# First call as EMT-B



## ki4mus

alright, this was my first call after I recived my card in the mail, I got the card at 1600 on a Thursday, and 0130 Friday morning tones drop for a man having chest pain. As I have been doing ride-alongs with my department for about 6 months and been around it all my life I didn't really think much of jumping out of bed and running to the Crew Hall with my little red light going, well we got to the scene, and there was nothing, no lights on, no little old lady sitting on the porch with a bag packed, nothing...not to mention that just the look of the place made the hair on the back of all of our necks stand up...

on the truck was me, a guy that I went to high school with, and "mother" -the chief's wife-. "Mother" made me and the other guy go check it out first. We went around the residence, announcing ourselves, gained access though the front door (open, and not really the front, it was the only one, and was hidden...) we had cleared all but the last 2 rooms, when my partner turned a corner and his face just dropped, he turned white as a sheet.

Our pt. was laying in the floor,(with out any pulses, per. partner) naked as a jay bird, in a pool of blood and crap that covered the floor of the room (about 10ft by 12ft). and my partner just starts yelling, we need......and then he went though a list as long as my arm...(it didn't help that he had just watched The Hills have Eye's) but anyhow, he freaked (I was looking in the next room and yet to see the pt.) and ran out and yelled at "mother" to call law enforcement...

they showed up, cleared the house, and we went back inside to see what was up... by that time lavidity (yeah, I know it's misspelled) had set in. and he was called DOA.  

for 3 weeks I didn't run a "normal" call, most of the ones I ran in that period were known drug dealers that waited until they knew no cops were coming before the took there had out from under a rolled up blanket or some such object (normally with a gun or knife in it...)
it's been a around a year sense then, and about the only thing I haven't worked so far is a gun shot, and I pray that it stays that way, but no matter what my first call will always stay in my mind.

(Does a person's first call normmally stay with them even if it is a "routine" call)


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## ffemt8978

My first call was on a weekday about 930 in the morning.  We were dispatched for a "Man Down" and it was the AC and myself who initially responded.  At this time, I had received word from the state & NREMT that I had passed my testing, but hadn't actually received my card in the mail.

We responded, with me driving.  As we arrive on scene, we see two guys from the local cable company doing CPR on an elderly gentleman who was laying between his car and a 3 foot snowbank.  (Did I forget to mention that this was in South Dakota in January, with a 30 below windchill?)

I remember getting out of the rig, grabbing the O2 and defib, and go to work.  Shock the guy once, and while looking for the Combitube, realize that the AC is still in the rig!  :sad:

I place the Combitube, and take over compressions for the cable guys after my AC comes up and starts bagging the patient.  He later told me that he was updating the responding ambulance that CPR was in progress.  The paramedics arrived, start the IV, and push the first round of cardiac drugs.  The guy woke up in the back of the ambulance and started talking to the medics.  PD went to the house to tell the guy's wife that he was going to the hospital.  She stated that he had left about 630 this morning to go to the store (he never made it), and then shut the door on the officer! <_<

The guy died later that night of a second MI.


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## Epi-do

I have no clue what my first run was.  I do remember one of the first GSWs I had, but I know it wasn't my very first run ever.

We were dipatched for a PI, and arrive to find a small car, escort or something similar, through a fence and into a large, empty parking lot.  PD arrived at the same time we did, so we waited for the scene to be cleared after getting additional info from dispatch that shots had been fired in the area.

The driver of the car was an early 20-something male with a single GSW to the head.  I had tha tdeer in the headlights look until one of the two other EMET's I was with gave me a shove and told me to go get a backboard.  We boarded the guy and got him into the back of our truck.  About that time the medic arrived onscene, jumped in with us and we headed for the hospital.  I did chest compressions all the way there, but the ER called the kid a few minutes after we got there.

I couldn't sleep the rest of the night, or most of the following morning.  I went home, woke up my boyfriend (current husband) and a little bit at a time eventually got the whole story out to him, although it took most of the day.  Something about the entire run just really stuck with me and I couldn't shake it.  It took me about a week to figure out why.  I didn't personally know the guy, but I had heard his name in conversations.  I had a couple friends that did know him, and they had mentioned him from time to time.

It's the closest I have ever come to having a run on someone I know.


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## hitechredneckemt

Not my first run but there are two that will always stick with me. First one was a 16 month old female that had been shaken. Completely unresponsive, It was a save thanks to having a great medic. The second and most recent was a 4-wheeler versus tree cpr in progress upon arrival unfortunately we did not save that one, not mention he was the son of a very close friend.The entire crew knew him and his family. Both runs have made me wonder if this is the profession i want to stay in but im still here, so i guess ive got something to give.


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## firecoins

My first call ever in an ambulance was at 16. It was a Friday night.  I always rode on Friday nights.  I just had CPR, was riding as "youth corp" member. It was December of 1994.  It was an old man who "slipped on ice"  in the driveway.  His wife told us he slipped and would not stop talking.    Officer who also responded checked out the driveway and came back in the house.  There was no ice.  Guy was having a stroke.  

My first call as an EMT was in April of 06.  It was a cancellation.  My second was for an RN in a monor mva.  She made ne real nervous second guessing everything I did.


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## LilHobbit

*Unexpected and Uneventful First Call*

My first call was actually this past Saturday.  I was supposed to be coming in just to do paperwork and then head home, but as I was filling everything out and watching mandatory videos, my boss asks me if I want to go out on a call.  Being a newbie and eager to get started, of course I said yes!

It ended up just being a transport case.  An elderly woman in a nursing home being transported to the ER for possible DVT (which should have been addressed much earlier).  Unfortunately she also had head trauma from a fall a few days ago that she doesn't remember and no one at the nursing home bothered to have a doc look at it.  

It clued me in very quickly to the sad state of some of the nursing homes in the area where no one really cares.

I ended up being on 2 other calls that day including 2 ALS calls.  One was a 10 year old kid who wanted lights and sirens as it was her first Ambulance trip.  It was also my first lights and sirens run too!


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## Emt /b/

MVA. We got there and cancelled for no need. Pretty exciting.


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## certguy

*My first call*

I'd become an EMT while in the Navy and in all the ambulance runs I did there , I was extra manpower . My first run as pt. man was in the FD . It was a hot day and we had just finished some training ( I still was wearing bunker pants ) when the call came in for a difficulty breathing in an auto - aid area we cover . Our duty LT. and I responded , as well as a rescue unit from the other dept. On our arrival , we found an 86 y/o male CTD ( circling the drain ) Pale , diaphoretic , clutching his chest , and crappy vitals . Just what you want to hear when you're 20 min. out from the nearest facility on windy mountain roads  with no ALS backup . I told my partner I had a bad feeling about this one and I wanted a spare pair of hands in the back . He asked the other Capt. for her firefighter . She told us her FF was brand new and had no training , sorry . I looked her in the eye and asked what her newby was doing there then ( something that got me in trouble later but seemed the thing to do at the time ) I told my partner we need to go . Pt. went into resp. arrest 2 blocks from his house and full code about a minute later . To make it worse , the A/C wasn't working in the back . Just before we got to the ER , I got a pulse and resp. back and had to pull the OPA as he'd started to choke on it . As we entered the last intersection before the ER , a car ran the red light and nearly hit us , throwing me into the cabinets and bruising my arm pretty bad . As I picked myself up off the floor , the code team was taking the pt. out and questioning why the airway was beside him and not inserted . ( he coded again ) Hosp. revived him again , but lost him later and I nearly became a pt. myself from heat exhaustion . I could've wrung out my t - shirt . Murphy worked overtime on that call .


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## rescue_dog

Mine was a Thursday afternoon fire standby.  Pretty much meant that I was playing waterboy for the people having the real fun.  The only thing that makes it memorable is that one of the firefighters got his first save.  A Ving Rhames look-alike came out the door with his O2 tank, crowbar and a shell-shocked cocker spaniel.  I wanted to actually do something, but we figured that the dog wouldn't tolerate a nasal cannula too well.


