Burnout

[46Young]

I was on the engine yesterday, spending a good part of the day filling the boot for MDA. My EMS LT was running pretty much all day on the ambulance, missed lunch, etc. We got a free platter of Subway sandwiches, and four large pies from Domino's, for the 10 of us at the station. One rig was out on a call, so us and the medic crew waited for them to return. We set everything up for them.

It was just then the medic unit was toned out for a 23 year old with a fever. The LT just happened to have a knife in his hand, and he began violently stabbing the top of the Domino's box, which he was holding up. You had to be there, but he was yelling aloud while rapidly stabbing the box. It was classic.

I've felt this way on a few occasions, and I'm sure others have as well.

 

[Veneficus]

One of the best LTs I worked with had a string of calls for his unit and nobody else turned a wheel for a week. During on dinner he walked outside the station and at the top of his voice yelled:

"don't forget to F***ing call I just sat down to eat!"

Can't say I've made it to that point, but have been quite cynical at times.

 

[abckidsmom]

It does suck to be the medic sometimes. I've felt his pain.

My husband's station has a family dinner on holidays, which is just begging for trouble, IMO. A couple of years ago, I took the kids up there for the dinner(2 hours from home) (3 kids at that time: 3, 2, 8 months, and 3 months pregnant).

As we were starting through the line, the tones went off, and I think I might have actually started crying (hormones. It was the hormones!). One of the guys who was riding 4th on the Rescue Engine asked real quick if he could take the call for my husband, and got permission. I've never been more thankful. Dang I was hormonal that day.

Anyway, all that to say that any support you can give to people at the end of their rope is well appreciated.

 

[8jimi8]

Learn to deal with it properly. I've been through it before as a hotline crisis counselor. I didn't know what was wrong with me. Take care of it before it takes its toll.

 

[Indy]

One of the guys who was riding 4th on the Rescue Engine asked real quick if he could take the call for my husband, and got permission.

He definitely earned respect for that.

 

[MrBrown]

<insert a bunch of nasty foul words here>

There you go that's how I feel about having to deal with people