ICE BERG AHEAD, IF WE DON'T STOP!!!

[Guest guest]

[unable to display image]The reality in which we are all perceived by the

public is humorous at best. I have been reading all the letters over the

CCEMS, and personally it disturbs me. It disturbs me to see one of our own

beating up and slandering another of our own, it really hurts me deep down

inside.

I have been screamed at, punched, had rocks thrown at me, slapped,

bitten, scratched, lacerated, shot at, stabbed with my own needles, even been

choked with my own stethoscope. This was all done not because I " no loaded " a

patient and then they later died. This was not because I made a bad call, or

was a driver that flipped off other drivers and busted lights while I run hot

and shouldn't have been running hot.

No, these things have happened to me because I'm there and I wear

that badge for all the world too see with all the pride and courage that I

can muster. These things happen to me because in the eyes of the public and

the patient in front of me that is in terribly excruciating pain, I'm

supposed to be God and heal them, too take their pain away and set them free.

" Treat'em and street'em " That's what they say. But you know and I know that

we can't, and no matter how much we want this; too be able to make it stop,

to cure the pain that they feel, we can't. We are not God and for too many of

our patients that slip through our fingers as we desperately work to keep

them alive we can only try our best.

We are not God, we are mearly his hands at work, and unfortunately

sometimes God decides that this one's not going to make it to the hospital no

matter what we do or try. Still the public and patients don't understand

this, we're medics, EMTs, Paramedics. We have the power to heal, we have

drugs, we can drive a little faster. But no matter what the patient says to

us we can't; we can't give them that morphine, those pain killers, we can't

drive any faster we could crash and die before we get to the hospital, a

thousand different variables with that scenario. But no matter what we say,

no matter what we do, it's never enough for some of them, and that's when the

hatred for the EMS personnel appears and rears it's ugly head to face us.

So please stop beating each other up over this whole ordeal. There

are thousands upon millions that will do the honors for you out there. Stop

the hate mail between us, it's offensive, it's rude to all of us who really

don't want to hear it, and it's getting a bit old now, you sound like a bunch

of children squabbling over whose dad is the biggest and can beat up your

dad.

Finally, this letter was not sent to bash up on anyone, simply to ask

for a truce between the warring factions. Let the issue rest, at least here

on the group! My condolences to those who have lost a loved one, or friend in

the CCEMS incident, I'm truly sorry and I understand what your going through

right now, I'm sorry.

Sheaphen

" Pepper " Unger

Gardendale

Fire Department

Gardendale,

Texas

Fire/Medic

117