First job of the shift was nothing to write home about. It was just another job that made me despair. I questioned why we were even dispatched, why no one made the decision that the patient didn't need an ambulance for a 'blocked nose'. Yes, a 20 year DID call an ambulance for THAT and they DID get an ambulance. I know! Move on; I am... ish! In what was a rarity, after leaving hospital we actually made it back to our ambulance station. We even managed to park the vehicle! Those who work in ambulance services will know only too well, it is one thing to get back to station but managing to get out of the vehicle without getting another job is an achievement! Today we made it to the mess room. Another crew was sat there on their break. I sat in the armchair. No sooner as I had relaxed back into the pit of the chair the radio started screaming and vibrating. When we get a job, a message is sent to the handset with the details. We started walking towards the ambulance as I had a look at the radio:
"Red 1, Cardiac Arrest, 10 year old male"
I read it out loud and our slow walk significantly increased into an 'ambulance run'. It's kind of a fast walk, but not a walk... but it's not a run either. We never run (except away!), but the fastest we ever go is for sick kids. As I 'ran' I hit the garage door button and jumped into the driving seat. We accepted the job and sat for what seemed like an age for the garage door to slowly bimble open. We edged out to the road, blue lights already flashing and the traffic stopped in both directions. This was a little awkward as the sat nav hadn't kicked in and I didn't know whether to turn left or right! Luckily it was only a few seconds delay and off we headed. My crew mate called control to see if there were any other vehicles en route due to our distance; there were. We were also told that CPR was in progress. There it was... the adrenaline rush!
7.9 miles
It was dark outside, the roads were wet and the traffic was still quite heavy. You are driving to the vehicle's limit and your own. There is silence in the cab. Your crew mate runs through the paediatric guidelines for resus and the drug dosages while you are trying to get there as quickly and safely as possible. That is a fine balance! On the way to a resus you form a plan in your head of what you will do on arrival. You have worked together for a long time and don't need to discuss it. You know what your crew mate will pick up; you will grab the rest and follow in shortly after. You know the role each of you will play when you walk through those doors. Every emotion runs through you on the way to a job like this. Sick kids are everyone's worst nightmare.
6.5 miles
You think of all the outcomes; you think how you will feel in each of them. The thought of it is quite distressing and emotionally draining. You think of similarities to your own family. You think of how the family will be when you arrive. You think of how you will hold your emotions together in the face of the horrors that may lie ahead. You think of what you will do, where you will go. You hope it's not as reported. You hope you are second on scene. You are basically hoping that a child's life doesn't rest in your hands. You are hoping you will not have to do CPR on a dead child.
5.2 miles
While all these thought are running through your mind, ahead of you is the road. Your eyes are wide open; your senses are all heightened. Your heart is pounding as you weave through the traffic at high speed. The volume of the siren changes as you pass under bridges; you rotate through the different tones with every change in road condition. The blue lights are reflecting off everything, lighting up the roads like a Christmas tree. You are aware of everything. The revs are screaming, you are planning your path hundreds of yards ahead, planning for the unpredictable movements of people, pets, car, vans, lorries, buses, bikes, cyclists and the police. I say police because when you have sirens on, you can't here other sirens and the police go faster than us. Slamming the anchors on as you round a corner because the police are overtaking a learner isn't a new thing!
3.8 miles
You find yourself glaring at every junction waiting for confirmation everyone has seen you and everything has stopped. You take a racing line, accelerating out of every corner. The rush of the drive with the rush of the job means you are very emotionally charged. You are getting closer and closer. Every minute that passes makes the job all the more real. This is what you have trained for. This is the extreme of what you have trained for. It doesn't get more real or more serious than this.
1.8 miles
A feeling of apprehension and nervous energy begins to filter in. The truck swings left and then right around corners; the engine is screaming and you can smell the breaks burning. You are aware that you are both jolting up and down with every deviation in the road surface, your bodies lurch from side to side, eyes permanently fixated on the road in front of you. Your mind is working overtime; processing the road ahead, processing everything that could be, processing everything that will be. You are as alert as you will ever be.
0.4 miles
'Cancelled, no longer required'