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## milhouse

i really dont remember what my first call was but i do remember what my first PT was. thats because she was DOA had a GI bleed and yeah. it was weird because i hadnt even had a chance to get comfy in the ER durning my clinical time i think i had been there maybe 5 mins or less and an elderly female came in DOA. I will admit it was kinda weird seeing a person dead for the first time (other than family). 

anyways i really dont remember what my first calll was but knowing the area that i live in it was probably an elderly chest pain or a fall. thats just what most of the calls are. i never got a MVC or trauma durning my clinical time. which i was disappointed about because i was hoping to get one of those types of calls so i could get some experience as a student with that. 

I did handle PT care very well according to all the medics that i was with.


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## EMT815

I had my first call as an emt tonight, woman fell possible fx to the hip, nothing major. My first call while I was doing my observations was much more interesting 12 day old with difficulty breathing  medics ended up doing everything but it sure  got that adrenaline pumping


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## crash_cart

Mine was a few months back. 60 year old Hispanic male, complaining of chest pain.  Vitals were roughly-200/100, 26 resp, 97% Pulseox,  cool and diaphorous skin.  His pain dissipated and his skin dried up again.  Turns out it was a textbook case of angina.  The family had gotten into an argument and that's when the angina took over.  After relaxing him and getting him oxygen, he was good to go.  It wasn't a "memorable" call _per se_, but the first time that pager went off is something I'll never forget.


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## Topher38

As a fire fighter it was a car accident
As EMS ride along it was a abdominal pain.
Real easy call, walked in, family standing there, old fella in a great mood was sitting in a chair with his nasal canula on. They gave us some info about him and we left, assessed the quadrants on the way to the hospital, the guy was in a great mood the entire time. Pretty good call for my first EMS call ever. I would rather have had that then a multi-truama car accident or something so yea it was a good call for a newbie.


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## ILemt

*First calls*

First call as a student:
 I remember as if it happened two minutes ago instead of two years...

Two car MVA with entrappments and death in the compartments. 
 Needless to say but not only was the on scene work a blast but the transport was a toughie to work. 
I loved every minute of it.

First call as a certed EMT: Multiple GSW...shotgun (remember every bit)
long story short we basically did open chest CPR as the entire front ribcage and left arm were ripped away by the gunblasts. My medic later stated that he'd never started lines inside someones chest before. First learned that blood had a smell. 

First call with own pt: Childbirth: (no I didnt deliver) an OB team jumped into the rig as we pulled in, we (ems) jumped out, and the kid came into the world two minutes later. 

I LOVE trauma. I love ems, I love helping people. But for better or worse not a single call I have ever had has affected me. No, not bothered me, AFFECTED ME. I dont even think of my calls once I leave work. Never felt good about a call, just knew I'd done my job, Never had a single nightmare, and Ive done GSWs CPR on family members, 3rd degree burns on Peds. Maybe there is something wrong with me. Meh.. I hope tones drop for a car wreck tonite...its icy.  ( no i am not someone who wants folks to get hurt, I just want to get paid for doing my job, instead of sitting on my butt)


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## Topher38

ILemt said:


> First call as a student:
> I remember as if it happened two minutes ago instead of two years...
> 
> Two car MVA with entrappments and death in the compartments.
> Needless to say but not only was the on scene work a blast but the transport was a toughie to work.
> I loved every minute of it.
> 
> First call as a certed EMT: Multiple GSW...shotgun (remember every bit)
> long story short we basically did open chest CPR as the entire front ribcage and left arm were ripped away by the gunblasts. My medic later stated that he'd never started lines inside someones chest before. First learned that blood had a smell.
> 
> First call with own pt: Childbirth: (no I didnt deliver) an OB team jumped into the rig as we pulled in, we (ems) jumped out, and the kid came into the world two minutes later.
> 
> I LOVE trauma. I love ems, I love helping people. But for better or worse not a single call I have ever had has affected me. No, not bothered me, AFFECTED ME. I dont even think of my calls once I leave work. Never felt good about a call, just knew I'd done my job, Never had a single nightmare, and Ive done GSWs CPR on family members, 3rd degree burns on Peds. Maybe there is something wrong with me. Meh.. I hope tones drop for a car wreck tonite...its icy.  ( no i am not someone who wants folks to get hurt, I just want to get paid for doing my job, instead of sitting on my butt)





Wow man you had a handful for first calls. GEEZE! All my first calls where simple as you can see above my first call was very laid back, which is kind of what I was hoping for.

Thats one call I would not like to go to. Full thickness burns on a ped. Not for me. Ill do what needs to be done, but it would definetly not go over well for me afterwards. Thats a great way to handle it though. I hope I can handle everything like that.


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## rsdemt

I have had several calls, like this one. I sometimes wonder if it is the right thing to do also. But I just rember the people I have he;[ed, and saved. That makes it all worth it.


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## CFRBryan347768

*My First Call As A CFR*

well we had responded to a call for chest pain and while in the hospital we recieved a second chest pain call, grabbed the medic and went, we arrive on scene medic and emt's are talking and im standing there clueless because im just a cfr, but i know something was going to go wrong. we pull up at the hospital i go to jump out and i hear "bryan start bagging" my jaw drops and i immediately grab the bvm b4 the emt could cause i knew i wouldnt get a second chance at doing something important!! so im bagging and the medic is doing a bunch of stuff and my emt partner is just standing there....and we got him back....yay!!! well on the way into the er we lost him and b4 the medic could even think about doing compressions i was all over it and we got him back once more....any way the guy ended up dying but for all the youth corp and other CFR's prove to your crew you know your stuff and are confident and theyll let ya do just abt anything!


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## Ops Paramedic

Sorry, no can do, way to long ago!!  

Good poll though!!


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## Jeremy89

milhouse said:


> ....it was weird because i hadnt even had a chance to get comfy in the ER durning my clinical time i think i had been there maybe 5 mins or less and an elderly female came in DOA. I will admit it was kinda weird seeing a person dead for the first time (other than family).



Same with me. Of the 6 guys in my class, I was the only one to get a resp. arrest that turned into a code.  I did compressions for awhile until we finally called it 45 minutes later...

I've yet to get on a rig because no one will hire me without experience so maybe that's the only thing I'll ever see... I dunno

Jeremy


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## medicp94dao

I wasnt even on duty for my first call. I was training a newbie at my other job when a car hit a pot hole started to fish tail and hit a house right in front of us. Talk about pucker factor. I didnt even believe my eyes. There were five patients. All were okay (drunk) but no injuries. Thank god no-one was home. All were taken to the ED and treated. The driver was arrested. talk about a weird Wednesday.


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## medic_chick87

EMT Clinicals: Had a sweet little old lady. I dont really remeber what the she was complaining of, all I remeber was that fire had me take the BP. Took the BP, heard nothing, tried again, heard nothing. I dont know how many times I tried and I couldnt hear a bloody thing (poor little lady's arm was killing her). Finally fire took it for me and got it on the first try. Got back on the engine and this was where I first learned that if the bell of your stethoscope is turned the wrong way you wont be able to hear anything. Talk about embarrassing! 

Medic Intern: Nice elderly gentleman c/o abdominal pain. Was nervous as all get out, assessment was all over the place but managed to get through it. Then came the IV. Got it no worries! Unfortunately I didnt tamponade as well as I should have and bleed all over his nice _white_ carpet. He was really nice about it though and said that he would have house keeping take care of it.


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## emtwacker710

hmm...my first call...was in June of '04...I was on with a new crew, I had never pulled duty before and it was me, another basic and a level 3 tek, we did all of our regular station stuff, dinner, tv, cleaning, then hung out for a while, we went to bed around 0000 and at about 0430 we are dispatched for an intentional overdose of an unknown pill, we staged in the area until a patrol arrived and cleared the scene, it was a 78y/o male who told us simply "I want to die"..he took an entire bottle of sleeping pills (i used to remember the name but i've forgotten it by now) thinking that he would just drift off and die, but nope the wife decided to go to the bathroom at the same time and found him in the living room taking the whole bottle of pills...our tek followed all his protocols, IV, monitor, vitals all that...it was a pretty basic call but it was my first.


