Boy am I glad that I'm on nights tonight.
- ~ -
So, there we were yesterday, heading back to station when we get a job sent down. Appears to be a resus at a beach - and I'm attending, plus we're the closest crew.
I discuss our plan of attack with my partner. This is my first resus where we are first on scene. It's also my first beach job. And just the previous day I was telling my girlfriend I haven't had a job that gets me all excited and nervous in a while. I'm definitely excited and nervous and ready to pounce - adrenaline a pumpin'.
Grab gear, dash off, and there is a good walk to the water. Let me remind you of the 39 degree heat in the shade. There is no shade on the beach.
Two kids have been washed out at sea, and were pulled in by lifeguards. My patients. 100 metres away another person has been pulled out of the ocean, my partners patient.
My kids are breathing and on oxygen (you lifeguards are a bloody brilliant bunch), on their side, plus their heads being stabilised. Thing is, with people being dumped by the waves in the ocean, they might have neck injuries, so we have to go the full monty with spinal precautions until proven otherwise.
ABC, ABC, ABC. All I can think of doing. Airway, Breathing Circulation. Kids are whimpering, chests heaving, pulse palpable. Not much more I can do without backup. Minutes pass, then a Team Leader and another ambulance arrive, followed by another ambulance. I can hand one child over to the second crew, and together with the lifeguards we pop my patient on a board, then on to the back of a beach buggy and I get to walk next to it stabilizing the kids neck. Up to the parking lot, hand over out patient to another crew who eventually takes the kiddie to kiddie hospital.
Time to find my crewmate...he's in the back of our van, attending to another patient, a guy who tried to save the kids and got washed away himself. Ended up taking him to hospital, and finding out that all patients apparently got out of the whole situation with nothing more than a shock, some bad memories and hopefully a lasting message to SWIM BETWEEN THE FLAGS.
What did I get out of it? A good chunk of experience, enough Vitamin D to last me the rest of the year and an ambulance so full of sand that I could have built a 1:1 replica of the the Neuschwanstein Castle. Thats why you try to attend on jobs like that - it's the drivers responsibility to keep the van clean :-)
So excuse me Taz if I didn't see you, I was caught up in my own little world...
