Your First Call

MMiz

I put the M in EMTLife
Community Leader
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Do you remember your first call working in EMS?

I had a diabedic pt, from a christian family, attending a pagan convention. He was out cold on the floor and no one would provide ID because they were scared we would call home.

It's the only call I got in that 12 hour shift. It was a looong shift sitting as a third rider in the back of a Type II van.

What about you?
 

ffemt8978

Forum Vice-Principal
Community Leader
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Full blown cardiac arrest, outside wedged between a 3 foot snowbank and a car, in January, in South Dakota. Wind chill was -30F. Defib x1, Combitube, got him back in the ambulance but he died later that night at the hospital of a second MI.
 

MedicPrincess

Forum Deputy Chief
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Transfer LOL to ED for "altered mental status". Vitals all better than mine. No complaints. Assisted living facility said she began to complain loudly at dinner and that wasn't like her normal self. Apparently she wasn't one to complain. Didn't even get her off of our cot. ED physician looked at her, asked her if she needed to be seen in the ED. She said No and she told them that at the assisted living place. He asked if she had any complaints. She said Yes, its bad enough her hambuger wasn't cooked all the way, but now its going to be cold too.

Before we left, one of the nurses boxed up a dinner tray that had been sent for one of the pts in the ER and sent it with her.

We returned her to her home with a release from the ED showing normal mental status and a full belly.
 

emtbuff

Forum Captain
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My first call was a person who had fallen and ended up dislocating her knee cap. Transfered her to the city and now everything is fine and dandy for her. Except for some arthritis I'm sure.
 

emtff376

Forum Lieutenant
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Overdose. Had to have PD kick the door in. I'll never forget it.
 

NjEMTGirl

Forum Ride Along
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Don't Let my cats out!!

First call was a resp. emergency..don't remember much about the call other then getting yelled at the entire time by the patient(funny resp emrgency and she has the strength and breath to yell) she kept yelling about her cats..even in the back of the rig..you better not have let my cats out!!!! Her cats def weren't in the house when I left..LOL
 

Ecnalubma

Forum Probie
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hah. I remember it vivdly.

GSW to Left Upper Extremity right on the subclavian artery. We go in and there is blood everywhere. Guy tells us he was "out back" shooting "crows" at 11:30 PM, and he's completely naked. We find a discharged shell for a 12 gauge in his living room and he's all alone, so we're pretty sure he shot himself. Guy was like "Do I have to go to the hospital?" ..umm.. "Yes, you really should go to the hospital, sir.".. "Okay, can it wait tll tomarrow?" HELL NO! "No, sir. You really should come with us." "Okay." So, a FF gets some pressure on the bleed and we get 2 IVs (14's in each arm), put him on some O2 and carry him to the ambulance on a board (with no straps). Then we start the 10 minute haul to the ED. It was crazy. Got there and gave my report to the tech who is going to take care of him (this Tech is an EMT and went to EMT school with me so we go back.) I tell her everything and she just bursts out "He did WHAT?!" and a state patrol officer was like "Did you try and kill yourself?" "No.." "Good, cause you did a bad job."

It was hilarious.
 
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divinewind_007

Forum Lieutenant
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Cardiac arrest. Turned out it was my great uncle. Was lying in bed. His son-in-law was a first responder and noticed agonal respirations. He took his last breath when we walked in the room. Started CPR, got 2 large bores, and medic got him tubed. No shockable rythm. Got 2 rounds of epi and atropine in him and got a pulse back. Turns out he had a bleed on the brain. They pulled the plug on him about a week later. But it hooked me for life!
 

Medic946

Forum Probie
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MVC 2nd day of emt-b cert. My best friends little brother and girlfriend. Fatalities. Had to go with PD for notification. Probably the worst call in 12 years.
 

nsmedic393

Forum Probie
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My first call was a MVC. Snowmobile vs half-ton truck on a logging road. It took us over an hour to get the ambulance back into the woods. Probably don't have to tell you how it ended.;)
 

Jon

Administrator
Community Leader
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I can't remember my actual "first" call...

There are two calls that I can remember from my first month...

1 - the "skell" at the local PD station... guy smelled like he was trying to pickle himself with ETOH - severely drunk... and hadn't bathed in at least a year. The Crew Chief had me wrap the strecher in an "emergency blanket" (yellow tarp)... The Crew Chief had me ride in the back, alone (would YOU want to be in the back with THAT?)

2 - DOA, at a nursing home... when we went to pick the Pt. up to place in a body bag, pt "burped and farted" - freaked me out... I dropped the patient and said "are you SURE she is dead"??? (cold to the touch, dependant lividity, etc...).

First call as "Primary" - Drunk guy - at a local hotel.... face all cut up. Stated he was playing "hearts" at his sisters... then they played "Spades, Clubs, and diamonds" and his face got cut up when he fell "through" the mirror... not into... through... al la Alice in Wonderland...
 