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## Shanz

My first call on a squad during intern was nothing big but something that blew my mind....we got called to a 58y/o male complaining of sob.  Upon arrival we are met out front by his daughter to explains he has COPD and was just realized from the hospital earlier that day.  So we go around back to find the man in tri-pod sitting on the picnic table hooked up to o2 with a ciggerette in his hand.  Really??  smokin on O2 already not being able to breath.  The medic i was with asked him to put out his ciggerette as he did this he looked up at me and said "oh no shes not touching me I have shoes older than she is" through the whole call the medics tried to assure him i was trained and i knew what i was doing but he refused to let me touch him, he yelled at me the WHOLE call.  Had me about in tears at one point when we arrived to the hopsital.  yeah that was great.

My frist pt in the ER during intern during school was a bit different.   We had fire show up without any warning, no call over radio or nothing so we were not ready for and I had been there all of ten minutes anyway and I had no idea where anything was being I was still talking to the charge nurse getting aquainted.  They showed up with a 38y/o female who looked pissed as hell with ash on her face.   EMS pulled the charge nurse outta the room and she grabbed me to go with her.  We found out that she was actually a physc patient who had taken about 15 or so xanax put all her bills(ie mortage, lights, water, gas, ect...) into a pile in the middle of her living room, poured gas on them, and light them on fire.  She stated that when the smoke dectors went off she got up unplugged it, took more xanax and went back to sleep on her couch.  A few HOURS later the husband showed up, asked if he could see his wife, we told him not at this minute, she was in with physc getting a mental eval. and he goes "ok" and walks away, we didnt see him again.  She got transfered to the local physc hopsital after HOURS of fighting with them to get her a bed.    I really dont think I will ever forget that, I dunno why but its was just like "damn"


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## Explorer127

medic_chick87 said:


> EMT Clinicals: Had a sweet little old lady. I dont really remeber what the she was complaining of, all I remeber was that fire had me take the BP. Took the BP, heard nothing, tried again, heard nothing. I dont know how many times I tried and I couldnt hear a bloody thing (poor little lady's arm was killing her). Finally fire took it for me and got it on the first try. Got back on the engine and this was where I first learned that if the bell of your stethoscope is turned the wrong way you wont be able to hear anything. Talk about embarrassing!
> 
> 
> 
> haha, same thing happened with me, my first day being an EMT-Explorer..
> i was at a town event, and a little old lady wanted her BP taken, and i decided to try and do it....
> 
> i heard absolutely nothing.
> 
> i later found out that it was the same reason as your's lol.
Click to expand...


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## Explorer127

omarsobh said:


> medic_chick87 said:
> 
> 
> 
> EMT Clinicals: Had a sweet little old lady. I dont really remeber what the she was complaining of, all I remeber was that fire had me take the BP. Took the BP, heard nothing, tried again, heard nothing. I dont know how many times I tried and I couldnt hear a bloody thing (poor little lady's arm was killing her). Finally fire took it for me and got it on the first try. Got back on the engine and this was where I first learned that if the bell of your stethoscope is turned the wrong way you wont be able to hear anything. Talk about embarrassing!
> .
> 
> 
> 
> haha, same thing happened with me, my first day being an EMT-Explorer..
> i was at a town event, and a little old lady wanted her BP taken, and i decided to try and do it....
> 
> i heard absolutely nothing.
> 
> i later found out that it was the same reason as your's lol
Click to expand...


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## Jon

I can't remember my first ambulance call.

I remeber my first bad trauma (ended up a fatal), I remember my first call after being signed off as a "crew chief" at both my volunteer squads, and I remember my first call at my current job (because it was also the first time I ever used a Hare Traction splint).


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## Airwaygoddess

*First call!*

Dispatched out to an 82 y/o woman C/O SOB, three minutes out dispatch radios per fire traffic patient was now a full code blue........ YIKES!!!


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## MedicDoug

It was a dark and stormy night (really) in Central New York back in the 70s. Roads iced over, sleet, snow, hail, and cats and dogs I'm sure. I'm getting near the end of my "riding-third" training when the Ops Supe calls the Crew Chief and me into his office at about 1700. Seems one of the night shift EMTs couldn't make it in because of the weather... 
"College Boy doin' alright?" says the Supe.
"Yup, I think we can turn him loose after today" says the Chief.
"Well, College", says the Supe. "What are you doing tonight, because you're the only EMT I've got who's not snowed in somewhere else..."
<<gulp>> "I guess I'm driving an ambulance, sir." (I was much more respectful back then... and besides, the Supe was a legend)
First call out of the barn was a chain reaction MVA on the interstate, about 20 cars... My imagination is working about a thousand miles per hour, conjuring up multi-system trauma patients strewn across the pavement, blood and bone and brain matter everywhere... started applying the brakes at the first sight of the wreck, and didn't actually stop until we were past the furthest car. Twenty or so car lengths at 1-2 mph seems like forever...  my partner and I literally crawl from car to car because we can't stand up on the ice. How we got no transports from this mangled mass of metal I'll never know.... how I was actually able to break the seat suction and get out of the rig after that massive pucker I'll also never know!!!


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## ErinCooley

My very first call as a student rider was a little old lady who was probably having a stroke.

My very second call was a made who cut his brachial artery after getting his shirt caught in a tractor augar.  The shirt made a natural tourniquet which kept him alive.  We did the whole life flight, IO... everything.  I was scared :censored::censored::censored::censored:less and probably not much help!!


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## BossyCow

My first call solo as an EMT was a little old lady with what initially presented as a little TIA. She had a headache, diminished LOC but as we arrived on scene, was coming out of it. She was in her 90's and blind in one eye since childhood so no pupil to compare to the other one. No ALS available, just me and a driver. Vitals improving, LOC increasing, I'm thinking this is going to be OK. About 10 miles down the road, her eyeballs do that fixed deviated gaze and she starts seizing. Driver gets on the radio, calls in to dispatch to see if ALS is available yet... nope... We upgrade to code and beat feet for the hospital. Gal seized 3 times more on the way in. As I left the hospital, doc is having the 'it's time to make some decisions' talk with the lady's niece. Boy, was I surprised when I got another call for her a year and a half later!


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## emtsteve87

My first one was a 21 y/o pregnant female c/o abdominal pains. The tones went out at 10PM on a Friday night. On the rig was myself, another EMT-B and a driver, we arrive on scene and she was just sitting on the bed holding her stomach. She explains that shes about 6 months in, that it will be her first child, and that the pains have been present for about a week. 

We get her in the rig get ALS on the way, they tell us to get ready to deliver from the sounds of it, we get the OB kit out and everything ready. On the way to the hospital her pain increases from about an 8 to a 10 and she tells us that she feels that shes going to pass something. I'm lily white by this point thinking that I'm going to have to deliver a miscarriage on my first run. The other two EMTs are laughing at my expense. 

We finally get to the hospital with so far nothing passed. She passed gas and her pain went away totally. She forgot to mention when we asked her when she last ate that it was Mexican and doesn't sit well with her.:excl:


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## mdkemt

My first call when doing my practicum was a midle aged man who was hit by a front end loader on the railway tracks.  They were doing some kind of maintenance.  We got onto scene and the first question I asked was if someone called the CN (railway company) to make sure no trains were coming.  Once this was secured we went and assessed the patient.  I took c-spine as I was on my very first call and as I was instructed to do.  Pt was Cx+A*4 VS stable.  Only major trauma noted was deformity to the left ankle.  We spinaled the patient and splinted the ankle.  There were some cuts and bruises as well but nothing major. This patient was happy to get paid time off!:lol:

When I got back to my hometown, I was doing my practical in a different town, I went for coffee with a friend.  She was telling me how one of her dads workers got injured in the town I was working.  Told me how he got hit by a loader.  Then as she was getting to the end of her story she said her name was Megan he said.  Then looked at me and said "It was you" I just smiled and I guess we will never know.  Apparently this man was so impressed with the care I provided that he called both my college and then service I was working for to make sure they knew.

This is why I love EMS because some people out there truely appreciate what we do out there.


