EMS NEWS

Last shift we were called 911 to a large park for a child having an asthma attack at the soccer field.

PD arrived before us and advised someone would direct us to the patient. The officer on scene didn’t sound too worked up.

We arrive on scene and are met by the coach, who didn’t seem worked up either. The kid was waaaay on the other side of the field, probably 4-500 feet from the street, with no easy way to get the ambulance back there. So we parked and grabbed our bag and headed over with the coach. As we’re passing the sidelines with the parents, some lady starts yelling at us to “run, or something!”

We both kind of looked at her, and ignored it. Then she starts rattling on about how this is an EMERGENCY! and they are BREATHING FOR HIM! which they clearly are not since I can see the kid sitting on the ground across the field. She gets the idea that we aren’t going to run across the goddamn field just because she said so, and shuts up.

We get to the kid, and he’s having a moderate asthma attack. No big deal. We throw him on a neb and talk to the family. I tell my partner to keep an eye on things because I think I can get the rig over to the kid instead of carrying him.

I start walking back to the truck at a decent pace. Not running, but not wasting any time either.

I cross the sideline on the other side of the field again, and now some other doughboy-in-socks-and-sandals-parent wants to be a tough guy.

“Do you guys always move this slow?”

I ignore him, and keep walking.

“Oh, I guess you’re just too cool to care about anything!”

Well, I take a lot of shit from people as private EMS, but I’ll be Goddamned if I’m gonna let some untrained layman asshole tell me how to do my job.

So, never breaking stride, I said something to the effect of “If you’re so concerned, why didn’t you run over there and carry him to us?”

The guy said something I didn’t understand about doing my job.

I drive the ambulance over to the kid, who is now doing much better, and the family thanks us profusely (not having heard the handwringers on the other side of the field)

I just don’t understand. Do people expect their doctors to run into the room when they have an appoinment? Aside from ER, have people EVER witnessed a person in the medical field run? I don’t run unless there is some critical piece of equipment in the truck and my patient can’t wait to get out there. (Suction or something.)

What made it even more infuriating was that every one of these pudgy american soccer parents were sitting their fat asses in lawn chairs not lifting a goddamn finger to improve what was a catatrophe in their minds and expecting 2 strangers to sprint across a muddy soccer field to save the day.

Also, our total time on scene was 12 minutes.

Wow man I bet that is nerve wrecking.

I know exactly what you feel. Though it’s infuriating to see those bystanders doing nothing at all, and though the dramatics you were subject to are by far unwarranted, I think that it’s also worthy to note that while each call for us is another call among many, most people really don’t call 911 that often, so when it does come to calling for an ambulance it’s a pretty darn big thing. (Save for those annoying people who *keep* calling 911). Good luck and stay safe!

Thanks for commenting. I realize that it’s one call among thousands for us, but you’d think other people would understand that as well, thus making me “the expert”, not them.

So is there a rule that you can’t hustle to the patient or is it a “Cool” thing. I’ve been in the field for 25 years and until I hit the patient’s side its all out. I see the same thing with my interns. We get an alert and its “Walk to the Unit” as if time doesn’t matter.

Last year I was at a high school football game and an unjry occurred. The EMTs walked across the field to the patient and all you could hear were negative comments about their lack of hustle.

Nice website!!

That was beautiful, I’ve work 20 years as a Paramedic. There are always John Q. Publics telling us how to do our job, but never lend a hand. I’ve in 2 marathons, etc. I only run at work when my own life is is danger, not very often.
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