The Ambulance Ride

While serving on the Bridgeport Fire Department for 16 years I had the opportunity to work with and ride along with some very professional and very efficient Wise County EMS workers. As a Firefighter, I enjoyed the fire calls and working the accidents. They were challenging, exciting, scary, heartbreaking and sometimes even fun. During the last few years I served it seemed as though 75% of the calls were medical calls and those I didn't enjoy, especially the call at 3am for some patient that was partying all night and came home upset at their boyfriend/girlfriend and took some pills or smoked to much weed and were feeling sorry for themselves and really just needed someone to talk to. What they didn't realize was that most of us had to get up and go to work in a few hours and getting a call for a medical emergency, that really wasn't even an emergency at all, was not going to make for a very fun ride to the hospital. I NEVER saw an EMS employee act anything but professional with these cases. How they kept their composure was beyond me. While browsing the blog rolls of another blog I frequent, I came across this interaction between an ambulance driver and an ER nurse. I thought it was hilarious and pretty much fit the description of a few times that I was in the box helping out.

I have changed a few things in it to fit Wise County better.


Ambulance Driver: "Heya, WRHS. This is AD on Wise County 387, 5 minutes out with Patient X, who is apparently suffering from, well… let's call it acute exacerbation of chronic Patient X-ness."

ER Nurse (sighing): "So she's drunk and fighting with her boyfriend again? What is it this time, abdominal pain or demonic possession?"

AD: "Not really sure, haven't determined if I'm talking to Patient X or the demon."

ER Nurse: "Straight to triage upon arrival, AD."

AD: "Roger that, straight to triage for exorcism via fluorescent light therapy. See you in five."