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## jazminestar

my first call doing a ride along with the fd, we were called to burger king for a older gentleman who had passed out and hit his head in the bathroom.....apparently he had a stroke, him and his buddies went there every morning for coffee for the past like 20 years.......and when we got him on the rig, poor guy, he was former military so i think he was kind of embarassed......but was super nice 

the last call of that night was the best, call to a residence of women who had fallen and hit her head.......she apparently had been doing some prescription drugs with her boyfriend and drinking, she had a seizure and did a good one to her forehead......typical signs of head injury, scared, combative, wasn't sure what was going on......we ended up having to restrain her......i felt bad for her cuz all these big firefighter guys and medics are trying to help.....it felt good though since i was the only chick, she connected with me :blush: and i was able to help calm her down and get the info we needed and get her to the hospital without her flipping out too much.....can't wait to start working and really get out there


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## RailFan77

My first call was actually quite boring.  An 84 y.o. woman with chest pains....a basic transport to the hospital.  I remember every detail of it like it was yesterday though...and it was actually 10 years ago.


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## Kate-Lynn

The first call I went on was while riding out with my sister and her partner. I couldn't do anything but observe, obviously, but it was a good one. It was a MVA. 3 cars involved. The only pt. transported was asummed to have caused the accident (she was intoxicated). While we were transporting she kept saying just let me die and other things to that effect. Probably just the alcohol/drugs talking. Nothing TOO exciting but it was a good first in my opinion. Not too messy not too boring.


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## Station2

My first call was a loader (a bulldozer with tires instead of a track) rollover.  This guy had been grading a dirt road in a remote mountain location when his loader blew a tire, left the road, and rolled off the side embankment.  Fortunately for him, the loader had an enclosed cab which prevented him from getting crushed, however, it did rattle him around like a pinball because of course he wasn't wearing a seatbelt.  The patient had managed to get himself out of the cab and walk up the road 30 yards or so before collapsing.  Fortunately for him, someone happened to pass by this remote location soon thereafter and spot him on the side of the road.  The reporting party had to drive a ways to get cell service, and then gave terrible directions.  We expected to find the patient a good 6-9 miles past where we found him.  Had we not had a gut feeling to take a sort of scenic shortcut we never would have found him so quickly.  It was hard to tell the extent of his injuries, seeing as how he was swollen everywhere.  We packaged the patient, prepared him for the Air Idaho helicopter, set up a landing zone, got him loaded, and watched him fly away.  It was a great first call.


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## snaketooth10k

*Not really a call*

I went to National Youth Leadership Training over the last summer. This was before I had any medical training other than some first aid. We were having a competition in the dining hall, when one of the counselors runs out of the kitchen screaming and getting blood *EVERYWHERE*. I snapped out of my seat and ran up to help the staffers, who seemed incompetent as far as treatment goes. I sat down near his head and talked to him, while the staffers piled gauze onto his hand. He said that he cut his hand with a knife and then hit a blazing pot with his hand. A couple minutes later, the Camp EMT showed up and took over. I moved the counselor into the back of an SUV and they took him to the hospital... or so I thought.

Two minutes later that kid came walking back into the room laughing. I was commended for being the only non-staffer to assist the counselor. I still think it was a totally :censored::censored::censored::censored: move though. :glare:


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## mikeylikesit

my first call was three years ago i ran on an OLD (old lady down) call. she had fallen off the last step in her daughters apartment and twisted her ankle. we arrived and I took vitals, after we loaded her up and i was taking a history i kept hearing the daughter up fornt asking my partner if i was old enough to be working in an ambulance i look like im fourteen now mind you but i still got a kick out it all. the pt. never once questioned my age or ability thoughB)


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## laina66

I had been elected Sergeant shortly after becoming an EMT, so I was in a rush to become a Crew Chief. My first call was for a female- syncope. got there and she was on the floor in a dorm hall with one slipper on--the other across the hall. she was completely out of it and looked like she hadn't eaten since she was 12. Needless to say, she had gone running (5 miles) without eating all day and barely had enough fluids to keep her from drying up and rotting away. 

The most memorable of my "first" calls was actually my third. We were in the bunkroom, and I had just taken a nap, so I had my EMS pants off (shorts underneath) since I have all the gear in my pockets...
I was standing at the desk looking up new gear for the bunkroom and we get toned out for a female with an "unexplained bump on her foot." I jumped in front of my friend to grab my pants and boots and he bent down just as I was in front of him. due to our LOVELy height differences, his forehead whacked me right in the nose. I drove to the call, and the whole ride my eyes kept tearing and I was thinking like..WOW this is a great deal of pain. i blew it off for a couple of days until we had our officers meeting on that following Wednesday night and all of the sudden the areas surrounding my occipital bones swelled up and hurt so bad I couldn't open my eyes with the lights on. I went to the ER only to find out that I had a hairline fracture. AWESOME!

The next night I had a sexual/physical assualt victim-- her ex-boyfriend tried to break her neck and then raped her. Lovely. Especially when it was my boyfriend, 1 officer, and I on scene...all of which guys except me--needless to say she didn't want to talk much in front of them. she was fine in the ambulance with me though...just violent as hell and spitting blood everywhere. it was...beautiful. and yes, that IS sarcasm.


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## Jeremy89

I went to CA this weekend to do a ride along with the Julian FD, up in the mountains.  It was dead until about 4 in the afternoon when we got dispatched to Lake Cuyamaca for an unconscious pt.  We rolled up to find a 73 y/o male on the beach with a towel, sitting on a chair.  Fire was already on scene.  We talked to him and the son to find out what happened.  He had just finished chemo and the medication change made him dizzy so he  just kinda blacked out.  Luckily the son caught him.  They ended up using a stair chair to get him into the Ambo where we took his vitals.  The medic I was riding with wanted to do a 12-lead.

She was real cool about helping me set it up and print it and everything.  The monitor found A-Fib.  We asked him about his heart and he knew he had an abnormal heartbeat but refused to be transported.  We took his sugar, BP, pulse, etc and he signed the AMA.  We left and that was that.

I guess I could consider this my first call as an EMT even though I was technically just riding.  Nothing too interesting but I still learned a lot from it.


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## LIFESAVER4U

My first call was my best freinds dad he had a massive MI. My first call shift, my first call. I will never forget that one.


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## mikeylikesit

LIFESAVER4U said:


> My first call was my best freinds dad he had a massive MI. My first call shift, my first call. I will never forget that one.


i bet you will never forget. did his dad make it?


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## lightsandsirens5

My first call as a 3rd party was a 26 y/o female, poss. OD. Call was about 15-20 miles out of town. (Rural ambulance service) Dispatch did not have any more info as they couldn't get a hold of the RP. (Turned out the caller was the Pt's father on the other side of the state! How he knew, unless she called him and told him, I'll never know.) On scene found Pt. sitting on her couch holding her head. Sheriff told us she had taken something close to a whole bottle of Tylenol(?) P.M. But didn't know why she had. Asked Pt. if she was home alone. She replied that she was, and then proceeded to start gagging and retching. One of the crew members helped her while I got the gurney inside with the Sheriff. As we were taking her out of the house she said something like don't forget my baby, he is in the back room. (You might have told us that before lady!:wacko The sheriff went to get him and we ended up taking him with us. I believe the Pt. may have been flown out to a bigger hospital in the city.


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## Stewart1990

my first call was when i was 16, was running MA call with local FD. 30-something yo fem. w/ chest pains. basic eval. and transport. But my most memorable was my second call. We were on out way to a call (cant remember what it was) and came across an overturned pickup pts still inside. FD extricated and we boarded and booked. Fem. passenger c/o back/neck pain, male driver mild abr. . I remember it so well because of how cold it was in conjunction with working traffic with FD. Fun.


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## Medic506

My first ever call was an MVC.  No damage to either car and the woman in the passenger seat was the biggest prima donna I've ever seen! Her neck hurt oh so bad!