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joemt

Forum Lieutenant
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My first call was a 10-50 (MVA) Rollover with partial decapitation, L arm amputation (driver) and Broken Femur (8 year old unrestrained passenger)... The 1986 Bronco II was traveling S. on the Highway when it met a 1990 White Ford Escort on the wrong side of the road...The driver of the Bronco pulled hard Right to avoid the car and flipped numerous times (think Short Wheel Base)... It left an indention of the wheel in the highway (that if I recall corretly is still there).
I was an EMT student at the time and a member of the local volunteer FD... I remember walking up to the scene and the EMT on the scene saying "watch your step"..I looked down and noticed "stuff" on the ground... when I looked at the EMT with a questioned stare she said... "that's what brain matter looks like on the highway". For those of you who have ever dealt with an open (into the brain) skull fracture, you can probably remember clearly the smell. It's something I'll never forget... that and the drivers son, screaming for his Daddy.... By the way.. the Drivers wife was an RN that worked in a nearby ER... she reached over to feel for her husbands pulse when the SUV stopped rolling, and knew immediately.
 

Wingnut

EMS Junkie
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Wow Jo, that's a hell of a first call. How were you after? Did your preceptors talk to you about it after?

Mine was pretty cut and dry, early morning it was a minor MVA. Dad and his 2 daughters, only the 6 year old had any injuries and that was just a split frenulum (?) that thing inside and between the top of your lip and your gums. The girls were scared and we had a stuffed animal and calmed them down as best we could. (none of them spoke english)

No one wanted transport (nor required it) so we went out to breakfast.
 

TTLWHKR

Forum Deputy Chief
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Now I remember...


It was a call for a fall victim at a nursing home. Lac on the head.

We used the 2x2's...


Not every first call is the big one.
 

joemt

Forum Lieutenant
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Well... here's the best way to explain how it was for me... here I am, 17 years later, and I still remember the color of the oncoming car, and the make and model of the vehicles involved. I can see the little boy's face like it was yesterday. Do I have bad dreams about it... nah... but no one really "talked" to me about it either. I usually tell the story and make a point about some type of debriefing when I teach my students.
 

MariaCatEMT

Forum Asst. Chief
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My first call ever was while I was still in EMT-B class, doing my ambulance ride time. 92 year old female fell in her home, fractured her hip, and her caretaker had bodily picked her up and put her back in bed. I didn't do much, assisted in packaging, and the paramedic let me take vitals to practice after his assessment. I held her hand all the way to the hospital (she wouldn't let go!). I remember thinking she was awfully calm for someone who just fractured her hip, and that her tolerance of pain must be high. She was so tiny and frail. I never did find out how she did long-term. At her age, I know it probably wasn't that good.
 

coloradoemt

Forum Asst. Chief
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My first call as a Basic was on a third ride. I do not remember exactly what order they were in but the day consisted of motorcycle versus car, ped vs train, suicidal/homicidal OD, etc. The first call I ever ran by myself with only a first responder to help was a 12 yr old on a 4 wheeler, lost control went over the front end, the bike went over him, bad news, choppered him out.
 

hfdff422

Forum Lieutenant
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My first run was towards the end of my last training for my 24 hour basic ff. (Prior to EMT school) Myself and the other probie were gearing up to do our blacked out search and rescue maze, when the two instructors looked at each other and said "was that a barn fire" in response to some radio traffic that I could barely hear. That was exactly what it was. So there myself and probie #2 stand wearing full turnouts and SCBA, and I am just bewildered. What in the hell am I supposed to do- drop my pack and put it back on the engine, then get out of the way? No, the instructors had other plans for me and probie #2- get on the engine and roll out for on the job training- which is a no no if your not clear on niosh and other regulatory rules. But there I was riding on the big red truck with my head spinning as fast as the Q siren. As I am trying to catch my breath I see the scene. A white barn with smoke pouring out of the end that we can see and it is surrounded by a corn field that is ready for harvest (dry Sept. afternoon). So the officers (instructors) start calling for an additional engine, a truck co., a grass/field rig, and a full tanker response from area departments. So much for catching my breath! We arrive and I am told to pack up and start pulling a hose line, which I start pulling the yard lay off of the back, having not been instructed on what and where preconnects were yet. Fortunately another firefighter grabbed the correct line and I was instructed to follow one of the instructors who was coming out of the barn after doing a quick 360 plus interior check. He led me in and I followed closely since the smoke was thick to about 4'. We reached the fire which was a small fire that involved a pile of boards, a tire, and one framing member of the structure, but was spreading towards the corn field. The instructor knocks the fire out in about 30 seconds, and I open the door. Much to our amazement the light coming in reveals a man laying on the floor about 20' from the fire. We try to rouse him but he is only marginally pain responsive. So myself and the other probie carry the man outside to fresh air and I retrieve the BLS bag and assist with placing a NRB on the patient until the medic arrives. It seems this person was something of a vagrant and had this fire for some reason unknown ( it was not cold, and there was only alchohol, no food on the premises). After the medic took over, myself and probie #2 helped with extinguishing the brush that was burning as well as overhaul of the framing. In the history of our dept. us probies were the first to successfully rescue someone from a structure fire (even though the structure was only slightly involved).
 

soon2bemt

Forum Crew Member
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Don't remember my first but I sure do remember my last one on clinicals-17 month old baby girl coded-didn't get her back
 
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