People talk to me about how dangerous my job is. I usually tell them that the most dangerous part of my job is the drive there and back every morning. It's the truth. Yes, we take the odd risk in firefighting, but it's nowhere near as dangerous as the media (and other Firefighters sometimes) would have you believe.

In twenty years on the job I'd have to say I've only been in serious fear for my life ten or fifteen times. That's not really a whole lot. After all, compared to a cop, a logger, a commercial fishermen or a miner that's peanuts.

The risks to us are more subtle. We risk our sanity sometimes, and we risk our jobs occasionally when some of us just can't keep our damnfool mouths shut when we really should just say "Yes ma'am". Today is a perfect case in point.

We see injustice all the time, people who die who really shouldn't and good people who have bad things happen to them. However, it's sometimes my distinct pleasure to watch justice be served.

This afternoon we responded to an MVA. It was a fairly serious one with four cars involved, and six patients in varying levels of injury. None were life-threatening but some were a lot more serious than "bumps and bruises".

Because it was a weekday daytime call we were fairly short handed, that's the drawback of the paid-call/volunteer system. Firefighters respond when and if they are available. There are no scheduled shifts. This means that sometimes only a few people come and other times a bunch will arrive. Today was one of the low-turnout days.

Because it was a daytime call and it was my day off, I went to the hall and left the command to my chief, I love this because as the captain I usually respond directly to the call in my own vehicle and either assume command or take over a sector of the scene. Let's face it though, riding a big red roller with siren and lights flashing is every kid's dream and something all us FFs love. I really miss it sometimes so an opportunity like today is something I relish.

The chief assumed command of the scene and we rolled up with four guys on the rig, the rescue rig rolled up behind us so there ended up with six FFs on the scene and the chief. We started treating patients as soon as we hit the ground.

The chief sent me to see to an elderly lady passenger of one of the cars, she was pretty banged up and experiencing chest pains. I try to keep things fairly light with my patients. If there's one thing I've learned it's that if you try to joke a bit with them they don't get the impression they're dying. If you treat them like they''ll break, they get the impression that they are.

I looked in on this lady, she was holding her chest and having a hard time breathing. She was pale and shaken, and about 80 or so years old. I climbed into the car beside her and immobilized her head to prevent potential aggravation to any neck or spinal injury.

"How are you doing ma'am?"

"I'm not 'doing' very well young man, I should think that was obvious!" she barked.

I knew this one was going to be a hard sell, so I kept it light, kept a smile pasted to my face and a friendly tone to my voice.  I explained everything I was doing to her as I did it, like I always do. This helps me to remember what needs to be done, and keeps the patient involved in the whole process rather than feeling like more stuff is outside their control.

The scene had reached its crescendo and was calming down some, there were a whole lot more patients than there were local ambulances so a couple needed to be brought in from the next town, this would take 20 minutes or so. It's a long time to stay cramped up with an old lady in the back of a car. I was pretty certain that her chest pains were the result of seat belt injuries, but we never take chances.

When there's gonna be a delay like that, we usually ask our patients things to pass the time, kids, family or work history, stuff like that. I've met some fascinating people twisted up in cars or kneeling beside them in their living rooms waiting for ambulances.

This one went a little differently though.

She looked at me and said "Are you washed in the blood of the saviour young man?"

One of my problems is that I can rarely pass up the opportunity to make an irreverent remark. This time was no exception.

"No ma'am, we wear these latex gloves so that we never have direct blood contact, you never know what you might pick up"

"That is NOT what I meant sir!" she thundered. "Are you saved?!"

"Saved?" I said innocently, "I'm not the one in trouble here ma'am, I'm supposed to be the guy who DOES the saving"

"SIR, ARE YOU A CHRISTIAN?!"

"No ma'am, I'm not"

She looked a bit taken aback and then quizzed me on my religious background.

"I'm a Pagan ma'am"

"You worship satan??!!"

"No ma'am, I don't believe in satan, satan is a christian invention"

"Do you believe in god?"

"Not the same way you do, ma'am, nor do I believe that Jesus was his son any more thanI am. I don't believe that there is a devil, nor do I believe in Heaven nor hell"

"Well then I want a different person to help me, YOU can leave!"

"Sorry ma'am, I'm all you've got today, everyone else is busy same as I am"

"Well I don't like being dealt with by a person like YOU!"

"Tell me something ma'am, being as obviously as devout a christian as you are, when the car came to rest here, and you realized you were hurt, did you pray to your god for help?"

"Of course"

"Well ma'am, evidently he sent me, so who are you to argue his choice?"

She fell silent then, pondering that question.

"Very well then sir, You can treat me and I'll trust in god to guide your hands, whether you believe in him or not"

At that moment I heard another ambulance pull up and the doors slam while the chief briefed thethe paramedics about our different patients. The most serious had been transported in the first two ambulances that left, this one was here for two more patients. our chest pains was next to go.

Sometimes, like I've said before, I get to witness justice, and it's my distinct privilege to watch the forces and the fates that operate the universe display their huge and eclectic sense of humour.

"Good day to you Bryant, what do we have here?" came the thickly East-Indian voice of Gurdeep Singh Pahan, a baptized Sikh who is one of the top paramedics in the region. His brown and bearded face, shockingly white teeth, and blue turban appeared on the opposite side of my patient.

I gave him the medical rundown on her and we prepared to remove her from the car.

Once we got her out and onto the gurney, she clutched my arm and asked me "Sir, can you get me my bible?... that is... if you're willing to touch it"

I went to the car and got her book, brought it to her and said "Well, it doesn't appear to have burst into flame at my touch ma'am"

She smiled thinly, but thanked me for my care.

I looked at Gurdeep, we smiled at one another, waved, and he was off to the hospital with his load.

I hoped that the doctor on call was Alik T'Akaal, the muslim :)
 
 
 

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