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It's national EMS week. While they don't wear a military uniform, they still wear a uniform and put themselves in harms way to help save people they don't even know. EMS members are often the most overlooked people in emergency service. People think of police and fire personnel but rarely think of the EMTs. No one thinks about the EMT until they call 911 because someone is hurt and no one thinks about them again after they take them to the hospital. EMTs are considered one of the most dangerous jobs in America.
They rush down the roads, hoping people will not run the red light, or run around the car in front of them that has stopped for the ambulance trying to get across the intersection. They deal with people not moving over while on the way to a heart attack victim, costing precious seconds that could mean life or death. They pull people out of mangled cars on the side of the highway while people go past them at 60mph just 10 feet from them hoping they don't vere off the road into them. They pull up to houses to have parents place their lifeless Childs bodies into their arms pleading to fix their babies. They have to face the family member and tell them when their loved ones have died and tell them there is nothing they can do.
When someone dies in their home and are not found for over a month, they are the ones who have to place the remains into a body bag and take them to the morgue. When a mother decides to take her own life and let her family find her, the EMTs are the ones to move her in front of her family while they wonder why? EMTs are the ones who see the neglect of the elderly on a daily basis in nursing homes and hold their hands while they await death. When everyone else is standing around, EMTs are jumping in to help. EMTs work 12, 24 and even 48 hour shifts missing birthdays, holidays, games, recitals, and other family events and typically make less than than all the othes in the emergency services profession. And they do it while being called "ambulance driver", "taxi driver", and other names demeaning their education, skill, and self sacrifice for others. They don't do it because they have to, they don't do it for the paycheck. They do it because people need help, and they have the drive to help people. When people are at their worst, EMTs are at thier best. Next time you see an EMT thank them, you will be surprised how much it will mean to them.
They rush down the roads, hoping people will not run the red light, or run around the car in front of them that has stopped for the ambulance trying to get across the intersection. They deal with people not moving over while on the way to a heart attack victim, costing precious seconds that could mean life or death. They pull people out of mangled cars on the side of the highway while people go past them at 60mph just 10 feet from them hoping they don't vere off the road into them. They pull up to houses to have parents place their lifeless Childs bodies into their arms pleading to fix their babies. They have to face the family member and tell them when their loved ones have died and tell them there is nothing they can do.
When someone dies in their home and are not found for over a month, they are the ones who have to place the remains into a body bag and take them to the morgue. When a mother decides to take her own life and let her family find her, the EMTs are the ones to move her in front of her family while they wonder why? EMTs are the ones who see the neglect of the elderly on a daily basis in nursing homes and hold their hands while they await death. When everyone else is standing around, EMTs are jumping in to help. EMTs work 12, 24 and even 48 hour shifts missing birthdays, holidays, games, recitals, and other family events and typically make less than than all the othes in the emergency services profession. And they do it while being called "ambulance driver", "taxi driver", and other names demeaning their education, skill, and self sacrifice for others. They don't do it because they have to, they don't do it for the paycheck. They do it because people need help, and they have the drive to help people. When people are at their worst, EMTs are at thier best. Next time you see an EMT thank them, you will be surprised how much it will mean to them.