help the people involved.

So, I get to the fire station and am stoked for the day! 2 hours into the shift and still no call. Kinda disappointing, but I got to talk to all the EMTs and hear awesome stories. We are in the middle of making breakfast and the page goes off! YAY!! The call comes across at 0936 as a full cardiac arrest. Awesome! something big for my first call! I was kind of surprised but they didn't state the age of the patient, which most cities they do. Come to find out Salt Lake had stopped stating the age on most calls because statistics show that if a child is involved EMTs drove less careful to get to the scene faster.

Anyway, we show up on scene and go inside to find a 1 month old baby in full cardiac arrest! We walk in and dad is doing CPR on her, I get told to take over chest compressions! AH! So nerve racking! We pretty much pick her up and go straight to the hospital doing CPR the whole way. We get to the ER and so many people are there and take over everything. We had her hooked up to our machine so we couldn't leave the hospital just yet.

FYI... parents had blankets in her crib and a pillow and layed her on her stomach to sleep. All of which you aren't supposed to do, so she suffocated.

Me and the other EMTs are just standing back watching the doctor and nurses work on this 5 pound little girl, who looks so small and helpless. Her heart rate is in the 80's, as an adult that would be great, but with a baby that is horrible. They push meds and try to bump it up... but it is too late. 1047... 1 hour and 11 minutes after the call came in... time of death! That was probably the WORST feeling ever! On the doctors command everyone stops what they are doing and goes about doing what they had dropped when we came in. It's just a nurse, the baby and me. I am completely surprised I haven't lost it completely yet.

Out in the hallway the doctor is talking to mom and dad... I felt like I was invading their privacy because I could hear the whole conversation between them. Mom lost it and I couldn't hold back the tears anymore. I couldn't believe it... here we were supposed to be helping people and the first patient I have doesn't make it.

We head back to the station and I don't even know what to say, so I am silent. The guys at the station were awesome. They sat and talked for a very long time and made me realize that we did everything we possibly could to save that little girl, so I had to forget that we lost her and just move on knowing it was really her time to go. I realize that this isn't the funny/crazy story that people want to hear, but this was a huge story in my EMT world. I realized that no matter how trained you are if it is someones time to go there is absolutely nothing you can do to change the outcome of the situation.

Hopefully the next story I can think of isn't this depressing. I promise most of my stories are awesome!