With 58 injured survivors and 12 fatalities, the Paramedics who responded to the Aurora theatre on July 20, 2012 were dealt a chaotic scene. The professional job in front of them was immense, to say nothing of how they must have been feeling on a personal level.
(Photo: Karl Gehring/The Denver Post )
To get some perspective on what an event such as this is like for a Paramedic, I headed to our Top Fire & EMT Blog: Rescuing Providence. Rescuing Providence is run by Captain Morse, is a Rescue Captain in Providence.
On his site site, Captain Morse has posted his thoughts and responses to Aurora, speaking as an EMT. I’ve included a few particularly poignant excerpts here, but head to Rescuing Providence to read the text in full.
When sorting through the bodies, and separating the living from the dead, then prioritizing those who survived, and those who probably will not, focus is key. Having a job to do, one that years of training and experience has prepared you for makes the images and sounds manageable, work to be done, wounds to heal, lives to save.
Moments such as those in Aurora, Colorado will never happened to the vast majority of people. These are isolated incidents, pockets of madness that crept up on some other people. But those people do exist, and they are no different from you or I, had no warning, have no answers and will live the rest of their lives flashing back to those pivotal moments.
Now that the shooting is over, and the healing begins, people will look to the police, medics, nurses, doctors and firefighters who responded to the scene for direction. How we act, and how we cope, and how we get on with our lives is of vital importance to those poor souls drowning in an ocean of grief.
Our firefighters have been on our minds a lot lately.
We have been keeping close track of the multiple wildfires burning across the country (this blog post is about our Service Center in Colorado Springs, near the Waldo Canyon Fire).
The Fourth of July is also coming up!
For most of us, this is a fun day with family and friends. BBQ. Fireworks. Stars and Stripes.
But for our Firefighters and EMTs, the 4th of July is one of the busiest days of the year. So be sure to keep them in mind while celebrating, and celebrate safely so you don’t need their assistance!
(We will cut our safety speech a little short. But keep an eye on the blog in the next few days for firework and safety tips.)
Anywayssss…
Speaking of Firefighters, today we have our LAST TOP FIRE & EMT Blog.
Can you believe it? Our first Battle of the Blogsis almost over. (Voting ends July 8!)
But we’re wrapping it up on a great note with a GREAT Fire & EMT Blog…
Firefighter/Paramedic Stories.
If you are looking for excellent day-to-day stories about the life and experiences of a Firefighter and Paramedic: this is the blog for you.
It’s authored by a Firefighter Paramedic, a blogger named FireMedic.
In his blog, FireMedic takes you along with him. Introduces you to his patients. Shows you the character of his coworkers. Brings you into the fire. Describes the humor, the crazy, and the heartbreak that goes into this job.
So we caught up with the FireMedic himself and got the behind-the-scenes scoop on the blog… So, FireMedic, how would you describe Firefighter/Paramedic Stories? For the most part it’s a glimpse into the life of a firefighter/paramedic.
What is the focus or mission of your blog? It covers calls, station life, training, a little bit of my personal life and the occasional rant.
Why did you start it? My wife actually started it while I was in paramedic school as a way to share my experiences with close friends and family.
How long have you been writing here? My blog just had its 7th birthday.
Do you have a favorite thing to write about? I love writing about fires. While everyone may one day come across a medical emergency very few people get to run into a burning building. I like to share that.
How would you describe your blog ‘community’ … There’s a lot of fire and EMS bloggers out there. Some of them put a lot more time in then I do. Their dedication amazes me. Happy medic and Statter 911 are two of my favorites.
What has been your best experience as a blogger? I love getting comments from people. It’s great to be able to connect with random people from all over the globe and to answer question that they have.
What have you learned? Even though my blog is anonymous, there have been some people with whom I work that have figured out who I am. Some of them are not too happy that I have a blog. I guess I’ve learned the importance of being discreet.
Any stories you’d like to share? New ones all the time, come back and read them.
(He’s telling the truth. FireMedic is a frequent blogger, always with good stories to tell)
If you win Battle of the Blogs, to which charity will you donate your $200 winnings and why?Toys for Tots. Every kid deserves something to smile about.
Where else can we find ya on the web? On Facebook and Twitter.
Want to read some of FireMedic’s stories? Check out Firefighter/Paramedic Storieshere. To vote for your favorite FIRE & EMT Blog, click here!
Yes, yes. Yet again, we have found a fun blog authored by a female paramedic.
Today we are profiling another TOP FIRE & EMT Blog!
Parapup.
Parapup (the blogger) describes herself as, “A bright-eyed blond thought she could save the world, so she went to paramedic school.” And now she’s taking you along while she learns as she goes.
This blog is a great place to read about the day-to-day experiences of a paramedic. Parapup is a very funny, honest blogger who doesn’t mind telling things like they are. Learn more about her! Here’s our Q&A:
How would you describe your blog? A collection of largely longwinded ruminations.
