I once worked a night shift with a paramedic who, when referencing the mapbook to navigate our ambulance to an emergency, began striking himself in the head with the book when he became overcome with the stress of having to tell me how to get to our call.
These are heavy, THICK notebooks with pages and pages of maps representing every corner of the county inside.
Over and over, he kept striking himself in the forehead with the book, chastising himself with, "Think, damnit! Think!"
I knew all along how to get to the call, I just thought it was so funny to watch him beat himself up.
Navigation can be just as stressful as medical care for some medics.
Another partner I had, while enroute to a fatal car accident, examined the mapbook for directions, turned the map every which way - up, down, and sideways - then in disgust slammed the mapbook shut, stuffed it back under her seat and said, "I can't do it."
Cranky Paramedic Chick Response: "We are manning an ambulance. There is no choice but to get to the call. It's not like we can just pull over, call dispatch and say, 'We can't read the map'. Get the book back out and tell me how to get to the damn call."
Again, I knew all along where we were going (it was a major county intersection that SHE should have known without looking up too) but she was new and I was teaching her how to be a paramedic instead of a girl in uniform looking for guys in uniform. She never could read the map and tell me how to get to the call. She ended up quitting EMS and becoming a dispatcher but not before we ran a fatal shooting in which she was reciting, aloud, the words, "Oh shit... oh shit... oh shit" all the way up to the point of making contact with our patient.
Stressful occupations are not for the easily stressed.
Oy.
Another in a series of true and amazing recounts from "My Thirteen Year Career as a Paramedic".
Posted by Cranky at February 25, 2003 01:18 AMWhat a book we could write together! What I think is even more fun is navigating a rig through upper Manhattan at 3 in the morning. You can only imagine the map book we had, I can find you every disgusting corner from about 103rd to 207th street.
Posted by: Mary Carmen on February 25, 2003 06:46 AMNala's dad trains 911 dispatchers. My best friend from high school is a trauma nurse at the biggest hospital in town. They both have their own stories to tell. I don't know how you guys do it, honestly. Too much stress for me, and I get grossed out fairly easy.
Posted by: Gigamatt on February 25, 2003 07:02 AMPerhaps all paramedics should have to do a tour in Atlanta, where there are a million streets named Peachtree (Ave, Blvd, St., Cir, Lane, etc.) and they each go in 8 different directions (N, S, E, W, NW, SW, NE, SE). That probably would've been mapbook suicide for your head-beaty guy!
I could so handle the navigation part, but 'um, I would crumble like a cracker when it came to the fatal part, sorry to say. It'd go a little something like this:
"Oh my GOD is that a DEAD BODY? You are NOT serious! That guy is DEAD? What? You want me to WHAT? Are you out of your friggin' mind I am NOT touching... NO NO NO! *thud*
(As I come to three hours later, all alone on the ground where my sorry ass got left) Mommy, I just had the worst nightmare. Um, where am I?" *thud*
~ career over ~
Don't get me started on civilian 911 operators. Many of them can't even read and write basic english. And these people are products of our fine American education system.
Posted by: Naladahc on February 25, 2003 01:19 PMI had a partner once who'd sleep all the way to the calls after midnight. ...and when we'd leave the scene, it would always be the same routine: drive to the end of the block, turn right, drive to the end of that block and head off to whichever hospital. He needed those two blocks to orient himself. ...but he did know the city.
...beats the ones who turn the map as you make the turns.
And the stories continue, on As the Beacon Turns...
Posted by: dan on February 25, 2003 09:30 PMLOL@hayneyz
I would certainly hate to do a tour in Atlanta but believe me...having a coverage area of parts of three counties can be just as bad. We have one county that we cover that doesn't have a 911 mapbook available so if you aren't at least a little familiar with the area, then you are screwed unless you have a decent dispatcher who will get directions for you. HA!! Imagine that! Directions from a dispatcher @#%@$ That is like pulling teeth. Thank goodness for first responders who will lead you in.
Our dispatchers do police, fire and EMS. Several years ago, one of our dispatchers sent a new police officer (who was from out of town) to a call. This is what she said.
"Go down HWY 14 until you get to where the White House Restaurant burned down and then take a left."
What she didn't tell him was the restaurant burned down 20 years ago. LMAO. That story still floats around our station.
Great site Tess. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your stories. You have inspired me to write more.
Posted by: sonia on February 25, 2003 09:34 PMI guess it's something us ordinary people don't think about. I just assumed you all had these super human powers, and just knew where to go. It never occured to me you had to actually read maps. :0
Posted by: Lynne on February 26, 2003 02:40 PMBad career choice for those who can't multitask, eh?
Posted by: ann surely on February 26, 2003 08:12 PMMy uncle (back in the UK) used to be a paramedic, untill he retired.
Years ago, he told me various paramedic stories.
Your mention of the map book reminds me of his story of the time that he and a colleague were on the way to an emergency call, drove at high-speed, around a roundabout, with the ambulance cab doors open (it was a hot summer day), and whilst going round the roundabout, the map book flew out of the open passenger door (due I guess to centri-fugal force).
They had to stop, sirens blaring, lights flashing, and run over and get the map, before they could continue.
Posted by: Max on February 28, 2003 11:50 AM