I wish you could know...

  • Thread starter Greycap
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Greycap

The Flying Finn
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I found this on another forum, it's been written by a firefighter that wants as many people as possible to read it and think about it. The name of this thread is the same as in the thread in which I found the text.
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 wife's horror at 6 in the morning as I check her husband of 40 years for a pulse and find none. I start CPR anyway, hoping to bring him back, knowing intuitively it is too late. But wanting his wife and family to know everything possible was done to try to save his 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 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 2 X 4 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 Loveyou Mommy" again.

I wish you could know the frustration I feel in the cab of the engine, squad or my personal vehicle, 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 how ever, 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 automobile. "What if this was my daughter, sister, my girlfriend or a friend? What were her parents reaction going to be when they opened 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 hear 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 they 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, who we are, or what our job really means to us........I wish you could though.

KEEP SENDING THIS ON. APPRECIATE AND SUPPORT THE LOCAL EMS WORKERS, 911 DISPATCHERS, FIREFIGHTERS, and LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS IN YOUR AREA.

ONE DAY THEY COULD VERY WELL BE SAVING YOUR PROPERTY OR YOUR OWN LIFE. WHEN YOU SEE THEM COMING WITH LIGHTS FLASHING, MOVE OUT OF THE WAY QUICKLY, THEN PRAY FOR THEM!
If this hadn't moved something inside me, I would be seriously concerned.
 
WOW, This really puts things into perspective and makes you sit back and think. i have always wondered myself if i could do that kind of job and after reading this i think its definately no. What i liked about this piece was the equality for all emergancy services. The firebrigade and Ambulance services are always thought of as the people who have it worst but having to tell people that members of there family have passed away must be a very gruelling task and one that i hope i never have to do in my life time.

Spec...
 
Yep, that's about it right there. YOu have to be serious to be in that line of work.
 
Really moves one inside reading that, they really are real life heroes and my respect goes out to every single one of them, past and present.
 
When people come in touch with the Firefighters, they depend on them so they are definatly needed, but I cant imagine how you would get the idea "I want to become a firefighter":irked:

It's a very demanding job, I got very much respect for the guys who dare to choose such a job, I cant imagine working like that...:scared:
 
Some people really need to read this and reflect on it. I've heard of people giving the finger to ambulances...

When you hear a siren, don't panic, find out where its coming from as quickly as possible, and get the hell out of their way.
 
Add ED (emergency dept.) personnel to that list:

Imagine telling that EMS worker that worked so long and hard to save that five-year-old from that structure fire that even though she was alive when they brought her in, she didn't make it.

There are days that being in the medical field/emergency service field suck. For instance:

No one really understands your morbid sense of humor. Only others in the field understand that that sense of "humor" keeps you from crying...or worse.

You have to endure the ravings of an angry doctor. Not because you did something wrong, but because they've had someone "go south", and you're the first person they've run into.

Your family doesn't understand when you DON'T want to talk about your day. Not because you're uncommunicative, but cause a sweet little old lady, or small child died while in your care. Even with all your training, and all the equipment at your disposal, you were essentially powerlessto save them.

You're sad for the 16 year old girl that was in a horrific car crash, and though she lived, she had to rehab for months just to walk again. And you've cried with her every day as she begged for more pain medicine, that you can't give yet, without damaging her young body all the more. Or you cry because she's just a "baby" yet she'll never be a mother because of her injuries.

Yet even with all the bad situations you see, you can cry tears of joy when an 80-year old lady who's had a stroke moves her fingers on her "paralyzed" hand after two weeks in the hospital.

You can smile with the 19 year old who's walking again after having his pelvis shattered when his friend ran over him with a Jet-Ski.

You can shake your head in disbelief when the guy that was in a motorcycle accident comes back after his recovery and tells you he's bought the same make, model, and color of motorcycle to replace the one he crashed. But at the same time you're overjoyed, that he's gotten the opportunity to it.

I'd be a liar, if I told you it was easy to be a medical professional.
But the people that we continue to help on a daily basis, makes the whole thing worth getting out of bed in the morning.
 
I've got nothing but absolute respect for medical professionals. 👍

It's hard to think of anything else to say, really.

Shame I never got a chance to personally thank the EMT workers that came to my house when I found my dad out on the kitchen floor...
 