What would you say is the mission of Parapup? I generally prefer to write about things that make me laugh.
Why did you start it? I ran my first priority call as a paramedic and I was ready with my cape flapping in the wind. Everything went wrong, but at least the patient lived. That story practically told itself.
How long have you been writing on Parapup? About three years. I have another blog I write on from time to time about non-EMS things.
What’s your favorite thing to write about? I love writing about things that make me laugh. I love to go on long tangents and pour my soul into a piece. I love using my lexicon to try to explain complicated emotions and thoughts. I just hate that it takes so long to sit down and pump out the words.
What is blog ‘community’ around Parapup like? I love the community with whom I write. It’s full of awesome folks. They’ll make you laugh, cry, and get mad. They welcomed me with open arms. From my first Word Press emergency to my spontaneous email interview about mustaches, my fellow bloggers have been awesome.
What has been your best experience as a blogger? I love when my readers email me. I have readers that are incredibly thoughtful and some that are downright hilarious. I haven’t had any hate mail, yet. I figure I’ll know I’ve made it one day when I get hate mail.
What have you learned? I have learned to channel my emotions through my writing. It’s how I get the demons out.
Any great stories you’d like to share? I once had a reader tell me that he had been scared to enroll in an EMT class because he didn’t think he had what it took, despite that he was passionate about EMS. He read a story I wrote about a mistake I made, and opted to enroll. My words changed someone’s career path. How cool is that?
If you win TOP Fire & EMT Blog, to which charity will you donate your $200 winnings and why? At my agency, we have a benevolent fund that helps out when people get seriously hurt or ill.
Want to know more about Parapup? You can read her blog here or keep up with her on Facebook. To vote for your favorite FIRE & EMT Blog, click here!
Another day, another blogger who is knocking our socks off.
This is a particularly exciting blog profile because it is our firstEMT blog! Today’s Top FIRE & EMT Blog is…
Rescuing Providence.
Rescuing Providence is run by Captain Morse. Captain Morse is a Rescue Captain in Providence.
And like our other bloggers, Morse’s multitasking abilities are extremely impressive.
Not only is he whizzing around Providence savings lives and helping the sick and injured, he is also writing books and a blog about it.
I know, I know, I’ve said it before: But how does he have the time!? Not just to accomplish it all, but in such a successful way. Rescuing Providence‘s blog is truly a great one for EMTs & FFs. It’s chalk-full of advice, news briefs, and a ton of day-to-day inside-the-ambulance stories.
Here’s more from the Captain himself:
How would you describe Rescuing Providence? I started the Blog in 2006, thinking people would be interested in learning what happens inside an advanced life support vehicle in Providence, RI. The stories I tell are true, names and locations get mixed around to protect patient’s confidentiality.
It’s just a place where people can visit and get a picture of different person’s lives. Sometimes it’s happy, sometimes not so much, but the stories help put our own lives into perspective.
Also, because this is my blog I am able to tell most stories in a way that makes me look like a great EMT, compassionate and caring. Most of the time I am. I conveniently leave out the times I am not. But hey, it IS my blog!
What is the focus or mission of the blog? I like to think of Rescuing Providence as an Anthropological look at the people who live in the city through the eyes of an emergency responder, that being me.
Why did you start it? Rescuing Providence is a book that was published in 2001 by Paladin Press. I started the blog to promote the book, the blog took on a life of its own!
Is this your first blog? This is the first, and will be the last.
What’s your favorite thing to write about? I like writing about mundane things that have a spark of life when you peel things back. Everybody has a story, few are ever told.
Do you have a least favorite topic? I do not like writing about people’s personal shortcomings, or ridicule a person in any way, and pass on writing posts that exploit a person’s frailty.
How would you describe the EMS blog community? I found out about blogs by “googling” ems blogs. A day in the Life of an Ambulance Driver was the first to come up, and I read it to this day. I started blogging before Facebook took over, and there were four or five blogs I read daily, and still do. A lot have come and gone over the years, if you do not enjoy writing, and always seek to improve your writing style, people stop visiting, and without readers, blogging is not very much fun.
What would you say has been your best experience as a blogger? By writing daily, my skill as a writer has improved considerably. I like to look at the things I wrote six years ago and compare that to what I’m doing now and see the difference. I imagine in five years I’ll look at today’s writing and see where it could have been better.
What have you learned? That I love to write, and am fortunate that it comes naturally, albeit with tweaking along the way.
Any stories you’d like to share?
This girl broke my heart, but her courage was inspiring:
It would have been better if she was what I expected. It would have been a lot easier if she was some drunk, crazy, screaming meanie, filled with booze and hate, fighting with some other girls about whatever it is they fight about. It would have been just another call if she just cooperated, and was obnoxious, and demanding and thought the world revolved around her, and ignored me and paid more attention to her phone. That would have made it easy.
But it wasn’t easy.