I'm envious (if ya wanna call it that) of all y'all.  I've been a Basic for about a year and rode with my company for a couple years before that as an observer.  I'm a full-time dispatcher, but also work in a rig a couple shifts a week in our county region. I've only ever run back to the hospital with my lights and sirens once, and that was cuz the woman was diabetic and we couldn't get an IV on her.


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## Parama-dick

My first call as an EMT-B was a fall.  A woman in her late 40s had slipped on her tile floor and hit her shin on the the dishwasher, leaving a nice chunk of flesh completely missing.  His her head and shoulder on the floor.  Complete break to the clavicle and a nice lac and hematoma on the side of her head.  I think she also had a broken wrist.  Took her BLS she refused pain meds...


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## MedicTom

My first call was to one of our local correctional facilities for chest pain.  I had a wonderful career, military AEMT as the in charge on the call.  He gave me the best advice I ever got from any EMS provider.  "No matter who your patient is, they are still a human being and they deserve respect."  I carry that philosophy with me to this day.


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## nibejeebies

Well Im not an EMT yet (NR practical is 4/30), but let me share these Firsts:

First Medical Call with my Volunteer FD:
     MVC with 90% Decapitation, 18 yo F

Ride Along in an Ambulance before going to EMT school:
Full Amputation of the hand from just above the wrist (tones when out and i thought i was going to vomit when i saw it, got there and Held the Hand while they were applying pressure dressings.  Was surprized didnt even get the feeling of wooziness, got done with the call and the Medic told me that I should deff go to emt school. 

First Call as EMT Student on a clinical:
3 month old respitory dypena arrive on scene and she codes. get her into the ambulance, the medic is screaming at the emt to hit the gas, we start infant CPR and by the time we got to the ER (Very Very long transport) she was crying top if her lungs. 

Ive never thought I would feel so good about hearing an child cry.  That was three months ago, and the medic has called me twice to check to see how im coping with it, and to tell me that the family stoped by the station to show off there perfectly healthy baby girl.


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## irish_handgrenade

First call as an EMT-B, we responded to an unkown medical... We arrived on scene to a 275-300 pound man laying in his hallway with no pants on and covered in dry poop. social worker gave us a brief ( so brief she failed to mention a recent closed head injury) we found out the guy was diabetic and had seizures from his med list. His blood sugar was good, so we assumed he'd had a seizure. Well the only two things the pt said to us was "stop it" and " F*** YOU!" and was a little combative so we had the S.O. send a deputy with us in the truck. Well the ride was pretty quiet, the pt slept most of the way until we pulled into the ER bay. Pt began to squirm and kick his feet as we pulled him into the ER. We pulled into trauma 1 and slid him on to the ER bed and as I reached across him to untangle his O2 tubing I realized that I had just been punched in the face harder than I have ever been hit before. I got a little woozy and my contact lens got knocked out of my eye. The nurses got orders to sedate the pt while we restrained him. Come to find out the guy had a fever of 106 and had inter-cranial bleeding. 
I was told the guy was taken to ICU the next time I came into the ER but I never found out if the guy was ok or not. Everyone I told about it said they would have been pissed but I was ok with it, the guy was sick he didn't do it on purpose or anything. So that was my initiation into EMS LOL.


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## irish_handgrenade

Medic506 said:


> My first ever call was an MVC.  No damage to either car and the woman in the passenger seat was the biggest prima donna I've ever seen! Her neck hurt oh so bad!
> 
> I'm envious (if ya wanna call it that) of all y'all.  I've been a Basic for about a year and rode with my company for a couple years before that as an observer.  I'm a full-time dispatcher, but also work in a rig a couple shifts a week in our county region. I've only ever run back to the hospital with my lights and sirens once, and that was cuz the woman was diabetic and we couldn't get an IV on her.



why didn't you give glucagon?


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## DV_EMT

My first calls were as a ride along for my class.

1st - ped transport call. kid had a broken femur from jumping off his bike to avoid a guy who tried to "beat the light" in his car.

2nd - potential MI at a "doc-in-the-box".... that was a a joke of a call... the guy's vitals were just fine.

3rd - 91 y/o female. CHF and dimensia. that was a weird one to run. we got to the pt's home in the evening and she was lying in a pool of her own vomit and wheezing heavily. FD had cleaned her up when we got there, and boy oh boy you should have seen her medications. Ive seen a lot of people with 10-15 bottles of medications... not this lady. probably 30 different types of medications. anything from metoprolol to lisinopril and aricept. that was my job en route to the hospital. go through all her medications and tell the medic what type of medications she was taking..... by class (diuretics, beta antagonists, etc...)


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## Medic506

irish_handgrenade said:


> why didn't you give glucagon?



She wasn't conscious enough for it.


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## Ridryder911

Medic506 said:


> She wasn't conscious enough for it.



Huh? Glucagon is administered either IV or the most popular route of IM and usually for those that are unconscious and not being able to establish an IV.


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## bstone

Ridryder911 said:


> Huh? Glucagon is administered either IV or the most popular route of IM and usually for those that are unconscious and not being able to establish an IV.



Perhaps he thought you meant glucose paste.


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## Chelle

One of my first calls and one that I'll never forget was this past winter.  We got called to a rollover with the driver trapped under the car.  As soon as we pulled up the side door on the rig flew open.  This kid was standing there, trying to shake the ice chunks off his hair like a dog.  I felt completely disoriented because I was thinking...who the heck is this guy??  Turns out he was the guy who was pinned under the car.  Holy heck!  The firemen who were there before us picked the end of the car up that had him pinned.  All they could see at that point were two feet sticking out from under the car.  As soon as they lifted he popped up, yelling about being ok, just cold.  He walked with a dislocated shoulder.


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## jochi1543

My first call was a transfer and I drove (yes, exciting). My 2nd (and 1st emerg call) was an MVA. I remember it fairly well. It's the only MVA I've had to date, too.


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## Sasha

> 2nd - potential MI at a "doc-in-the-box".... that was a a joke of a call... the guy's vitals were just fine.



Fine for whom? Fine according to what you book says is normal? Did you ask him what his normal BP, pulse, etc, run? 

Did you take a look at the 12 lead to see what was going on with the heart? CP and crappy vitals are not the only indicatiors of an MI, there's all sorts of deferred pain, and not everyone's vitals are within what the book calls normal. Maybe he's normally 90/60 and was at 130/80. It's all relative, you've got to look past what the book tells you and think.

Did you ever do a follow up?


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## CAOX3

ILemt said:


> First call as a student:
> I remember as if it happened two minutes ago instead of two years...
> 
> Two car MVA with entrappments and death in the compartments.
> Needless to say but not only was the on scene work a blast but the transport was a toughie to work.
> I loved every minute of it.
> 
> First call as a certed EMT: Multiple GSW...shotgun (remember every bit)
> long story short we basically did open chest CPR as the entire front ribcage and left arm were ripped away by the gunblasts. My medic later stated that he'd never started lines inside someones chest before. First learned that blood had a smell.
> 
> First call with own pt: Childbirth: (no I didnt deliver) an OB team jumped into the rig as we pulled in, we (ems) jumped out, and the kid came into the world two minutes later.
> 
> I LOVE trauma. I love ems, I love helping people. But for better or worse not a single call I have ever had has affected me. No, not bothered me, AFFECTED ME. I dont even think of my calls once I leave work. Never felt good about a call, just knew I'd done my job, Never had a single nightmare, and Ive done GSWs CPR on family members, 3rd degree burns on Peds. Maybe there is something wrong with me. Meh.. I hope tones drop for a car wreck tonite...its icy.  ( no i am not someone who wants folks to get hurt, I just want to get paid for doing my job, instead of sitting on my butt)



You need to relocate

Open chest CPR, starting lines inside someones chest.

You sure you werent a actor on Third Watch.

As far as my first call as ant EMT.  Cant remember, matter of fact I cant remeber the first call I did yesterday.....Oh well


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## Afflixion

> I LOVE trauma. I love ems, I love helping people. But for better or worse not a single call I have ever had has affected me. No, not bothered me, AFFECTED ME. _I dont even think of my calls once I leave work._ Never felt good about a call, just knew I'd done my job, Never had a single nightmare, and Ive done GSWs CPR on family members, 3rd degree burns on Peds. Maybe there is something wrong with me.