We sometimes get so mad at police officers pulling us over for usually stupid things that we were doing...but who do we want to see if someone is threatening our lives? Who do we want to respond to a burglary?

The police may have to say something to you or even write you something in order to keep our community in good order...but you'll thank them when they catch the criminals that wrong you. You'll thank them for stopping a runaway car pursuit.
 
Wow, that really does make you think. Well, It's nice to know I have a fire department real nearby from my house.
 
A thought-provoking post - let's just be thankful that these courageous and hard-working people get alot of professional training in how to handle these psychologically-challenging situations. Still, it is disheartening when you have to make a plea to the general public for cooperation or support. The scumbags who attack emergency crews, steal drugs from ambulances, assault hospital staff, make hoax emergency calls etc. should be made to read this and then made to visit some of these crews and apologise to their face...
 
Gil
Add ED (emergency dept.) personnel to that list:
My wife is in the same boat, Gil. After 7 years of marriage, I've learned to back off when she doesn't want to talk.

And she does have a pretty demented sence of humor. Good thing I do, too.

:)👍
 
Thanks all for reading this, I see that I'm not the only one to get touched by the text! Special thanks for Gil for bringing another view for the thread. 👍

It's really a pity that the emergency people seldom get to hear how much they are appreciated. I myself wouldn't be here today if one very skillful surgeon hadn't taken a big risk 18 years ago. My guts were seriously messed up and the chances for me surviving were less than one out of two (after many years I heard that one hour later nothing could have been done) but he decided to operate and I am in a great debt for him for doing that. Sadly, I've never been able to thank him in person.

If you have a way of spreading this text, please do it.
 
Greycap
Thanks all for reading this, I see that I'm not the only one to get touched by the text! Special thanks for Gil for bringing another view for the thread. 👍

It's really a pity that the emergency people seldom get to hear how much they are appreciated. I myself wouldn't be here today if one very skillful surgeon hadn't taken a big risk 18 years ago. My guts were seriously messed up and the chances for me surviving were less than one out of two (after many years I heard that one hour later nothing could have been done) but he decided to operate and I am in a great debt for him for doing that. Sadly, I've never been able to thank him in person.

If you have a way of spreading this text, please do it.

I too wouldnt be here if it wasnt for fast acting doctors and nurses. I was actually born dead but revived buy the docters at Greenwich Hospital (London) all those years ago then had to save me a second time from various infections i had developed due to being premature. I have not and doubt i ever will have the chance to say thankyou to them.

There really are some amazing people in this world who do not receive the thanks they deserve!

Spec....
 
I've only done ED work when I was in nursing school. I decided early on that I had no need for that much adrenaline at ANY time in my life. I have five teen-agers. Adrenaline is a "built-in" feature.:D Additive adrenaline not needed.

I have spent 7 years working Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. And the last year in Kidney Dialysis.

Dialysis though "chronic" care (vs. Acute care) can have some rather "acute" episodes.
I've participated in more "code blues" in the last year, than in the last 5 years of Rehab.:eek:

Rehab gave me a chance to meet a great number of people that had been debilitated in any number of ways.
Now some of you young 'uns know why I "get my back up" over things like street racing, DUI, and motorcycles. I used to get those guys after the trauma team put them back together, and the medical floor made sure that they were "medically stable".

I appreciate the kudos from all, but I'm a REMF* now. And for the record, after my initial foray into emergency medicine, I ran away screaming like a little girl, vowing never to return.:lol:
I chose to lend my skills to something a skosh less exciting.

And as far as the "demented" sense of humor...You'll meet very few medical people that don't have it. And further warning, if you aren't in the profession, never, ever eat with a bunch of medical people, cops or EMTs. Don't ask!! Just trust me on this one.👍





*REMF-Look it up under "military abbreviations"
 
Extremly good posts!

Which reminds my, has anyone seen "Ladder 49"? Not to hijack this thread or anything, but it seemed like another "Die Hard"/"Firetrap"-movie to me. It isn't. It feels the same way like these posts. Worth a look!

Thanks to all firefighters and police officers! Thanks for helping out when we need it most, even if many don't care. Thanks for helping the community! And thanks for appreciating life so much that you want to bring something on to the people who needs it!
Thanks for being there! 👍
 
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