Too good not to share

[Kaisu]

First.. the disclaimer... there is no evidence whatsoever that any of the following is true. It may be a total invention of my sick mind.

System status posting in the hood. Lots of interesting stuff happening all the time, but this one really drove home the reality of the situation here.

My partner and I get toned out to unknown medical - PD on scene. Arrive in the parking lot of an apartment complex to find two PD cruisers and a miscreant in the back seat of one of them. PD officer approaches and says "He got maced." Then continues "this is the guy that shot at the ambulance earlier". I say "I beg your pardon? Shot at an ambulance - when?" I had been on another call and had missed the radio traffic related to this incident. "about 30 to 45 minutes ago" says the officer. I turn to look at my partner and he nods "yeah" he says; "you were in the back with the patient."

The officer asks that the crew that was shot at be dispatched to the scene to positively identify the fellow in the back. I contact dispatch and forward the request. In the mean time, I am having a moral dilemma - I mean, this guy shoots at us. Do I really care about his hurting eyes?

I ponder for several minutes and then trudge back to the ambulance to get the irrigation solution and equipment, castigating myself for my soft heart all the way.

I approach the patient. He has the watering squinting eyes and running nose associated with a faceful of mace, but otherwise appears healthy. I say to him "you were shooting at us and now you want me to help you?" He began cursing and swearing at me. I state very firmly "Do not be m-ther f-ing me. I am treating you with respect and I expect the same from you." He immediately turns gentle as a lamb and I irrigate his eyes for 15 minutes.

Shortly after, the crew that was shot at arrives. They approach the vehicle and confirm that this was indeed the fellow that put a round into the ambulance.

This is the part that really gets me. This crew is back on the street in an ambulance with a bullet hole immediately behind the medic seat and no one is batting an eye.

[Eydawn]

Holy shit! Wow. That's ridiculous.

Why was the asshat shooting at the ambulance? I mean... really now...

I would be investing in body armor if you haven't already. Stay safe out there.

Wendy

CO EMT-B

[ambodriver]

UGh. That's pretty fucking sick. These types of guys get what they deserve in the end. I betcha you'll be working him as a traumatic arrest some day in the near future.

You did the right thing though. Sometimes hard to take our feelings out of it..especially in this case. We have all (well at least I have) been guilty of getting pissed and yelling at patients and their stupidity...but this one really takes the cake. I'd probably give him a piece of my mind for sure.

[HERBIE1]

Unfortunately in many areas, it's the cost of doing business. Like most of the mopes, I guess the shots were probably meant for someone else- they rarely hit who or what they are aiming at. Glad nobody was hurt. As for Kevlar vests- I have mixed feelings on these. When I was working full time in the ghetto, I purchased my own vest, but only wore it when there was a nasty gang war going on. The city refused to provide them- as with anything, the liability issue was their main concern. What if someone was not wearing their vest and gawd forbid got shot? Would the city still cover them as a duty related injury? Would they be mandatory for EVERYONE, regardless if you worked in a ghetto or an upscale area? What if one of those upscale rigs was called into a ghetto and did not have a vest?

My fear with the vest- with my bad luck, I would take a head shot, and vest or not, would be just as dead.

At work, my head is always on a swivel. I look for potential situations that can turn ugly- a neighbor, bystander, family member, friend- who suddenly appears out of nowhere. Some of the scariest situations I have ever been in had nothing to do with a GSW victim or some other violent act.

Thankfully, we are usually NOT the targets, but could easily end up in crossfire.

[CBEMT]

This pretty much reinforced Dust's usual point regarding vests: you should be wearing it all the time, because only wearing it when the call "sounds like you need it" could cost you your life.

[Lone Star]

First.. the disclaimer... there is no evidence whatsoever that any of the following is true. It may be a total invention of my sick mind.

Whether it happened or not, my answers remain the same.

In the mean time, I am having a moral dilemma - I mean, this guy shoots at us. Do I really care about his hurting eyes?

It really doesn't matter what your personal feelings are. You're not Judge, Jury or Executioner. Your personal feelings should NEVER dictate what type or level of care you will provide. You don't get to 'let them suffer' because you don't like what they did. Your ONLY concern is to render the appropriate care to the best of your ability.

I approach the patient. He has the watering squinting eyes and running nose associated with a faceful of mace, but otherwise appears healthy. I say to him "you were shooting at us and now you want me to help you?" He began cursing and swearing at me. I state very firmly "Do not be m-ther f-ing me. I am treating you with respect and I expect the same from you." He immediately turns gentle as a lamb and I irrigate his eyes for 15 minutes.

You call a staement like

"you were shooting at us and now you want me to help you?"

being respectful? I call it antagonistic, and any 'tongue lashing' you got from a patient in pain was well deserved. Additionally, any crew member that engaged in this type of behavior would be facing disciplinary actions.

This is the part that really gets me. This crew is back on the street in an ambulance with a bullet hole immediately behind the medic seat and no one is batting an eye.

What do you suggest that the company do; remove the truck from service and make one less crew available to help the public? If the crew wanted the rest of the night off, it's understandable. If they wanted to stay on shift, that's their choice. As a supervisor, I would make the option available, and support the crew in whatever choice they made.

[Kaisu]

Whether it happened or not, my answers remain the same.

It really doesn't matter what your personal feelings are. You're not Judge, Jury or Executioner. Your personal feelings should NEVER dictate what type or level of care you will provide. You don't get to 'let them suffer' because you don't like what they did. Your ONLY concern is to render the appropriate care to the best of your ability.

Agree absolutely.. I was pretty proud of the fact that I didn't let my personal feelings interfere. I took good care of that patient and it was the right thing to do.

You call a staement like being respectful? I call it antagonistic, and any 'tongue lashing' you got from a patient in pain was well deserved. Additionally, any crew member that engaged in this type of behavior would be facing disciplinary actions.

I guess you kind of had to be there. The tone of voice was gentle and inquiring. I really was puzzled at the thinking. The M-F statements were directed at the police.

What do you suggest that the company do; remove the truck from service and make one less crew available to help the public? If the crew wanted the rest of the night off, it's understandable. If they wanted to stay on shift, that's their choice. As a supervisor, I would make the option available, and support the crew in whatever choice they made.

I wasn't suggesting the company do anything different than what they did.. or the crew for that matter. A little background is in order. A few weeks ago, there was a commotion about a crew backing away from a family member carrying a GSW victim to an ambulance that was staged. PD was not on scene and a news crew captured the incident. There was a lot of criticism on this site about the actions of the ambulance crew. This story was an attempt to show the reality of what these folks are coping with.

[joesph]

At the time of the shooting I wouldn't blame you for returning fire but afterward yeah that's what we do.