You need to realize your title and your limits. You, I have always thought, are paid to fight…read morefires and when you have no fire I believe you need to help people in need of your help. Like rescue a kitten from a tree!! Or assist a lost child in finding his parents.
What you did to me was I feel far from your job as a firefighter. I live alone very near your station. This past week it took me a couple of days to gather up enough nerve to call 911 and request an ambulance. I had been very sick from a major surgery I had a few days before. The surgery had been very difficult because it was on soft tissue and required a tube to drain fluids from inside my body. Two days before my call the fluid had turned from normal pink to brown then green! It was 4:00AM when I realized the change to green. I knew I had developed a very bad infection because not only the color had changed but it had a sickening odor. My daughter has planned to visit the day before and I had planned to ask her to take me to the ER. She canceled. I had had a similar experience many years ago and knew I came close to dying. So I decided I had to make this call for an ambulance. I am 80 yrs old and this is the first time in 80 years I have requested an ambulance. I was dressed with my purse waiting at the door. Suddenly 4 men entered my apartment full of powerful control!
The smallest walked to the door of my bedroom and looked in. The others walked in different areas of the room. I was about to ask if they had a wheelchair for me but before I could they began a line of questions about my health. One took my blood pressure. One checked my heart rate! Then I was told they were not from the ambulance but they were the fire department. First they had to evaluate my need for an ambulance before they would call. I tried to explain. I had two cups of fluid - one pink and one green I was taking with me to the ER. I had a long line from my body to my lap where I held the bulb draining the fluids from me. The smallest guy told me I have no fever, my BP is normal, my heart rate is perfect!
But they continue to ask personal questions even about what meds I take! I had had enough! I loudly said, "Leave my house! Leave now! Get Out!!". I believe one was about to speak with concern but the little short guy jumped in cutting him off saying, "Go! Let's Go!" I went to bed in tears. I knew I was wrong to allow this to hurt me so much. I was not going to allow them to kill me! I stopped crying and dialed 911 a SECOND TIME! I requested please just ambulance but was told "No. I had to first see the fireman"! I thought to myself "this time you can handle them"!! The door opened and I immediately asked if they were from the fire department. A very tall, very kind man said,"Yes we are but we are not the ones who were here before.". They could not have been better, more helpful towards me. The ambulance was waiting and they pushed me sitting on my walker to the elevator and to the ambulance door. There was no room for the walker so they took it back to my apartment door after the ambulance pulled away.
On arrival I was taken immediately to a room and within the first two hours I had IV antibiotics of three different kinds. They could not wait for the lab to determine the name of bacteria so they were doing their best. The tubes were cut and fresh fluid was put in test tubes for the laboratory. I was taken for a CT.
Finally seven hours later I was told I had a very severe wound infection. I was sent home with two oral antibiotics after having had the three IV antibiotics on arrival. They actually ordered Lyft to take me home but only after giving me a food voucher for the cafe. My weight had been 86 but in the past few days it had decreased to 81. It was such a nice feeling to know someone cares.
The firemen save lives no doubt but I seriously fear they also take a few each year and I came very close to being in that group! They should not be allowed or requested to judge who needs medical help and who does not. They do not have the required knowledge to do such a thing! I pray this will change very soon. It could not be more wrong! Why do people not understand?
