The story begins here

Small town EMS, Big Island EMS. Wife. Step Parent. 🌈

[ashleytheemtb]

Somewhere

Somewhere someone is having the worst day of their life. Their child stopped breathing. Their spouse is not waking up. Their brother was in an accident. Somewhere someone is crying out for help. An abused wife. A neglected child. A drug addict. Somewhere someone is counting the seconds until help arrives. A single mom who’s house has been broken into. A daughter watching her dad hold a gun to his head. An aunt not knowing what drugs her niece is on. Somewhere someone is in shock. The 30 year old that just became a widow. The once happy parents of a 6 month old. The sister who found her sibling after losing to cancer too soon.

Somewhere. Someone. Is throwing on boots, and running to the squad. Hitting the emergency lights while pulling out of the bay. Hoping a car will stop so they can pass the red light.

Somewhere. Someone. Will see the blood left on the wall from that dad. Will hold that baby knowing he’ll never breath again. Will listen to the screams of family members in heart break.

Somewhere. Someone. Woke up at 2am to save that drug addict for the 8th time this year. Skipped dinner to go help a man with a stubbed toe. Missed holidays, birthdays, soccer games to answer the call of duty.

Somewhere. Someone. Worked 25 years just to get ptsd and lose their job. Finally passed all their schooling and tests just to have a career ending injury day 1. Mixed paths with someone in such a hurry they didn’t stop for the flashing lights.

Somewhere. Someone. Left at 7am for their 24 hour shift. Made it till 3pm without lunch. Was hit head on at 7pm by a car not paying attention.

Someone. Somewhere. Answered a call for a suicidal male. 5 minutes later was looking eye to eye with the man that would kill her. A mayday. Shots fired. Is being echoed on radios.

Someone. Somewhere. Makes 16 cents more then minimum wage. Works 100 hour weeks to pay the bills. Gives their life to others, to be paid less then fast food workers.

Someone. Somewhere. Will see their partner more then their spouse. Will skip more meals then they can sit down for. Will wake up more times then they get to lay down.

Someone. Somewhere. Won’t. Go. Home.

[ashleytheemtb]

Still one of my best writings. I'm glad everyone likes it so much. Thank you all for all the love

[ashleytheemtb]

Heroin. It’s an epidemic sweeping the nation. Law makers would like to fix the issue, some proposing no ems response at all for overdoses, some suggesting a 3 strike rule. All the suggestions ultimately end in people dying. As a first responder, here’s my question. All the people chanting let the drug addicts die, are you going to go to the scene and pick up the dead body? Are you going to be the one to inform the mother that is sobbing that her son is dead and no one even attempted to save him? Are you going to look into the lifeless eyes that lay at you’re feet as you zip the body bag closed? First responders take an oath to save lives without judgement. I arrive on scene and I don’t care if it’s drugs or alcohol, if you’re white or black, gay or straight, old or young. My job is to save you and that’s what I plan to do every. Single. Call.

Many of us in ems have long lasting issues from the ones we couldn’t save. Nightmares, tears, depression. Many of us cope and survive this job knowing we did our best each and every time, but sometimes people simply pass on. We can’t save everyone but we can hold our heads up knowing we tried are best.

So for the law makers and public wanting to let the addicts die, are you going to take care of the mess it causes? Are you going to wipe up the blood? Are you going to transport the dead body in you’re own vehicle to the morgue? Are you going to be the shoulder the family cries on, or punches, or screams at? Are you going to take on the nightmares of letting another human die?

Letting them die is not the answer. It won’t free up an ambulance, as ems would still need to go to the scene, call the corner, get time of death, inform the family, place the body in a body bag, transport to the funeral home or morgue, and decon the squad after. As anyone else in ems would know it is actually less time to save an overdose patient then to go on a DOA. From time of call to back in service an overdose could take anywhere from 20-60 minutes. A DOA? Usually takes hours.

And well they don’t pay their bills. (Yes. Narcan is on the bill they recieve, shocking.) Even more shocking, some do pay their bills! Woah. Crazy I know. But neither does the diabetic who doesn’t check their sugar and downs 2 cans of soda and 3 pieces of pie, the asthma patient that smokes a pack a day and never takes their medicine, the guy that has back pain for 3 months but hasn’t gone to the doctor.

So my question. When you’re first responders have ptsd from these DOA calls, who’s going to help them? The same people that spazzed out over 133$ narcan? Our first responders are tired, yes. Overdoses are aggrivating, yes. But I don’t know a SINGLE first responder that would rather let these people die and go on DOA calls instead.

Get informed of the bigger picture people. Just letting them die is more of a problem then a solution.

