giving blood for the first time

[Richard B the EMT]

Brentoli, you're just weird, but the type weird that we all like!

FireEMT177959, although not my first donation, I had a CPR call less than a half hour after my donation (don't recall how long it took me to "pump out" to the collection bag), in Riis Park section of the Gateway National Recreational Area. The closest we could get the ambulance to the scene was over 500 feet away from the patient, and carry the equipment in by hand. over soft sand. As this was also a beach, and the call was a submersion/"wet" drowning, we also were getting splashed by waves, even though we were on the shore.

After getting the patient onto a long board, the long board onto an army type carry streacher, everyone of the 4 of my VAC crew, the National Park Service Park Attendants (one of which was also one of my VAC members) either grabbed a corner of the streacher, or a piece of equipment, and, counting to ten in each "hop", ran towards the ambulance. At ten, the streacher was placed down, and another 2 minutes of CPR were applied. It must have taken about 7 "hops" to get back to the ambulance.

The ambulance run, once we got back on the vehicle, was a 5 mile run, and the ER crew also worked up the patient for about another half hour before "calling" it.

All told, from when the "Federales" got the guy out of the water and started CPR, to the "Stop CPR" at the ER, must have been about an hour.

As for me? Between sweating and ocean, the hell with the "keep the site dry for 6 hours" rule!