Personal Narrative: Los Santos Emergency Response Team

After the almost fatal accident my grand mom was in, this passion grew stronger of helping others. The fact that firefighters help people when they need help the most makes the job all the more awesome. Joining the fire department gives me the power to help others in extreme circumstances and gives me the potential power to have a positive impact in some one’s life.

I was born into a First Responder family, both my parents were certified in different aspects of the job. My father was and still is an EMT, Paramedic, and the Fire Chief of our local fire department, and my mother was an EMT for ten years. Being born into this lifestyle I didn’t really view it any differently than other families. Around the age of 5, when 9/11 occurred, this changed. My father at the time worked for a company that contracted fire apparatus to the NYPD for 9/11 relief. Due to this he was called out to New York during 9/11 and our whole family relocated there for a few months. This was the first time in which I realized that my parents job is quite different from many others. Instead of running away from New York like many families

The Mercy Flights Explorer Post is the career education part of Boy Scouts of America. I have been part of the post for 2 years and was elected as ambulance operation making me responsible for maintaining and restocking the ambulance that Mercy Flights donated to the post. Within my 2 years I have done eight twelve hour shift ride alongs on the ambulance assisting the paramedic and EMT with patients as we transport them to the hospital ranging from sprained ankles to heart attacks. A big part of what the post does is attend community events where we provide first aid to

For this project I decided to interview my friend who is an emergency response technician (EMT) in Oak Lawn, IL. Oak Lawn is a suburb near Chicago. He has been an EMT for a little bit over a year.

Relay for Life has been a tremendous part of my life, as well as my family’s, since I was six years old. I got involved with Relay for Life because of my mom. My mom was the Relay chair of the Relay for Life in Hazel Green, Alabama for a few years. I helped on the Relay Committee, and was even in charge of a team of teens. Raising money for cancer research is very special to me. I've seen so many loved ones from many families lose the fight. I really want to make a difference in this world, especially with cancer research. My mom made a big impact on me through how tough she when she lost her best friend, Cissy Swaim, and then became involved in raising money for cancer research.

To start this night was very warm and I had a feeling in my gut that it was going to be a very busy night. So, I arrived at the Public Safety Building and Officer Champoli came and got me. He informed me that before we head out he had to finish up a DWI report from the night before. So while he typed up his report I saw what it was like to type up reports today for officers. Its all automated except for the narrative portion you just point and click and type in the information. He got a phone call from the Sargent and he told him that he was needed out on the road. While we were driving he told me about a crack addict he had arrested the night before and that she had multiple arrests on her record and had some stuff shoved up a certain area drugs should not be. At which point we got called over to Metlars for a suspicious

As a first responder who arrived to respond to a small fire downtown. Upon my arrival, I see 20 people with foam-like substance emanating from their mouth. The first thing I would do is to make sure that I’m secured with the proper equipment and using my proper training that I’ve learned as a first responder before entering a contaminated area and before approaching the people who have already being exposed to hazardous material. Also, you want to make sure you test what type of substance it is to determine how dangerous it is before approaching the people. However, it’s human nature to be more cautious on how you going to approach the situation. It’s very important as a first responder to ask questions and have the full understanding of what

It was early October and I was having a fun day with Mariah. We had hung out for the day and gotten a bite to eat. Sadly it was time to take her back to meet her father at a point we selected which was Pittsville. We got there, said our goodbyes, and left to go back to our homes. I made my way through Pittsville, into Gumboro where something happened that would change my life forever. As I came through the town I heard a familar but, to me, a sound that had always gotten me excited. It was a fire whistle. My heart started racing and I instantly started looking into my mirrors to see what was coming. Out of no where a brush truck (a pick up truck supped up with fire hoses, lights and sirens) was on my tail trying to pass. I immediatly got out

Wow, I did not expect this to happen. As my son and I grab all of our belongings and put all of the furniture in the attic where it won't get water damage we hurry to get out.”Jack get the dogs and put them in their crates while I get the jet skis ready.” Have you ever seen so much water! That picture is of my house underwater, sad right. It is August 25, 2017 and the huge amount of water just hit our house. As we get on the jet skis with cloths, money, 2 dogs, and some belongings my son and I start bawling and yelling; we don't know if we'll ever step foot in our house again.

We can be a hero. We can be a firefighter. We can be a book maker. We can be a movie maker. We can be a doctor. We can be a construction worker. We can be a toy maker. We can be a garbageman. We can be an astronaut.

I woke up after, what felt like, 4 hours of sleep. I regretted not going to bed at a decent hour the night before, because as soon as my alarm went off, I instantly wanted to hit the snooze button. I headed out the door, a quarter after 6 AM, and with the dark skies and chilly breeze, it really had me frazzled on how it was supposed to turn out to be a “beautiful” day. As I headed North on 35W, I arrived at the fire station, in Minneapolis, around 7:45 AM. I called Firemen Kevin Taaffe from my car. Kevin has been a family friend of ours since I was born, he used to babysit me and now in return I babysit his children. He met me in the lobby outside of the secured doors of the station and within minutes,

“30 minutes on the clock!” everyone around us had mostly nothing done. All I knew was we were in good shape for this competition. Everyone around the North Shore team had almost nothing done. North shore team number 2 went to the board to present their MSOE hydraulic crane. They ended up scoring a massive amount of points. Everyone was cheering them on. “Next up, North shore middle school team 1.”

I am currently work as an EMT at three different companies here in Delaware. Two 911 companies and one Non-Emergency Transport Company. I wouldn’t change any of what I have done. I believe it was the right thing to do. It is a passion of mine. I will use the skills and abilities that I have gained to serve the community around me.

I do not think that I can categorize my abilities into one certain level. Because I have worked in the emergency field for many years, I am comfortable with attaching the word expert to my experience level. Through the years, I have mentored many new nurses and paramedics to the emergency care field, which has taught me more than I could have learned on my own. I feel a certain calm when I enter the emergency room, even during the most chaotic situations. I have developed the skills to appropriately handle any situation that occurs, and I can easily pass the knowledge onto others in a way that facilitates learning. I recently left my comfort zone and accepted a position in administration. Well, the first concept that I learned is that comfort

It is a quarter to 10 o clock when I find myself driving steadily in the pitch black darkness of night on the freeway. My father is sitting uncomfortably in the passenger seat next to me and the entirety of the situation is extremely disquieting. Every couple of minutes I shudder at the sound of his cough. Not only does it sound and look agonizing but the sudden outbursts startle me every once in a while. The ride however does not proceed without dialogue as my father periodically gives me directions. Without them I feel I would not know how navigate to our destination on my own as I am still an inexperienced driver. We are on our way to the emergency room on what would have been an otherwise stale, uneventful school night. The whole time worst