Well then you obviously are truly a person of extreme apathy....or you have been on the job for what a few months? There's always at least one thing that affects everyone. Personally i think your FOS but that's just me. You ever work on someone you live with, work with every day, call your brother because they are closer than friends and most family could ever be...worked as hard you may, did everything in your power just to have them die on you? I have. I still dream of it and this was 2 years ago. Once you have been on the job long enough/ performed some of those things you claim to have. something will jostle you...make you question your profession, faith in humanity among other things. Don't try to bulls*** something like that. I have my Combat Medical Badge...that is something I would not wish on my worst enemy...


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## CAOX3

Afflixion said:


> Well then you obviously are truly a person of extreme apathy....or you have been on the job for what a few months? There's always at least one thing that affects everyone. Personally i think your FOS but that's just me. You ever work on someone you live with, work with every day, call your brother because they are closer than friends and most family could ever be...worked as hard you may, did everything in your power just to have them die on you? I have. I still dream of it and this was 2 years ago. *Once you have been on the job long enough/ performed some of those things you claim to have. something will jostle you...make you question your profession, faith in humanity among other things. Don't try to bulls*** something like that.* I have my Combat Medical Badge...that is something I would not wish on my worst enemy...



One word at times humbling

There is always one that you never forget.


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## Seaglass

On my first call ever, I was a ridealong. The alarm went off, and we went all of a block before we got canceled. 

My first call with an actual patient was a guy who seemed to be on an ever so slightly too high dose of beta blockers. He was in pretty good shape, so it wasn't a particularly memorable call otherwise.


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## JonTullos

I'll let you know soon enough I'm sure.  I start Basic tomorrow.


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## smurfe

I remember most every detail. June 5th, 1980 at 15:00. Two car MVA, head on at the top of a hill. Responded in an ILS unit. ILS could only do IV's and an EOA at that time. Arrive on scene one DOA, 16 y/o female laying next to car. Two unconscious teenagers in back seat of that car. Unresponsive driver entangled with bilateral femur dislocations at hip with the bones sticking through the skin. I will never forget that site of those bones. They were perfectly white with no blood or anything on them. You could see the condyles perfectly. 

Other vehicle driver had minor injuries and was a walking wounded. Second in unit came in right behind us. They were a mutual aid unit we me that was coming back from a transfer and turned around and came down to side road we were on. They took the two unconscious patients and the walking wounded. 

We extricated the entrapped driver in about 15 minutes and transported that one with a Rescue crew member driving us.. He coded about 10 minutes from the ER. We did CPR and got a pulse back briefly. He was pronounced about 15 minutes after arriving at ER. He had a ruptured aorta. I didn't know the kid personally but he was the son of a friend of the family. I will never ever forget this call.


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## MedicObserver

*My first call (Part 1)*

I still remember my first call as a certified observer. I was in a type II TraumaHawk (I love that word, I don't know why) and was riding with an EMT-I and a paramedic. I started the day at about 7:30 A.M. at corporate headquarters for the ambulance company. It was boring at first, sitting in the office watching a girl shuffle papers and make phone calls. Then, at about 9 A.M. my Paramedic I would be riding with (she is like my best friend ever now) came in and said our unit was ready. I followed her out to the ambulance bay and started looking over the unit we would be running all day. It was only a couple months old, a nice Ford diesel with everything on it; the Cadillac of the ALS industry. Then a little short guy came out and introduced himself as the EMT-I that would be going with us as well. It was funny; I was 14 and 6'3''. This guy was 37 and 5'9''. I got put in the driver's seat and was told to follow every instruction to the letter. First it was put the key to accessory, then the touch-panel on the dash lit up and authorized through the system. Once it was confirmed that we were who we said we were, Melissa reached over and tapped the screen to set up a siren program. Then, she hit the lights and got those going, then killed everything and told me to shut the key off. i id, and then she said to turn the key on again. i did everything like she did it, except i hit the wrong siren program and had to start it over. Holy crap, those things are loud inside of a steel building!!! I learned how to control the lights, siren, oxygen, and everything else all from that touch panel. Then I learned how to run the laptop to store the info and relay it to the E.R., and got a little lesson on the radio. I was having so much fun. Then the radio went bee, beep, beep, then kind of moaned. I had never heard the tones drop before so I thought I had done something wrong and broke it. Then Steve (the EMT-I) said we were being called out and that we needed to go. He took the jump seat in the back and I got the passenger's seat up front. Melissa(the Paramedic) started the ambulance up and hit the remote garage door opener button clipped to the visor. She said, "Pick that radio up right now and acknowledge the call!" I got on and said, "Dispatch this is four-five-one en route to MVA on South Grand AVE. Please acknowledge reciept of message". The dispatcher confirmed the information and we got going. We crept out of the building, then got out on the road and Melissa gave it all that it would take. She hollered, "I need lights and sirens!!" I set up the touch panel to run a full show of lights and then put on the Q and the screamer for the siren program. We had light traffic all the way to the scene, so we got some real speed in (I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THE SPEEDING PART!!) As we got closer I killed the screamer but left all the lights and the Q on. We rolled up and parked close to the scene and began our assessment. I stayed inside while Steve kicked the back door open and jumped out. I helped Melissa prep the stretcher and we threw the cardiopulmonary bag on and  put it out on the ground. We notified dispatch that we were on-scene and then we went. I slopped on some alcohol foam and threw on gloves as a precaution. I stayed about 20 feet from the area where they were loading the patient onto the stretcher and getting him ready for transport. I slid the side door of the patient compartment open and sat on the step watching it all. They finally came running back and said that the police were wanting to get the scene cleared to let traffic go. I knew that there wasn't a chance at all that this guy was gonna survive, but in EMS you never admit that until you know for sure. It was the worst I have ever seen, but I sat in the jump seat handing Steve whatever he needed while Melissa flew like a bat out of hell to the hospital. i somehow thought that maybe if I handed him the right thing as quick as I could that maybe it would make a difference in the patient's chances of survival; but in reality I knew that he wouldn't last to the E.R.


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## VFFforpeople

Mine was at 2319, for a 50ish (never did get her bday lol) yro F,possiable cardiac. Show up, dogs are barking like crazy, the daughter comes out to meet us. show us inside, put some O2 take vitals, her pain down grades, and took her to the hospital. simple call.


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## NREMTB12

Not my first EMS call but def. a memoralbe one about 1 month ago.  i heard the tones go out for EMS for a man that had fallen and requested to go to the hospital, i was close in town and they had called for lifting assistance so i headed that way.  when i got there i was greated by the EMT-b and the medic saying "we are going to need a lot more than you"...haha...after i entered the residence i found out why

Upon entering i observed a roughly 700+ pound man lying on the ground completly soaked in sweat, also included in that was blood, urine and fecal matter in liquid form.  he was septic, had enormous and full body decubitis, and i noticed his toenails were growing inside of themselves like, fritos from hell, we had to use a megamover kevlar blanket to get him out of the house and it took 10 of us...me, the emt, medic and 7 other fireman on call that day.  transported him into the hospital and obviously had to help them get him into the ER.  his stomach was gangrenous to later find out and he had massive infection throughout his body...he was literally a living, breathing, but fully rotting corpse and the smell from him and his house relayed that.

still, though i did not vomit or gag at all, it really didnt bother me, all though one of the big tough fireman started dry heaving after coming into the house and seeing the man.


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## CAOX3

I actually remember now, pregnant female minor MVA.

A few questions for MedicObserver, call me curious.  You got some real speed, you love the speeding part?  Have you not read all the posts about providers dying, innocent people dying?  See what happens when a speeding ambulance hits a compact car or minivan it isnt a pretty sight.

You took him to the hospital Mellisa driving like a bat out of hell, why isnt the paramedic in the back and the EMT I driving?  No one should be driving like a bat out of anywhere, especially with someone who from what your post states wasnt viable, your risking everyones life including your own.  

