“Rescue 1, Respond to 1835 Broad Street for an intoxicated male at the payphone.” Duty calls. Duty waits. I refastened my belt loosely and hit the pole. “Rescue 1, responding.” We rolled out of the station and into the city. Some folks would have taken care of business first; others may have gone out of […]

The rationale behind this post is based on my belief that Emergency Medical Services are provided by the government and paid for by tax dollars. I am well aware that my belief is outdated and no longer relevant, and EMS is now a business, but that does not mean I have to like it!   […]

Overheard in the back of Rescue 1, during a clean-up. "Piss isn't too bad." "Puke is the worst." "Nah, shit's worse than puke, any day." "Blood is easy, it doesn't stink." "That's why piss isn't bad, easy clean-up." "Old piss is pretty bad." "New shit is worse than old shit." "It's still runny." "Speaking of […]

I ran into a guy I know while picking up some Thai take-out. "How you doin?" he asked. "Okay," I answered. "Still a fireman?" "Almost done," I said. "Must be nice," said one of the six people at his table. I didn't say a word. "Wish I could retire," said another. "What are you, forty-five?" […]

He’s screaming, she’s screaming, everybody is screaming, blood here, blood there, blood everywhere, nobody put the dogs out, they’re screaming too, the cops are screaming, Christ – even the houseplants are screaming. Just because everybody is acting like monkeys doesn’t mean I have to jump into the barrel, and screaming “calm down” is akin to […]

"Rescue 1 and Engine 10, respond to 1035 Broad Street for a man down." "Why are they sending an Engine company?" asked my partner, a new guy who knew everything. "It's just another drunk." "You'll figure it out." I heard the slight urgency in the dispatcher's tone and knew that she sensed something in the […]