Last night a 37 year old paramedic was killed in the line of duty. I worked with him as a dispatcher and he was a part of our extended EMS family.
We have a dangerous job, we just don't talk about it. We've all be hit, kicked and punched by patients to ill, either mentally or physically, to know what they are doing. It is part of our job.
I go to work every time with the attitude of safety first. I'm going home to my husband and children, that's my plan and I'm sticking to it.
But we all know how the best laid plans go sometimes. This was a reminder in case anyone was starting to forget.
He left behind a wife and two daughters. We will be there for them but their lives will never be the same.
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I was utterly stunned reading the news of his death this morning.
ReplyDeleteWhen people think of line-of-duty death or injury, the first victims that come to mind are police officers and firefighters. It makes sense. Most of the time, police and fire casualties follow a short path of easily connected dots from hazard to injury.
People don't realize that it's just as much a possibility for EMS, but the risk is a sneaky one. In EMS, what presents itself at your on-scene assessment may not be what you're going to get when you move in to start doing your job.
My heart breaks for his wife and kids. There's something particularly heinous about the murder of a man who committed his life to serving those in urgent need.