Call Upon

Yesterday was quite an unexpectedly crazy afternoon. I was in the HQ for a meeting for our Disaster Management Training class when we had a call. MVA (Motor-vehicular accident) - motorcycle vs. truck. And to top it off, no one was on duty for some reason. So I took the call and grabbed the rest of whoever was available at the HQ and made it there. I thought I was prepared for what was waiting for me. Well, I was wrong. Sorta. 

Being off-duty kind of turned off some of my "ready-for-blood-guts-and-whatnot" switches. And yes, some of them were. It was ironic how I encountered my bloodiest case to date, while being technically off-duty. The victim was bloody foaming at the mouth and had multiple abrasions on the limbs. It was a good thing that the nearest hospital was barely a kilometer from where we were. After loading the patient onto the ambulance, I realized my shirt and arm were bloody already. (Good thing there were shirts back at the HQ). 

At the ER, I helped out a little with some of the procedures being carried out by the ED physician and nurses. Everyone was scrambling since the patient already went into unresponsiveness. Then the relative came, who to some cruel joke of fate was actually in her office just behind the hospital. She heard all the ruckus from the road, but never did it cross her mind that a relative would be the one who was lying on the road covered in his own blood.

Post all the technicalities and hoopla, we went back to base and started on a dreaded task - clean up. After cleaning up my own self for starters and getting the equipment and ambulance cleaned, I went on home. (And showered some more)

After freshening up, I went to the gym and worked out. I guess the adrenalin was still in my system cause I was pumped doing my routines. (lol) 

Looking back, a funny, albeit somewhat serious I realized something usually meant for memes.

Emergency Medical Responders/Rescuers are like superheroes: sometimes that call for help comes even when you're in your civilian disguise. And yes, you run like lightning and fly like the wind to save the day.