What was your first 911 call?

Traumaholic

Forum Ride Along
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Just a little curious for what everyone’s first call was.

I recently just got hired by a company that’s owned by AMR in SoCal And I’m on my 5th field training shift and I’ve had 2 911 calls so far. Also my company is all BLS we don’t have any medics hired. When we get a 911 we work with fire and medics hop on our rig.

My first call was syncopal episode for a guy in the shower, wasn’t too crazy. C-Collar and flatted to gurney, code 2 all the way.

My second call I had yesterday is what I consider my first REAL 911 and man I feel like I was ****ing everything up. It was a Difficulty breathing/ sob. Fire was first on scene and we were code 3 from our post and too hospital. they had her on their monitor already but this lady was in really bad condition with a 77% spO2. When we get her in the rig she’s panicking and we’re not able to get a BP for her on their monitor. The medics had me start a 12 lead and I know anatomically where they go and each intercostal space, but I just ****ed the whole thing as I’ve never really done it for real so the medic had to help me. Mind you she was on cpap with abuterol and man I thought this lady was going to code. Since the BP wasn’t working bc she was a little panicked they asked me to palpate a BP and tbh I’ve never done it that way, but know how due to my emt school but I could not find her radial pulse. I’ve always done it with stethoscope. When we get to hospital she’s in a little better condition because it seemed like the albuterol helped a lot, but I just feel like I added to the **** show.The medics after were pretty cool since it was my first real 911 call and it really makes me wanna learn more and make sure I know my ****. It was a good experience and I’m glad I was with my FTO and not by myself lol.

Curious how it went for all of you.
 

Fezman92

NJ and PA EMT
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All of the ones I've had were BS calls.
 

VentMonkey

Family Guy
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All of the ones I've had were BS calls.
If I were you, I’d be more concerned with a growing bitterness from “not getting good calls”. JS, frustrated? Sure, but it’s an easy rabbit hole to fall into.
 

Fezman92

NJ and PA EMT
497
100
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I’ll keep that in mind. It’s just that I really want to use what I learned in school.
 

DrParasite

The fire extinguisher is not just for show
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I’ll keep that in mind. It’s just that I really want to use what I learned in school.
to be totally honest, while the BS calls are frequently what I deal with, it's the "good" calls that I'd much rather forget. unhelmeted kid on a bike who went headfirst into a tree (had that one my first year), quite a few ped struck patients, the DOA that we worked because she was in a warm apartment when we were dispatched to a BS fall, the guy who had a massive MI, and collapsed on his colonoscopy bag, or any GI bleed.... I'll take a BS psych call any day now.
 

Fezman92

NJ and PA EMT
497
100
28
I’m not looking forward to those horror calls or anything, I just want to well, treat. It was hard to do anything when there was nothing to do except for getting AMAs or taking vitals on someone who was just a drug seeker.

I did have two psych calls which I admit are kind of cool (used to be a psych major in college before I dropped out. I know just enough to know that I know that I’m not qualified to do anything), but even those my FTO did everything for. They’re sending me to do more transport so unless I get a job at another 911 place or into the local volly squad (we’ve been playing email tag for the past month or so) I won’t get anymore 911 for a while. Is it bad that I’m looking forward to narcaning someone? Pharmacology is so fascinating. In college I took a psychopharmacology class thinking it might help me in EMS. Turns out it most likely won’t help me. Still absolutely fascinating stuff. A&P in general is very fascinating. For example MS. Absolutely fascinating that the body attacks itself. Or transplants, even though the organ is a match the body still attacks it. Or anything neurological. Just so interesting
 
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Jn1232th

Forum Captain
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I’m not looking forward to those horror calls or anything, I just want to well, treat. It was hard to do anything when there was nothing to do except for getting AMAs or taking vitals on someone who was just a drug seeker.

