My son is an EMT and yesterday was his first shooting victim

[ncffp163]

I was a paramedic for 15 yrs until I got hurt in Nov 05 and many times have been in places that my partner and I had no business being in without LEO on scene. But that was before automatic LEO response and securing of scene. Several years ago, went in on a report of a GSW victim in a bad neighborhood. When we arrived, the bystanders was yelling that the victim was in the house. As I and my partner entered the house to treat the victim, the shooter was standing there with a 12 ga pump. He had us cold. Told us that he had shot the guy (not the word the shooter used) and he meant for the guy to stay stay dead. I told him, "No problem Sir, we was just leaving" and pushed my partner out the door. As we cleared the house, my partner started screaming on the radio for LE back-up. We got into the unit and drove down the road until LEO arrived. When LEO arrived, the shooter came out empty-handed and surrendered. Needless to say, the victim didn't make it. But I wasn't going to give the shooter any more opportunities. Afterwards, it was several shifts before my partner could could come back to work. He jumped at loud noises for weeks later, but got over it. I was a little better at the time, but you couldn't drove a hat pin in my butt with a 10 lb sledge hammer due to the "pucker factor". I had often wished that I could've carried, but at the time that he "had" us, I don't think I could've drawn a weapon before he got me or my partner.

Eric

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[DetroitMedic]

LOL @ FknRa'as story... sorry but as sad as it is its pretty funny... i'm so desensitized that it makes me laugh...

[paramedic70002]

What a lot of members here may not know is that often, our dispatch information has absolutely no relation to what is actually happening on scene.

Like getting a call for "shoulder pain" and finding someone with a shotgun blast to the shoulder, or getting a call for a "fall" only to find the patient a victim of assault, having been thrown down a flight of stairs and beaten.

Or maybe getting a call for "unresponsive," having one family member tell you the patient was drunk, but when you ask how much they drank, another family member gets VERY irate. "Why do you think he's drunk (insert your favorite derogatory racial nomenclature here)." Then the guy goes chest to chest with you and threatens to kick your butt.

Showing up for an injury call and walking right into the middle of a domestic.

Showing up to attitude over response time because we were tied up on other calls.

Once we had a crew assaulted by a mob because they wanted a stabbing victim to die instead of getting medical help.

I could go on and on and on.........................................

Memorable conversations:

"He pushed me down the stairs and then kicked me in the chest."
"Where is he now?"
"Behind you."

"How long was the knife that he was stabbed with?"
"Here it is."


"Shot? I thought you said shocked! Where is the gun?"
"Away."

[DetroitMedic]

yea I feel you on that one, i'm really starting to hate our dispatch, they really aren't the sharpest pencils in the droor ...

[MattInFla]

What a lot of members here may not know is that often, our dispatch information has absolutely no relation to what is actually happening on scene.

And, of course, there is the old "unknown rescue", otherwise known as the blind date, when dispatch has no idea what is going on, just that someone "needs an ambulance".

Always loved the blind date. Kinda like a box of crackerjacks - you never knew what you might find inside.

Matt

[skippythenurse]

The hospital I work at is not Level I so most of the shootings we get are usually walk-ins. I remember one patient dodged a close one. Her "baby's daddy" attempted to shoot her in the face, she quickly pulled her hands up and ducked, her ring finger is now missing a bone, left hand nerve damage, and her nail job ruined!

[Spirit51]

I started as a firefighter/paramedic in the inner city of the KC Metro area. In my 15 years there I can't even count the number of GSW I ran. I have also seen people killed with rocks....bats....nail guns....screwdrivers....meat fork....and child's toy...among others. I carried a AMT backup my last 5 years. Never had to use it, but felt safer with it. If my department had known...I would have lost my job. My thought was...better my job than my life. BTW...the weapon was a gift from the County Medical Examer.

[DetroitMedic]

how did you carry it???

[PM]

Dispatcher, you have to love them! When I was running with a Rural volunteer fire service we got paged for an "Unknown down" OK, blind date is right!! The FD also backed up/covered when EMS was not in town till they could make it from a town 20-30 miles away. Well come to find out that the call was disconnected when a shooter pulled the phone from the wall and all that dispatch got was that there was a person down at the address before the phone whent dead. I should have known something was up when I driving my POV saw a County officer come speeding down the street. We stage in front of the house waiting for county and local LOs to clear it. While standing out front dispatch comes over the radio to our Chief that we should stage a block away --- we had been there 3 to 5 mintues at this point! Got to love my Chief "To late! We are already staged out front of the house. Yes, the shooter was still in the house; brought out after the one semi-breathing victim.

Even funnier was a call I got on my cell phone later that year; the preps lawyer had gotten a "tele- research" place to do something to aid the defense. I was in a meeting so I blew them off but wished I had taken the time to answer their question --- my thought was fry to (BEEP)!

[Hoppmeister]

Hey Just ta let ya'll know I visited with Mary the MAST Medic that was shot by the Wacko In KC and showed her the post and she smiled and she is gunna be joiniing our forum.

I Look forward to having her Join Us.. She's a FIrst Class Gal and one Heck of a Medic!

[P95Carry]

she is gonna be joining our forum

That would be great - and I hope she does.

.

[Spirit51]

DetroitMedic,
I used a ankle hoslter. Right to be exact. No one ever knew, except me, the Medical Examiner and my now hubby.

[customtle]

AHHHHH Your son don't need to pack while at work......Thats what Defibrillators, O2 Cylinders, and Haligan Bars are for one whack with either one and they'll be begging the city to let the Firemen and EMTS pack while at work

[MattInFla]

Solid Oxygen Therapy. It is a little known protocol, but effective when other means fail.....

[Bark'n]

Hey Just ta let ya'll know I visited with Mary the MAST Medic that was shot by the Wacko In KC and showed her the post and she smiled and she is gunna be joiniing our forum.

I Look forward to having her Join Us.. She's a FIrst Class Gal and one Heck of a Medic!

Hoppy.... Outstanding! That will be very cool indeed! Looking forward to her posting here. Didn't know she was a pro-gunner!

I must say, I was stunned when I first saw the news story on local TV. I live in Truman Lake area now so I'm not in KC real often. Like I said, she was just coming on the job about the time I was leaving in the mid 1980's...

When I first saw the story, I didn't recognize her name. It wasn't until I saw her at press conference on TV that I recognized who she was and knew we crossed paths a time or two.

I really am so glad she is doing well!

Hey Hoppy, here's some trivia... The KCMO Police spokesman you see on TV a lot... black guy, Sgt. Tony Sanders used to work at MAST long time ago... We called him "The Brown Hornet" Mary can probably tell you a few stories about him. LOL (He was an EMT for a long time, then went to medic school, then left to join KCPD. He had hair when I worked with him!)

Thanks for that post. Looking forward to seeing Mary here. PM me with her screen name, if she doesn't mind.