RTC

Whilst attending a two car, five casualty RTC on Monday morning I thought about the effect the emergency services have on the people around us. It was 4 in the morning and a car travelling at about 35mph had just hit the front of a stationary car sat at a junction. To deal with this incident there were 3 police cars, 2 fire engines, a fire officer's car, 5 ambulances and an ambulance officers car. Most of these were left running with blue lights on. All this at 4 in the morning in a suburb of Bournemouth. Add in all the personnel rushing about making heavens knows how much noise. What sort of impact did this have on the locals? To be honest the thing that surprised me most was the complete lack of curtain twitching and rubber neckers even at 4 in the morning.

Sick Children

Had a run of sick kids whilst on last block of nights. A 2 year old fitter, a 9 year old first asthma attack then a 5 month old with Heart Problems. Looks proper heroic when you walk out the back of the vehicle with a babe in your arms and your crew mate behind carrying the O2. The looks on peoples faces outside the ED are a picture.

Weekend nights this weekend. As it is the first weekend of miner's fortnight it will be interesting to see how many times we go to Rockley Park tonight.....

Qualified

Finally passed out from my student year on the 22nd. Feel so much more relaxed at work. Know that I am not under the microscope so much. Just waiting to get my dark green epaulettes and the paperwork signed off for St John now.

Quiet Week

Finally a quiet week. One where I can tell my returning crew mate all aboutthe good jobs he has missed whislt he was off acting up as management. At least I got some time to recuperate by not having to really work for a living.

8 Shifts

In the last 8 shifts I have taken 8 patients into "the big room", 9 if you count the kid on a long board who went in there because there was no room anywhere else. I have been first vehicle on scene at a multi casualty RTC, been out to an elderly gent drowning on his own secretions and been to a brittle asthmatic not moving much air. How I hope that things calm down and we get back to picking up old ladies off the floor.