I did have two psych calls which I admit are kind of cool (used to be a psych major in college before I dropped out. I know just enough to know that I know that I’m not qualified to do anything), but even those my FTO did everything for. They’re sending me to do more transport so unless I get a job at another 911 place or into the local volly squad (we’ve been playing email tag for the past month or so) I won’t get anymore 911 for a while. Is it bad that I’m looking forward to narcaning someone? Pharmacology is so fascinating. In college I took a psychopharmacology class thinking it might help me in EMS. Turns out it most likely won’t help me. Still absolutely fascinating stuff. A&P in general is very fascinating. For example MS. Absolutely fascinating that the body attacks itself. Or transplants, even though the organ is a match the body still attacks it. Or anything neurological. Just so interesting
from my experience, 70-80% of my calls are vitals, transport and that’s it. Narcan gets boring very fast and the post vomiting that’s always happens ( at least for me) is not fun.
 

PotatoMedic

Has no idea what I'm doing.
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Before I became an EMT when I did a ride along, I honestly couldn't tell ya. My first call as an EMT, dialysis transfer.
 

Fezman92

NJ and PA EMT
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CarSevenFour

Forum Crew Member
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My first 9-1-1 call was actually my first call as a "third man" trainee right out of EMT class #2 at Santa Ana College. I thought taking a night-school EMT course might help me deal with stuff I was bound to cover on the street as a police beat newspaper photographer. Third year student, flat broke, I just bought a Nikon-F with a 105mm f2.5 lens and now it and my other cameras were gone. I was assigned to an old red and white 1968 Cadillac hightop ambulance, Unit 299, owned by Bright Morgan of Morgan Ambulance Service in Santa Ana, CA. I couldn't sleep anyway, listening to the dispatch scanner echo down the hall, all worried about what I might be thrust into, in this strange world of private ambulance service-there might even be a story or two to tell. All I wanted to do was earn enough money to pay my books and tuition for my photojournalism training at Cal State Fullerton. My Nikons had been stolen from my apartment and I needed money, fast. That would have been in 1973, late fall, early December. A young lady got drunked up with her office friends out for a night on the town at a popular bar in the city. Got 86'd for being drunk and disorderly by the staff. She got in a tussle with an older cop who arrived onscene after reports of a combative female in the parking lot, and he would brook no disrespect. She got uppity and in his face; he whacked her upside the head with his nightstick, arrested her and transported to the jail. The girl was near hysterics. Partners said, "She's all yours, let's see what you can do." I was so young then, had hardly had any dates and now I'm bandaging up this pretty brunette woman who just got shocked back into the world of the sober. Big split in her scalp...somewhere under all that hair...perfume, sticky blood mixed with hairspray, mascara running down her cheeks-the details you remember... Got her calmed down and off we went. Code-2 into the night. When the guys unloaded the gurney at Orange County General ER, they were puzzled over what I said to make her cheerful and laughing when she went in sobbing uncontrollably just minutes before. They had left me alone with her in the back enroute to the hospital, with the partition window open so I could call for help, "If I needed it..." Crazy. I just talked to her while I bandaged her head, mostly so I wouldn't be so nervous. No judgemental words, I was learning to make humor work for me, just caring for someone in distress. We got her on the ER gurney, she thanked me for my help and seemed surprised when I told her she was my first call and she said she thought I found my calling. I'll never forget that call in all it's detail. The cool, misty night air, the PD jail sally port, the big chrome B&M Superchief wailing enroute to the scene, how it "burped" when we slammed into the road camber at each intersection. How had that beat-up Caddy managed to stay alive after all the abuse of ambulance work? And how the red lights from the rotating beacon bounced off in a blazing lightshow, reflected from highrise windows as we raced up the boulevard enroute to the call. "Bleeding head injury...," dispatch said, "You're rolling Code-3 for Santa Ana PD, second-in fire unit responding." Welcome to a busy Saturday night... The old cop saying he might cut her some slack if she behaved herself; he seemed like a decent guy. The crawling out of the rack for the first call on the first night on duty, the scanner blaring the FD "All Call." "Station-71 to all Santa Ana fire cars, female in custody with head injury, Santa Ana Jail sally port, Morgan Ambulance rolling Code-3..." Running down the hall to the unit, trying to get my shirt buttoned with nervous hands. Later, the ER nurse asking, "Who bandaged this patient?" Like I was already in big trouble. I fessed up. What could I have possibly messed up? Then she says, reading my nametag, "Well, Mr. Victor, nice job, I almost hate to cut it off..." Wow, I was hooked. Big time. I kinda forgot that I was only doing this thing temporally until I could scratch up the dough to finish my studies. Never regretted it a bit, I miss the job. I miss the life. I'll never forget that first call.
 

jeffcpr

Forum Ride Along
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1
1
Baby not breathing first call off probation at the start of my 24. Turned out great t was new parents and the infant had trouble passing a mucus plug after feeding. Babe was crying when the medic handed it over. Looking back now it was no big deal. But to hear babe not breathing call number 1 of your first on your own shift really makes you think. Like what they hell did I just get myself into.
 

