Making Plans

There is an unwritten rule in all ambulance services. It is a rule we all know well. It is a rule that our friends and families know. It is a simple rule.

"THOU SHALT NOT MAKE PLANS ON A WORK DAY"

Simple. Why? Because if you make plans you WILL finish late and you WILL let people down. Again and again. Do we all follow this rule? In general, yes! Do we ever disregard the rule and think that just this once it will be OK?! Yes! 

On this particular Saturday I had a short shift. I was due to finish at 3pm so despite the obvious rule, I felt it was pretty safe to make some plans. My reason for this was a friend was visiting. A friend I haven't seen for a very very long time. They don't live anywhere near me but on this particular day they were free to see me for a few hours. In fact, they were free from 3pm until 8:30pm to see me! I was pretty dam excited, just a little shift to get through first!

12:03:  I got a text. "I'M HERE!"

The shift was ticking along nicely, I hadn't had a break so at 14:30 I was off into town for some catch up, coffee, cocktails and cake! Winning! I even gloated about it on a number of occasions!

13:35: "Hurry up! I'm bored!"

We finished up with our patient at hospital and made ourselves available for our last job. It was busy on the road, we had been going from job to job to job all day as per usual. I pressed the 'Green' button and waited for the job to appear......

And I waited......

And waited some more......

Nothing! As the minutes ticked by I began to get more and more annoyed! 13:45 came and went as did 14:00. 

14:10.....

14:20.....

14:25..... *crosses fingers*

14:28.....

14:29.....

"RTC Car vs Ped, 34 year old female unconscious"

ARE.....YOU.....SERIOUS?! Off we went, I had just enough time to send a message saying 'Late job, sorry!" We made our way through the now solid traffic. After about 5 minutes we arrived on scene. A crowd had already formed in a well formed semi-circle, 3 people deep all staring in fear and anticipation. Lying in the road surrounded, by a group of 5-6 people rendering aid was our patient. She wasn't unconscious but she wasn't far off it. Just a quick look at her told me that we needed HEMS and we needed them 5 minutes ago. 

The three of us on scene went about the routine. We utilised the public to fetch stuff while clothes were being cut off, primary survey was being completed and an assessment of her injuries was being done. This lady was big big sick. Major head injury, long bone fractures, likely spinal injury and who knows what internally. She had a collapsed lung and based on her blood pressure she was losing a lot of blood from somewhere. I decompressed her chest while my crew mate got IV access. So much was happening, it all seems a bit of a blur even now. Her leg fracture was pulled straight, to which she let out a gut wrenching moan. The police were had arrived and were doing everything that we couldn't manage with the 6 hands we had! 

I couldn't tell you how much time had elapsed but just as the patient started to have a convulsion there noise of the helicopter could be heard. Now there's a sound that filled me with joy! By now the patient was on a scoop, the injuries were being dealt with and the student was ventilating her. His eyes were so wide open, concentrating so hard on his task and he was doing it bloody well. This was his first trauma, first HEMS job and first really sick patient. I remember what an adrenaline filled gibbering wreck I was after my first! 

With HEMS on scene we got the patient onto the bed, still in the road, still with somewhat of a crowd! They decided to RSI (Rapid Sequence Induction) her which means to put her to sleep and take over her breathing. This was done, blood transfusions were given and we were off to hospital. The decision was made to convey the patient in our ambulance with HEMS on board. Off we went! Through the traffic, complete with police escort. We burst through the door of the resus and HEMS handed over to the waiting trauma team. The patient was transferred and we returned to the vehicle.

It looked like a bomb had gone off. The student was like a 5 year old on Christmas day, bouncing off walls with excitement! The truck took a while to clean and then there was a HEMS debrief and then all the paperwork!

16:39: Left hospital. 

Being a trauma centre, we were now no where near our station and had to sit on the Saturday afternoon traffic to go 13 miles across the city. I had a plethora of messages on my phone asking what was going on! Awkward......

18:03: Arrived back on station

18:20: Signed out and left work to cycle the fastest I could to get to the station to make the 18:44 train.

18:43: Arrive at train station. Lock up bike. Watch train pull out of station.

The next train was at 19:14. I was a 1 hour journey to get to the part of the city where my friend was waiting for me. Time for a phone call.

"I'm so sorry, I won't get there until about 20:15."

"Not much point is there!"

"I guess not."

It happens every single time. It has led to many an argument and many a tear. I'm still waiting to see my friend!

That'll teach me to think I can defy the ambulance gods. Gutted! Thou shalt not make plans on a work day. I won't be making that mistake again......until the next time anyway. :-(

Seat belt, Seat belt, Seat belt

"27 year old male, great friend, great husband, great father to 3 young boys, great son, great guy, didn't wear his seat belt. RIP my friend"

It has only been 3 days since my friend died. It's still very raw.  It's perhaps too soon to blog but it's my way of dealing with it and a tribute to a good man. A good man who paid the ultimate price. If one person who reads this blog puts on their seat belt who wouldn't have otherwise then it's worthwhile. 

It was just another morning, another day, another dollar. As he had done every day he stood at the end of his road, waiting to be picked up. Waiting to do an honest days work. Waiting to support his young family.  It was an overcast morning, the road was wet. From what I know they stopped for breakfast before the 45 minute drive to work. Somewhere along their route something happened. What, I don't know. I may never know. The vehicle careered off the road. As is a natural human reaction the driver instinctively swerved himself away from the lamp post. He succeeded. The impact  was on the front near side. The passenger side. The driver had his seat belt on. My friend didn't. He was ejected from the car through the windscreen. His life, in that instant was over. I shiver with sorrow as I try to imagine the final thoughts that went through his mind. The faces of his beautiful family, the life he could have led.

He was declared dead at 08:27 on the 7th November 2011. From that moment his wife was a widow. His three young boys were without a father. His parents had lost a son. His brother had lost a brother. I had lost a friend. I have asked myself the same question over and over again since I received the news. Why didn't he wear a seat belt? And that cannot be answered. He normally does. A moment of madness, a lapse in judgment, distraction by conversation. I don't know. We have all done something stupid whilst driving. Changed the CD, turned to your passenger, lit a fag, driven when tired. It happens. All that means is we got away with it. He didn't. I'm not going to berate him, he's learned his lesson and paid the ultimate price. As have his loved ones. 

I'm writing this, with the full consent of his family. A family consumed with grief but a family wanting his short life not to be in vein. The reality is, everyone knows they should wear a seat belt. Everyone knows the consequences of not wearing one. Hopefully this tragedy will stand as reminder that no one is invincible. That one time you don't wear one could be the last. Please please please wear your seat belt. Don't run the risk. Life is precious, hold on too it with both hands.

Goodbye my friend, you will always be loved and never forgotten. Please rest in peace. See you around xxx