As of this point, my favorite rescue happened one night
around 11pm when my partner and I were at the station when we got the call for
a traffic collision. This in no way excited us, as they are quite common and
are usually only fender benders where people decide to go to the hospital on a
full backboard so they can sue later on if they need to. However, this night,
when the call came over the radio we were told:
“For a person trapped in vehicle”.
It got better.
“Be advised: One of the vehicles involved is an armed
robbery getaway car”
It got waaaaay better.
“PD has their guns drawn on suspects”
This was going to be sweet.
I was driving that shift so my partner and I immediately
stepped on it and safely raced to the call. Five sheriff squad cars bolted past
me. They must have been going 100. I judge how good a call is going to be by
how many police squad cars are there. We got on scene to find multiple police
cruisers, fire trucks, and bystanders crowding in the middle of the street.
Police were patting down the suspects from the getaway vehicle that smashed
into a small sedan. That was our patient.
Our guy, a male in his 20s, had his car crushed in around
him by these knuckleheads in their SUV. My partner immediately jumped in the
car to assess the patient. He had a broken femur and a punctured lung, both of
which can be fatal. My partner held spinal precaution and yelled for me to
bring him safety goggles.
My partner and I geared up and worked with the medics to get
an IV line on this guy as the Fire Department cut the entire roof off the car
while we were inside it. We hunkered down and protected the patient as glass
flew everywhere. When I looked up, the sedan was a convertible.
Meanwhile, as we’re doing this, there were at least 30 neighborhood
bystanders that had come out and were filming the whole event with their cell
phones, a fire department Battalion Chief was standing behind me, looking over
my shoulder, a news crew was filming the event, and a police helicopter was
circling overhead shining the spotlight down on the car. It was insane. All
these eyes were focused on this one-trapped injured man, and my partner and I
were right there in the middle of it with him.
We slid a backboard behind the patient and pulled him out
the back of the car as we walked on top of glass across the trunk. We loaded
him up and I hauled out of there to the closest trauma center. Despite his
injuries, the patient lived, the robbery suspects were arrested, and my partner
and I spent the rest of the night shaking glass out of our clothes. It was a
helluva operation.
When I first interviewed for this job, my boss said, “Son,
this is greatest show on earth”. I didn’t fully realize what he meant until
that night. Being part of emergency services, working with Police, Fire, and
EMS, all together amidst crazed traumatic situations really is one of the most
amazing sights to see. Certainly the best thing to be a part of.
The greatest show on earth.