Fastfrankie19151

Forum Crew Member
43
5
8
My first ever call was a Doa was me 2 seasoned emt’s and a medic in a chase car. I started carrying all the standard stuff in the medic stopped me about half way and said put it away. He was already inside with his bag and confirmed. She was sitting in a chair mid 70s what a way to start a career.
 

The Possum

Forum Crew Member
41
7
8
A code in the parking lot at the Oakland coliseum after an Oakland A's baseball game. We were a BLS unit working the game. No time to wait for ALS.
 

The Possum

Forum Crew Member
41
7
8
Baby not breathing first call off probation at the start of my 24. Turned out great t was new parents and the infant had trouble passing a mucus plug after feeding. Babe was crying when the medic handed it over. Looking back now it was no big deal. But to hear babe not breathing call number 1 of your first on your own shift really makes you think. Like what they hell did I just get myself into.
I did that exact call. The call came down for not breathing child. When we got there the kid looked great and was just happy and babbling. That was when the salty older medic I was working with sat down to talk to the two 19-year-old parents.
 

Fastfrankie19151

Forum Crew Member
43
5
8
Cardiac arrest turned out to be a doa second was a welfare check with Pd turned out to be deceased several days third same day was a cardiac arrest in a mall what a first day
 

Chris EMT J

Forum Lieutenant
124
11
18
Just a little curious for what everyone’s first call was.

I recently just got hired by a company that’s owned by AMR in SoCal And I’m on my 5th field training shift and I’ve had 2 911 calls so far. Also my company is all BLS we don’t have any medics hired. When we get a 911 we work with fire and medics hop on our rig.

My first call was syncopal episode for a guy in the shower, wasn’t too crazy. C-Collar and flatted to gurney, code 2 all the way.

My second call I had yesterday is what I consider my first REAL 911 and man I feel like I was ****ing everything up. It was a Difficulty breathing/ sob. Fire was first on scene and we were code 3 from our post and too hospital. they had her on their monitor already but this lady was in really bad condition with a 77% spO2. When we get her in the rig she’s panicking and we’re not able to get a BP for her on their monitor. The medics had me start a 12 lead and I know anatomically where they go and each intercostal space, but I just ****ed the whole thing as I’ve never really done it for real so the medic had to help me. Mind you she was on cpap with abuterol and man I thought this lady was going to code. Since the BP wasn’t working bc she was a little panicked they asked me to palpate a BP and tbh I’ve never done it that way, but know how due to my emt school but I could not find her radial pulse. I’ve always done it with stethoscope. When we get to hospital she’s in a little better condition because it seemed like the albuterol helped a lot, but I just feel like I added to the **** show.The medics after were pretty cool since it was my first real 911 call and it really makes me wanna learn more and make sure I know my ****. It was a good experience and I’m glad I was with my FTO and not by myself lol.

Curious how it went for all of you.
First one as a EMT basic or advance?
First one as a EMT basic I had a car vs tree trauma which was critical and I just drove as fast as I could. First one as a advance I messed up the ECG leads and got a unnecessary intercept so pretty bad start to both.
 

HardKnocks

Forum Lieutenant
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Is it bad that I’m looking forward to narcaning someone?
You'll change your mind the first time you apply NARCAN and the Patient reacts violently and physically attacks you. You either learn quick to Bob&Weave or else..lol
 

IsraelEMS

Forum Crew Member
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My first call after being fully certified? Terrorist Attack. A bus exploded and I treated the driver alone. He had a partial amputation of the lower leg. Don't recommend it for a first pt.

On another track, I don't understand what you mean by working but only having 2 911 calls. In the US are all ambulances not controlled by 911? Do you have emergency calls that come from somewhere else?
 
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