Sorry but this obviously needs to be stated more often because we cant seem to figure it out as a profession.


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## BigBoy

I dont remeber my very first call but did just get my first midnight call last night.

It was 1 in the morning i had just went to sleep and was sleeping long when I heard the pager go off.  i forgot to put it a closed so i was hopping it would be someone else but it beeped. dispatched for an 18 who had taken to many sleeping pills

i jumped out of bed a through on my clothes.
when we got to the house he was handcuffed and in protective custidy.  he was claiming that his friends which were never there jumped in his truck with him and had an altered mental status and thats why the cop called us out there.  when the kid got in the rig i was about to slap him and ask if he knew what time it was but i didnt.  but on the way to the hospital we strapped him onto the cot and it was the funniest thing.  he undid the buckle by his knees and then tried to buckle it back up, it took him atleast a minute and he looked at my partner and said "I cant seem to get it buckled".  then he tried again for about 30sec and got it buckled and then said "never mind it must of been stubern the first time". yeah we handed him over to the hospital and on the way back to the hall i fell asleep in the captains seat..


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## Ped101

*My first call...*

It was about a year ago, my first call,

It was about 16:00 and we got called to an epileptic who had fallen and hit his head and was unconsciouss

We got there and it was a really, reaally drunk guy who in fact had fallen over but didnt have anything, didnt really merit transportation. 

Wasnt the best first call in the world but i was a newby and i loved every second of it


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## cointosser13

*First call*

My first call was going to be a mva, but other units got to the accident first so we were called off. But my first call where I actually was in the scene was for a guy with chest pain. I was in a BLS unit, and we were the first ones to get to the scene. I remember not knowing what to do expect put my gloves on. I only had a CPR cert, and I was about to start my EMT class that month. So back to the scene, I didn't realize how heavy the medic bags were till I had to carry one! The Lifepack was also a pain killer. kind of funny, I was the youngest in the team, yet I had to carry everything. Typical. Anyway, I remember walking up the stairs to the room where the guy was having chest pain. He was on his bed, kind of still. I was soooo nervous becuase I had no clue what to do. It was my first call, and the scene was kind of crazy in my mind because I had no clue what my team was doing. Then the medics came in, and then the firefighters. The whole place was jammed pack with EMS providers. The medics were starting to spill out words I never heard of. They put a 12-lead on the patient, and all I remember thinking in my head was "what are they doing?" The patient barely talked. So the medic unit took him. But I remember when one of the medics asked "can you get the stair chair", and I looked at him like I was an idiot. I felt bad, I quickly said "I'm new, I don't know where that is". So later the medics made fun of me for being new. So after volunteering for 9 months with the ems department, I realized how much I've learned in the my emt class. and so, now I have my certification, and maybe one day I can be the one who asks the newbie, "hey, can you get the stair chair".


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## Fire51

My first call was a women we ran out on all the time for SOB, because she smoked so much, it wasn't anything to good. But a couple calls later was for a man in a morticycle accident with massive head trauma who didn't make it, it was a big shock to see that for the first time.


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## chaz90

Hemorrhoids. Really not anything exciting about the story, yet I'm still here years later.


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## Handsome Robb

BigBoy said:


> when the kid got in the rig i was about to slap him and ask if he knew what time it was but i didnt



Then you should probably get out of EMS. 

One, time is a :censored::censored::censored::censored:ty A&O question, I rarely know exactly what time it is, especially if I'm not working.

Two, its part of the job dude. You signed up for it, you don't like getting woken up in the middle of the night then don't volunteer or work for an EMS agency anymore...

:wacko:


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## Handsome Robb

First one I remember was a fatal single vehicle MVA occupied x4. 1 black, one red, two yellows. We were third in, got a yellow. 

Don't think it was the first one, it was the first day but it trumped everything else so I really couldn't tell you my very first call.

I was a third rider in an HS work experience program, only had a CPR card. All I really did was watch.


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## CritterNurse

The first run I went on (or at least the earliest one that sticks out in my mind) was for a woman going into labor, and her doctor wanted her to go in by ambulance due to her previous medical history. I had just cleared the volunteer department's core training, but hadn't had any medical training yet. I went as a "chaperone", and was given the task of taking notes, and keeping track of her contractions. She was squeezing my hand so hard I was sure I was going to be bruised by the time we reached the hospital. We got her there before her water broke. She called when the contractions started.


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## 74restore

First ever call as a brand new EMT in orientation came as a trauma for 2 pt MVC, motorcycle vs. deer at highway speeds. Helmets saved their lives without a doubt. 1 air-lifted to nearest Level 1 trauma center, one transported emergent by ground. No better way to put training to use at 7:30 am....

Here's the kicker. Husband and wife were riding the motorcycle. She (the wife) had not been on the bike since their LAST accident... 6 years earlier.... where they hit a deer, but were mostly uninjured. He finally convinces her to go on a ride again on a quiet morning after 6 years, and BAM... hit another deer, this time injuring them both severely. 

If that's not the work of someone above, I don't know what is....


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## bbmtnbb

74restore said:


> Here's the kicker. Husband and wife were riding the motorcycle. She (the wife) had not been on the bike since their LAST accident... 6 years earlier.... where they hit a deer, but were mostly uninjured. He finally convinces her to go on a ride again on a quiet morning after 6 years, and BAM... hit another deer, this time injuring them both severely.
> 
> If that's not the work of someone above, I don't know what is....



Meaning??? God had the deer jump out in front of her??? Not sure that came across right-being saved yes-getting hit-hmmmmm??


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## DesertMedic66

I remember my first ever call as a Firefighter explorer (only CPR and first aid training). That was for a miscarriage. I still remember the apartment where the call was. I remember my first traffic collision also as an explorer and my first fatality traffic collision (it was actually a double fatality) also as an explorer. 

As an EMT I don't remember my first call at all. I only remember 1 call from my FTO time. It was for SVT. Medic had the patient do the valsalva maneuver. Brought all the patient's vitals down to within normal limits.


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## hogwiley

I don't even remember what my first call as a licensed EMT was, it obviously didn't leave an impression. 

I vividly recall my first call as an EMT student though, even though(or maybe because) it was a total BS call from a drunken frequent flier. 

It was a pretty appropriate introduction to EMS when you think about it.


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## NomadicMedic

Wow. Talk about bringing a thread back from the dead!

My first call as an EMT was in 1988, "CPR in progress". Turned out to be a DOA. 

...and I still do it.


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## abckidsmom

DEmedic said:


> Wow. Talk about bringing a thread back from the dead!
> 
> My first call as an EMT was in 1988, "CPR in progress". Turned out to be a DOA.
> 
> ...and I still do it.



Summer of 1993. Cat scratch fever, sepsis, cardiac arrest that we called on scene. I was 13 years old.


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## Nathan

74 y.o male with ESRD going from a residence to Davita. 


Jealous of all of these cool first call stories...


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## bbmtnbb

CAOX3 said:


> ...
> 
> As far as my first call as ant EMT.  Cant remember, matter of fact I cant remeber the first call I did yesterday.....Oh well



OMG that is me...I can never remember my calls at end of shift. :rofl:  

I do remember my first call as a student though and the only call I remember.
Bike V auto, fire got there first and pt was unconscious initially, regained consciousness, wearing helmet that had finished its job and needed to be retired (smashed in more than one place) A & O x 2 then slowly to A & O x3, somewhere in the ambulance declared "Oh, I know where I am" kinda came back to her. Fire did not back board her, we are getting away from that when we can theses days-kinda wrong in this case, pelvis was fractured.  I being the stupid student just helped where I could but far be it from me to tell anyone to use a backboard If thought it was all good. I would say something now but have learned more and have some confidence. Fire just grabbed her hand and helped her up. she walked to the gurney. I did get to strip a line and hold pressure on bleeding shoulder. Kinda boring since then. Better experiences in the ER than on the ambulance. Maybe since I work nights I am too tired to remember my ambulance calls.  lol


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## Stoked

First call was today.

Male down, unk head injuries. 