[iglovequotes]

http://iglovequotes.net/

[ashleytheemtb]

Every shift I strap on my boots, tuck in my shirt and tighten my belt. I always hope for a good shift but expect the worst. I expect to go home hungry, exhausted and dirty. I expect to wonder how my 9 dollars an hour will keep food on the table, the bills paid and lights on. I expect to hear my kids cry that I missed another soccer game, or school play. I expect my family to not understand why I am unable to tell them about my shift, while I know I would break down if I spoke of what my eyes had just saw. I expect my marriage to suffer as I work more hours then I'm home. I expect to feel anger as I go home exhausted since I just saved the same addict for the 4th time this week... at 3am. What I never expect is what keeps me going. I never expect that addict to thank me for helping him breath again. I never expect my kids to do their school project on how their mommy is their hero. I never expect to feel like I'm doing something bigger then myself even if my pay stubs don't show it. I never expect to have a mother show up at the station days after a car accident to thank me for saving her child. The same child that looked a lot like mine. I never expect to hear a coworker has committed suicide. I never expect to respond to an accident involving one of our crews. I never expect to hear shots fired echo out over the radio. I never expect to not go home. We're trained to expect the unexpected. Be prepared for anything. But how can you ever be prepared to not make it home?

[iglovequotes]

http://iglovequotes.net/

[oneofthosecrazycatladies]

[ashleytheemtb]

The last 4 shifts have been busier then hell. I would like to request PTO until my white cloud is found, please and thank you.

[ashleytheemtb]

If there's one thing I hate about working in ems it's the belief that males can run the line of sexual harassment and even cross it yet the female being harassed needs to suck it up or get out of ems. Like yes we all are a little off our rocker to go from blood and guts calls to asking what's for lunch, but that doesn't mean I want some medic that's older then my father to be touching me or making sexual jokes in any capacity. But that's just how ems is... well fuck that. We can all joke and goof off and have a good time, without invading personal bubbles and asking inappropriate questions or making vulgar jokes. Don't ask questions about my sex life with my wife, don't tell me you open up my bunk room door and saw me sleeping, don't touch my arm, back, butt, head, leg, unless you're pulling me out of the way of an oncoming semi and don't make jokes about how you'll give me you're sauce, or you can help destress. If you're a male. And in ems, and this is how you treat a female at work. I can bet you 100% she let's it slide and gives a half smile every time. Wake the fuck up. She doesn't enjoy it, she hates it, she just knows if she reports you for sexual harassment she'll get slowly pushed out. So knock that shit off, it makes you're gender look bad.

[psych2go]

If you like more of this, follow @psych2go​.

[psych2go]

If you like more of this, follow @psych2go​.

[psych2go]

If you like more of this, follow @psych2go​.

[ashleytheemtb]

I love the blogs that have only like 200 followers and the person writes they're thoughts and about they're experiences. I love hearing people's stories, everyone has such different paths and ways they got to where I cross paths with them. People are so interesting to me.

[firefighterpeaches]

[theintrovertnation]

If you can relate to an Introvert, Join the Introvert Nation

[hustleinatrap]

[ashleytheemtb]

I promise to get better at tweeting

So follow me! Ashleytheemt

[ashleytheemtb]

In the world of drugs

I see you. I see you struggle with past traumas that have led you down this path of hopelessness and destruction. I see you. I see the potential you have inside, even though the darkness of this disease has clouded you're vision. I see you. I see the cries for help beneath the hard exterior you present. I see you. I see the desire to become something, someone, not just the addict. I see you. I see the light at the end of you're tunnel, I just wish my directions to the end could be clear. I see you. I see the life you're family wishes you had, rather then the life you have been given. I see you. I see this is not a choice, yet a way to escape the pain of you're trauma and a way to cope with the demons you carry inside. I see you. I see that I also carry demons, as do many, but I wish I could give you some of my strength to overcome as you need it more then me. I see you. I see what I could have become in you and I thank fate every day for choosing a different path for me, I only wish I could of carried you along this path too. I see you. I see you as more then just an addict. I see you. I see you as more then just a junkie. I see you. I see you as more then a rape victim. I see you. I see you as more then a domestic violence survivor. I see you. I see you past the track marks. I see you. I see you past the over doses. I see you. I see you beyond the narcan I gave you. I see you. I see you, laying on the ground not breathing. I give you narcan, I breath for you, I give you my air. Hoping. Wishing you'd wake up. I radio for back up, I see you need my all. I give you more narcan. I continue to breath for you to the hospital. I see you begin to breath on you're own. I see you survive. I see you're light. Can you?