A Rough Sunday Morning

A little education may be required before I move on. My company was located in a large suburban township with three companies covering the territory. Just outside our territory, and maybe a mile or two away from our firehouse, is a firehouse covering a neighboring township. Because a volunteer firefighter just can't get enough calls to respond to, many of our volunteers run calls for both companies. If we weren't busy at our station, and they got something that sounded good, we would jump in our cars and run to the other station and help them out.

It happened to be one of those days when we were just sleeping in late on a Sunday morning in the bunk room at Station 54. An occasional door would open, a member would walk in dressed nicely, as if they were supposed to be at church but looking for a hiding place for an hour, then the room would fall back into silence. I was half in and out of my slumber and could barely hear the dispatch tones from the scanner in the next room. Suddenly, a door flew open and someone ran into the bunk room...

"72 has a house fire if you're going!" His voice trailed off as he ran to the door, obviously on his way to the neighboring firehouse. I initially rolled over in an attempt to ignore what was happening. I happened to enjoy sleeping in, and was really trying my best not to interrupt it this time. While acting like I didnt want to go, I did, however, tilt my head in a way I could make out what the voices on the scanner were saying. Sure enough, I heard the dispatcher calling for additional manpower for a truck to respond. I rolled over and sat up on the edge of my bunk. It only took a few seconds to decide to pull my sneakers on and fly out the door.

A few minutes of negotiating some windy back roads and I was pulling up outside Station 72. The doors were up and one truck was missing already. I quickly parked and ran into the station looking for my spare gear. I could hear the motor running in the ambulance parked inside the firehouse.

"Hey! I need an EMT Pat! Hurry up!"

I paused for a second. EMT? Thought this was a house fire, did I misunderstand in my sleepy condition?

"What do you have? Why EMT?" I yelled over to the ambulance driver.

"The pumper from 71 was responding to the house fire and hit a car!"

I couldn't grab my gear fast enough...in fact I didn't. I grabbed a helmet and coat and tossed it in the back of the ambulance and jumped up front. As I announced our response on the radio, other units started calling and asking us to expedite our response, it was definitely a serious one. We made our first turn and I could see a line of traffic already and we were still a half mile away. I reached over for the siren and turned it on, and didnt turn it off until we arrived. as we made our way through the Sunday morning traffic, we moved into the oncoming lane and travelled the last few blocks to the accident scene. We turned the corner behind a brick wall and suddenly the accidnet came into my view. A red fire truck was up off the road onto the sidewalk to the left, a small compact car was on the opposite side and it actually looked familiar. I grabbed the trauma box out of the back and started hustling toward the car. As the crowd parted away from the car a flashing blue light came into view. It was hanging from the top of the drivers door as if it was sitting on the roof during the collision. Just as I got to the car a firefighter turned to me ...

"Pat it's Herbie!"

At the same time I looked in through the window and saw that he was unconscious. I did recognize him as a firefighter from Station 72, and I reached in to check for a pulse. I felt a very faint pulse and he was barely breathing. I looked back at the Chief...

"We need rapid extrication here!"

The rescue crew began preparing for ripping the car door off, or even just pulling the driver out if need be, as the first paramedic arrived. He began patient assessment and began trying to start an airway right in the driver's seat. I kneeled behind him to assist in anything he asked for. A few minutes of working on trying to get an airway an IV and monitor set up, and suddenly his heart stopped. The paramedic stepped back...

"Cardiac arrest, pull him, now!"

I stepped over and held the stretcher in place as the rescue crew yanked him out of the car and placed him on the stretcher. I immediately began chest compressions as the medic started ventilating his airway. A group of firefighters assisted with wheeling the patient on the stretcher to the back of the ambulance. I stopped compressions and jumped up into the back of the ambulance to continue them. As the medics equipment was tossed into the ambulance they closed the doors...

"Let's go!" the medic shouted up to the driver. I tried to get into a position where I could keep doing chest compressions while riding in a moving ambulance. I wedged myself between the stretcher and the wall and we were off. I never stopped pumping on this firefighters chest until we pulled up outside the Emergency Room where doctors and nurses were waiting outside for us. The doors flew open and someone took the stretcher right out from under me. With the back of the ambulance empty now, I just collapsed and sat on the floor, staring at the debris left by a working paramedic, trying to save a life. I slid to the back step, but couldnt get out and walk into the hospital. I sat staring at the black top behind the ambulance.

"Hey, was that a firefighter that just died?" I looked up to see a security guard sucking on a cigarette, craning his head trying to get a look inside the ambulance like papparazzi with the scoop.

I nodded with tear filled eyes. "Yeah, he was one of ours." The security guard nodded back and walked away.

The next time I saw Herbie, I was in a line of firefighters dressed in our Class A uniforms with Taps being played in the distance at his burial. I felt the familiar guilt one feels after a patient dies, but I wasn't alone. The driver of the fire truck was also suffering with the se feelings for being the one involved in the accident. These feelings would continue until it was announced that Herbie suffered a massive heart attack while responding to the house fire. He apparently passed out while driving and drifted into the path of the responding fire apparatus. It was clear, there was nothing the truck driver could have done, and there was nothing we could have done to save him.

We miss you Herbie, rest in peace brother.