Upon arrival, found a male toddler with a bump on the noggin and copious tears.  Simple FDGB (fall down, go boom), overprotective parent in tow.

A&Ox4 (drool level ok), no apparent injuries except to pride. No ALOC, no relevant hx. 
Tx with soothing words and a prize.

Hey, at least I popped my cherry.


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## chaz90

How much pride does a toddler have? Also, what does A&Ox4 mean for a 2 year old?


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## Stoked

chaz90 said:


> How much pride does a toddler have? Also, what does A&Ox4 mean for a 2 year old?



You must not have a toddler. Their pride can be wounded by a bump on the head or the simple fact that there's a dog within a 50-mile radius. 

A&Ox4:

What's your name little man?
Where does it hurt?
Who's this with you?
How did you hurt yourself? 

When dealing with kids, I've always found it easier to just talk to them like they're a small, drunk adult...small words, questions with easy answers, and speaking s..l..o..w..l..y.


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## CPRinProgress

My first call was a mental health that we RMAd and I  couldn't even go into the house because I was under 18. My first call as an EMT was cheat pains difficulty breathing but we cancelled medics. It was very routine.


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## FuManChu

Nathan said:


> 74 y.o male with ESRD going from a residence to Davita.
> 
> 
> Jealous of all of these cool first call stories...




I know how you feel. Reading all these posts makes me jealous as well, my first call (happened last month) was basically the same as yours, just different age. 


78 y.o male ESRD transporting from SNF to Dialysis Facility <_<


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## IslandTime

Stoked said:


> When dealing with kids, I've always found it easier to just talk to them like they're a small, drunk adult...small words, questions with easy answers, and speaking s..l..o..w..l..y.



Maybe first call, but already you show considerable experience. Congrats.


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## CodeBru1984

My first Code 3 run as an EMT (for the company I work for) started out as a non lights and siren general transport of a SNF resident to the local ER for treatment of fever and ALOC. She ended up decompensating en-route to the ER as she began struggling to breathe. She wasn't tolerating 4LPM via NC very well and we decided to bump up her O2 to 15LPM via NRB. It got to the point where we almost ended up having to assist her ventilations (luckily she held on until we got to the ER). We arrive at the ER and the team gets her into the exam room and initiates bilateral IVs, and places her on CPAP. She was really sick.

Apparently... the SNF failed to mention to us that she was suffering from aspirate pneumonia, and an exacerbation of CHF. :angry:


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## Stoked

IslandTime said:


> Maybe first call, but already you show considerable experience. Congrats.



Lol thanks... I had to interview a lot of kids in my former work (especially on SRO duties).


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## Theraphosidae

My first run as a student was a call for a fall.  Popped her knee out of place, had a history of it, and we loaded her up and talked about her kids the whole time while she was gritting her teeth.

When we got to the hospital she suddenly got upset because they wanted to cut her jeans off at the site!


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## 9D4

My first call was a head on MVA with both vehicles at freeway speeds. 
4 kids in the back of a minivan, 2 adults in front. 
Other vehicle had a guy driving back from Vegas (assumption; he had a bunch of chips and some Vegas souveniers the front) with a 40 in the center console. He was ejected, pronounced DOA, because he was nearly decapitated. Everybody else was fine besides the one teenager in the minivan that wasn't wearing her seatbelt.
Edit: Hit post too soon on my phone. Girl was fine, just had a pain in her arm from sticking it out before.


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## Pkreilley

Mine was a regular CPR. Dialysis center, probable potassium imbalance. He died


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## NBFFD2433

My first call was a Fall. A approximately 45 y/o female had fell from a standing position. There was an obvious elbow deformities. I applied ice(still my best friend) splinted it then the Paramedics came just as I finished the SAMPLE history. Turns out that she had broke her elbow.


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## sillysally

The first call I wrote (as a ridealong) was an AMA that turned out to be a cat that had been playing with the pull cord in the lady's bathroom.  The 'patient' was on vacation in Florida.

The first call I was crew chief for was was dispatched as a class two unconscious seizure, possible drug use.  My driver got hopelessly lost, and it obviously turned into ALS.  My awesome (paramedic) FTO saved my butt by responding to the location.


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## chaz90

sillysally said:


> The first call I wrote (as a ridealong) was an AMA that turned out to be a cat that had been playing with the pull cord in the lady's bathroom.  The 'patient' was on vacation in Florida.
> 
> The first call I was crew chief for was was dispatched as a class two unconscious seizure, possible drug use.  My driver got hopelessly lost, and it obviously turned into ALS.  My awesome (paramedic) FTO saved my butt by responding to the location.



Let me correct this. Who's navigating as your driver drives? One of the cardinal rules of EMS is to never throw your partner(s) under the bus. Work as a team, and take proper responsibility for what you and your team do.


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## DerekC

My first call on my first clinical was "I think I had a stroke last week...." :glare:


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## avdrummerboy

First call was for a possible OD. I work for a rural company, so it was a 25 minute drive to the scene. Elderly Pt. did indeed OD on prescribed meds and had to do a team lift with a FF to get pt to gurney. Got in back and got to see my first injection of narcan and a comeback. Pretty standard call in out area and a familiar scenario to me now.


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## lissa304

ki4mus said:


> alright, this was my first call after I recived my card in the mail, I got the card at 1600 on a Thursday, and 0130 Friday morning tones drop for a man having chest pain. As I have been doing ride-alongs with my department for about 6 months and been around it all my life I didn't really think much of jumping out of bed and running to the Crew Hall with my little red light going, well we got to the scene, and there was nothing, no lights on, no little old lady sitting on the porch with a bag packed, nothing...not to mention that just the look of the place made the hair on the back of all of our necks stand up...
> 
> on the truck was me, a guy that I went to high school with, and "mother" -the chief's wife-. "Mother" made me and the other guy go check it out first. We went around the residence, announcing ourselves, gained access though the front door (open, and not really the front, it was the only one, and was hidden...) we had cleared all but the last 2 rooms, when my partner turned a corner and his face just dropped, he turned white as a sheet.
> 
> Our pt. was laying in the floor,(with out any pulses, per. partner) naked as a jay bird, in a pool of blood and crap that covered the floor of the room (about 10ft by 12ft). and my partner just starts yelling, we need......and then he went though a list as long as my arm...(it didn't help that he had just watched The Hills have Eye's) but anyhow, he freaked (I was looking in the next room and yet to see the pt.) and ran out and yelled at "mother" to call law enforcement...
> 
> they showed up, cleared the house, and we went back inside to see what was up... by that time lavidity (yeah, I know it's misspelled) had set in. and he was called DOA.
> 
> for 3 weeks I didn't run a "normal" call, most of the ones I ran in that period were known drug dealers that waited until they knew no cops were coming before the took there had out from under a rolled up blanket or some such object (normally with a gun or knife in it...)
> it's been a around a year sense then, and about the only thing I haven't worked so far is a gun shot, and I pray that it stays that way, but no matter what my first call will always stay in my mind.
> 
> (Does a person's first call normmally stay with them even if it is a "routine" call)




Mine was a homeless man who called from a "borrowed" cell phone. We asked him what was going on and he said "I haven't pissed in three damn days!"....(he was absolutely wasted at that moment by the way). Needless to say, he peed himself for a solid two minutes as soon as we got him in the ambulance. lol


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## EMS1

Mine was an elderly man that clipped the very tip of his nose on the corner of a coffee table. He also had soiled himself. The live in caretaker asked us to assist in changing him. Once he was freshened up, he wanted to be put to bed. He gave is two thumbs up as we walked away. At the time, I felt like a million bucks.


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## mrjoe

My first call as an EMT-I (though I hadn't yet taken final exam), was a woman in labour, as we drove on to the street we were informed by dispatch that birth was imminent.  We got there and the women was waiting on the sidewalk with a midwife. As I opened the door I remember the Medic putting his hand on my shoulder and telling me to chill.  She climbed in to the ambulance and gave birth immediately.  I didn't have to do much except to hold the baby and carry the placenta as on this occasion it was just me and the driver transporting.  After that they changed protocol to require an experienced responder on transports for women in labor.


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