Anniversary

[Richard B the EMT]

I was just reminded, by FaceBook EMS associates, that it was 19 years ago we lost Christopher Prescott.

On this evening, 19 years ago, EMTs Christopher Prescott and Carol Buffa, of the NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation EMS, responded to the scene of a car accident on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, NYC, along with members and associated vehicles of and from the NYPD and FDNY. The NYPD and FDNY vehicles were set up around the accident, forming a protective line, as per policies of both agencies.

A person driving a car while under the influence of alcohol decided not to pay attention to all the emergency vehicles and their activated emergency lights, and drove around them, and ran into the EMS duo, who were at that moment loading the driver from the initial incident into their ambulance, pinning them between their rear bumper-step and the front bumper of the drunk driver's car.

The EMS Communications Bureau had a small bit of confusion, until they understood that the new call of "Pedestrian Struck" was a new call on the same scene, and that it was MOS, or Members Of the Service". Additional ambulances, field supervisors, and chiefs were assigned.

Mr. Prescott, who had recently gotten the EMS station's "Rookie of the Year" award, and Ms. Buffa were "packaged" by the backup crews, and transported to the nearest Trauma ER, along with the original patient.

EMT Buffa suffered severe damage to her legs, and would be in rehabilitive physical therapy for the next year.

EMT Prescott succumbed to his injuries.

NYC (HHC) EMS had been formed in 1970, from the old Department of Hospitals Ambulance Bureau. In the city EMS' then 24 year history, EMT Prescott had become the first Line Of Duty Death.

Several days later, EMT Christopher Prescott was laid to rest, in a departmental funeral attended by several thousand EMS, Law Enforcement, and Fire Department uniformed personnel from around the US, including myself