Page 1 of Crash
“Dispatch to medic unit five-four-five-four, do you copy?”
“Lancaster here, go ahead,” I say into the receiver.
“Hey, Austin, we have a call at three-two-one Sundance Ave. An elderly woman experiencing chest pains per her son’s description.”
“Copy. We are en route. Estimated time of arrival, five minutes.”
“Okay. I’ll keep the caller on the line until you arrive.”
“Ten-four. Okay Caleb, light ’em up.”
Sounds of the siren wail and the lights illuminate the scenery as we make haste down Portland Avenue. This should be the last one of a very long shift. I ended up pulling a double today when my co-worker called in with flu-like symptoms. Normally, I work the eleven-to-seven shift, but I’m more than happy to help out since I need more hours to assist with my goal of buying my first home.
“Five-four-five-four to base. We’re on site at three-two-one Sundance Ave. Going to the door now. Copy?”
“Ten-four. Report back with an update once the situation has been assessed.”
A young man is standing outside seemingly frustrated and waiting for our arrival. “Hi, I’m Gregory. So glad you are here. My dad is in there with my grandmother, and she says her chest hurts.”
We enter the house and find the patient sitting in a recliner struggling to breathe. My partner, Caleb McDonald, pulls out his blood pressure cuff to obtain vitals. Not seeing any direct signs of a heart attack, I apply the oxygen mask to help with her breathing and gather additional details from her son.
“She does appear to be stable, but I think it’s best we go ahead and transport her for more testing,” Caleb says.
“Okay. I’ll go out set up the machines.” Grabbing his medic bag, I make my way to the EMS vehicle and set up for monitoring then return inside to assist with getting the patient on the gurney. When I return, Caleb is completing the explanation of the next steps and asking Gregory if he will be riding with us during transport since his father has stated he will drive.
After a few signatures for HIPAA purposes, we secured Mrs. McDonald to the stretcher and moved her to the bay of the ambulance. Getting her connected to the machines to gather a baseline for her statistics are our last steps before taking her to the hospital. I stay in the back with the family while Caleb drives to Dover Memorial Hospital.
“You’ve been doing this for a while?” Gregory asks, making small talk.
“A little over three years now,” I answer, looking over at him and seeing the worry on his face. The nervous fiddling with his hands and the fading yellow stains are tell-tale signs he recently stopped smoking. “Your grandmother will be fine. She’s going to receive the best care, and the staff will be sure to answer any questions you have,” I reassure.
His smile reaches his eyes, indicating he is a little relieved.
“Here, wanna piece of gum? It always calms my nerves in high-intensity situations.”
I hold out the pack, and he takes a piece from the sleeve.
“Thank you. I picked a bad time to quit my one-pack-a-day habit,” he jokes.
“Hey, Lancaster?” Caleb calls through the open window.
“Yeah?”
“Radio dispatch to close this one. We are pulling into the bay now.”
“Roger that.” Using the direct radio connection, I alert them to our arrival and complete this call.
Caleb swings the doors open, and the ER staff rush to our aid. I climb out behind them, filling the charge nurse in on the details and the patient’s vitals. After the exchange of information, I clear the machines and do a check before calling base to alert them to our off-duty status.
“You must be exhausted, bro,” Caleb says, rejoining me in the cab of the vehicle.
“Dude, I’m so fucking tired. Can’t wait to get home and put my phone on DND for the next two days.”
“Really? No plans to hang out with your girl or anything?”
“I’m no longer in a relationship. That ship sailed four months ago. One of her reasons was my work schedule.”
“What’s your reason?”
