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Life of a First Responder

The Real Deal

By Jack Asbury IIIPublished 5 years ago 2 min read
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So I decided this would be the best way to get things off of my chest and out of my mind. I have never wrote a paper or anything of this nature so excuse the grammar.

The thing I find the funniest are two things

  1. What is the worst thing you have ever seen?(Don't ask this)
  2. Our job is NOTHING like TV or movies.

I can tell you probably about 70 percent of the runs we go to do not need an ambulance. When we were kids we were told you only call 9-1-1 in an emergency and I think some people just like the ability to call whenever and we respond. Patients who do not feel well for multiple days but have not gone to their doctor and its 3 am, The drug users who thinks the story they tell us is original and we have never heard it before, or the stubbed toe. Yes I have gone to a stubbed toe.

I have been an EMT for more than 10 years. I just turned 30 this year. I can tell you I have seen it all. I think the thing that bothers me the most is the numbness and absence of emotions with death. The past month has been pretty busy with accidents, suicides, and unexpected deaths. A husband married for 51 years and lost his wife within minutes of her coming home from a hospital stay from the flu. He dropped to his knees and begged for something to be done. Crying and pleading. He said "She was very tired so I let her sleep." Unfortunately, she had passed at least two or three hours before we got there. so rigor had already set and nothing could have been done. The gruesome vehicle accidents or suicides there is nothing I feel. No sympathy, heartache, sadness, or even anger sometimes.

It honestly scares me because as a father of two little girls I often wonder if I am not showing affection towards them that they need. They sometimes ask about my job. Obviously I save the detail and the normal reply is "Daddy helps sick people." They will eventually know what I do.

So to close this one out I'll leave it with this. No matter the first responder. Thank them. It goes a lot further than you think. A simple thank you is all. It may seem like they will brush it off or not seem engaged but trust me when I say they will think about it the rest of that shift.

Again sorry for my poor grammar. If i get a good response I will tell stories of calls I have experienced.

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About the Creator

Jack Asbury III

First responder for 10 plus years. Just wanted a place to put my thoughts

Thank you for reading.

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