Archives
11:17:00 PM EDT
So, you wanna be an EMT
12 July 2007
"So, You Want to be an EMT"
Remember as a kid hearing the siren somewhere close to where you were and getting on your bike with your best friends following the ambulance down the street to see who it was that needed help.
The red and white lights of the squad seemed to have that mesmerizing spell that drew you close like a mosquito to a bug zapper.
(OOOooo...that is gonna leave a mark).
Then, there they were. The EMTs who seemed to emerge out of the truck in one of those movie slow motion sequences, walking toward the house where their services have been requested. You stand on the tree lawn with all the other nosy neighbors standing on your tip toes trying to get a peek inside the house wondering what is actualling going on and if everyone is okay.
You watch the patient coming out on the cot and in all their glory, the paramedics load him or her up and drive away similar to a cowboy riding into the sunset
(see the difference)
Oh, don't deny it...we all have done it. Some of us grew out of it....
Now, add a beautiful, but hot summer day, your two best friends, and a fast vehicle, and you know what you get???
No, dumbass......(those gosh darn Dukes)
ME!!!
Bill....
(Remember the "BIG DOG story...)
And introducing to the show.......Danielle
(Say Hi, Danielle...)
(Oh, don't forget the vehicle........)
Now, for those of you who don't know the supporting cast, I will give you a brief rund down.
Bill is a professional firefighter for the city that I used to work in. I met Bill in a car that was upside down in the pouring rain around zero dark thirty in the morning while we were trying to get someone who what one too many Pabst Blue Ribbon and hyrdoplaned off the road. Bill and I have become the best of friends and now he has come to work for me a few days a month. Working with Bill is like being on vacation with your bestest buddy...and getting paid for it. Life is good.
Throw Danielle into the mix.
I mean, what good is a great show unless you have a beautiful, talented, extremely intelligent, and did I mention beautiful, female to play opposite the lead characters.
Danielle, I have known since late 1993 on accident (no, not the kind where you park your car into another) and we had become inseperable for the next eight months doing everything and anything together with our friends.
For the record, because I know this is coming, we never dated. And I will leave it at that.
Anyways, Danielle, who is in marketing, wanted to see what life was like in the big, white box on wheels. So, what better way to show her than to have a couple of her best friends show her "Life as a Paramedic".
I hope she has insurance.
0855 Hours
It was already beginning to get really scorching hot and I knew that today was going to be one of those days where we were gonna work our asses off in some capacity.
Finishing up the morning cleaning details, my attention was turned by thesound a vehicle entering the lot and crunching the gravel as it found a shady spot. As the dust began to settle, a figure emerged from beyond the tinted windows walking to greet both Bill and me ready to go fast and think even faster.
Today was Danielle's ride-a-long. And boy, we didn't want to disappoint her.
The morning started out with us showing her the equipment and detailing safety procedures in the event of Bill and I getting separated at an accident or other incident that requires both our attentions. Our next stop was something a LOT more pressing but with just as much importance....
Going to Wakeman Hardware......
....which is an adventure in itself.
Walking into this store is kinda like sitting on the porch with the little boy who plays the banjo at the beginning of Deliverance.
(Whew....I just got chills).
Oh sure, it has all the comforts of a hardware store, with the added bonus of smelling like the animal pens at the local county fair when the air conditioning isn't working and the wind is out of the south.
Today, our task was to get propane for the grill. Getting in and getting back out would have been the most ideal of task, but once you are in, you are kinda intrigued as to what you can find. One side of the store is the typical hardware part (minus the smell) where you can get drill bits, screws, gardening supplies, etc.
The other side of the store is a combination, hunting/camping supply shop. Warm clothing, lanterns, hunting and fishing licenses, automatic weapons....you know, everything you would find in the country.
For those of you who are paying attention, I DID say automatic weapons. By this, I am not talking a 9mm Beretta 
But a fully automatic M4 assault rifle like the Army uses.
(okay, the grenade launcher was on backorder though.)
I guess this is for those who goes hunting and aren't a really good shot.
Don't ask...I really don't know.
Like DisneyWorld or any other favorite amusement park, everyone has a favorite ride or part of the park that always brings them closer and no matter how many times you see it, you have to go back due to sheer curiousity andintrigue.
For Danielle, it is the "free, take one" basket. Each day, it is something new, something exciting, something that will help your everyday life and change the way you live.
Today, it was "Toilet leak detector".
Hey....it was free.
Okay, let's get the hell out of Dodge before Dueling Banjoes starts playing.
Our next stop was the local Mickey Mart which is a Gas station/Subway/ATM/Local hang out.
Our item of choice...cancer sticks...I mean cigarettes. Bill needed to reload. Danielle needed her Lemon Lipton Iced Tea in the glass bottle.
Accept no substitutes. Her Birthday is in February...Stock up now for her.
Now that we were stocked up on provisions and the essentials, it was time to get ready for work. Time to show her what she came to see. Time to clean the grammer and drop the hammer lights and sirens.
I was ready, I was pumped, I was psyched. Any minute, a call would come in and we would be off into the wild blue yonder. We would be ready, we would be equipped, we would be prepared.
We would only have to wait 4 seconds.
Not even getting into the squad, our attention was averted by the sound of metal on metal and a vehicle coming to rest with more parts scattered over the intersection than it came in with.
Damn it....here we go....
...to be continued.
Rounding Third and Heading Home,
M-
Written by rescuesquad93 Blog about this entry |
Add to del.icio.us | 
digg this
-
Hey, hey, hey! NO fair! Just where is the rest of the tale? Good so far -- I know it's going to get better --- come on!
-
Okay MIke great job, and by the way I loved the Dukes of Hazzard, but I am with Danielle, lets hear the rest of the story. I hate cliff hangers lol...................as always, Jackie
-
LMAO...and yearning for more! Damn - I feel so special being part of the cast now! And yes everyone, I do look forward to strolling the local hardware store in search of the FREE, TAKE ONE basket! Sad...but true! Ok Michael...stop reading your fan mail...and finish the rest of the blog! :)
With love and admiration,
Your favorite-est ambulance groupie, D
7/15/07 8:57 PM
Always love your writing still! Can't wait for the rest of the story!
~Jenn~
http://journals.aol.com/icewi