She was adorable, and sober, and dressed for a night dancing with her boyfriend. She was worried that her mom would be mad that she got hurt. She wasn’t drunk, she didn’t even drink. She was in the line of fire, that’s all. The wrong place at the wrong time. She was in the way when a drunk, crazy, screaming meanie threw a bottle, and her face broke the intended path,and more glass started to fly, and fists and kicks started, and when it ended her beautiful face was sliced up, and her teeth were broken, and her eyeball gouged, and a four inch laceration bled from the top of her breast and soaked her dress with blood.
I wish she hadn’t smiled through the mask of blood, and then winced with pain when the jagged edges of her skin moved, and her lip separated when I asked her her name.
And most of all, I wish she hadn’t told me with another painful smile that her name is Marlin. Marlin, like the fish, she said, and asked me if her face would be okay.
If you win, to which charity will you donate your $200 winnings? Why? I’m a firefighter, and The Leary Foundation supports firefighters.
Want to hear more of Captain Morse’s EMT stories? Click here to read his blog. To vote for your favorite EMT & Fire Blog, click here!
During my search through the Fire & EMT blogosphere for the TOP blogs, we found a ton of great bloggers. There are countless firefighters and EMTs out there with great advice, stories and suggestions.
But while I searched, I also found a whole different kind of fire blog: blogs that represented entire units of firefighters, instead of just one particular FF! This bigger take on the fire world opens up whole new opportunities for fire blogs.
We are so pleased to profile one such blog today! Ladies and gentleman, today’s top blog is…
CAL FIRE: Inyo-Mono-San Bernardino Unit!
If you are looking for an inside look into a CA fire unit, this is the blog for you. But that’s not all CAL FIRES offers. It’s also a one-stop-shop for information about the Unit and its personnel, fire and life safety information, access to fire safety videos, product safety, regional cooperators in fire and life safety, and a large collection of fire service pictures of training, fire fighting and firefighters accomplishments.
Phew. That’s a lot of coverage. But what’s great about CAL FIRE is that it actually delivers.
My favorite thing about CAL FIRE? The blog does a stellar job of presenting relevant, useful fire and safety information in clear, interesting ways using great photos and linked resources.
Exploring the blog, I started to wonder how it came about. So we chatted with a CAL FIRE editor to get the inside scoop!
How would you describe CAL FIRE?
Our blog is an information site both for CAL FIRE San Bernardino Unit personnel, CAL FIRE personnel and the public at large.
What is the focus or mission of the site?
The mission of our blog is to provide up to date information on what CAL FIRE San Bernardino Unit personnel are achieving and accomplishing. The blog is also designed to provide fire and life safety information to the general public while providing information of interest to the news media.
Why did you start it?
We began the CAL FIRE San Bernardino Unit blog site to provide information to unit personnel, the public and the news media about what was going on in the Unit as well as fire and life safety information.
How long has it been filling this role?
Since May 25, 2010 when the blog was created.
How long have you been blogging?
On and off for more than five years. This is the first consistently maintained blog that I have done.
What’s your favorite thing to write about?
For the Cal FIRE San Bernardino Unit blog, everything I write about is my favorite. I enjoy spreading the word about the accomplishments and achievements of our personnel as well as keeping fire and life safety information before the public and news media.
What can you tell us about your blog ‘community’?
Our ‘community’ consists of interest from around the world such as Russia, Germany, Brazil, Egypt and South Korea to name a few. I am not only surprised by the reach of our blog but that so many different people would be interested. Last month for example we had 3,742 page views… I am humbled and inspired to do the best job I can in providing information that displays our unit and personnel to the world.
What has been the best your best experience as a blogger?
When we were named a top fire department blog last year.
(Woo hoo, Congrats!)
What have you learned?
I have learned that people hungry for information and this, as I mentioned, inspires me to provide the best information and photographs possible.
Any great stories to share with us?
Yes, during the annual ABC7/Firefighters Spark of Love Christmas Toy Drive in 2011 we were able to have the “Angel Cars” at two events. The toy drive events were held in the cities of Highland and Yucaipa, where the CAL FIRE San Bernardino Unit is the city fire department. Both events were honored to have these cars which pay tribute to the fallen emergency responders who died in the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, Pentagon and United Flight 93. These beautiful white cars contain the names of every person who died in those tragic events. We were indeed honored to have them as a part of our Christmas Toy Drive efforts to help less advantaged children in those communities to have a brighter Christmas.
If you win, to which charity will you donate your $200 winnings? Why?
If I win, the money would be donated to the Muscular Dystrophy Association because not only are they a great organization that is working continually to find a cure for this disease, but this is an organization that all of CAL FIRE has chosen to assist in raising funds for a cure.
To prepare for our Battle of the Blogs, I’ve spent the last few weeks combing the Fire & EMS blogosphere.
And you guys, there are a ton (and I mean a ton) of Fire & EMS blogs out there.
Today, we are so proud to spotlight one of our top blogs: The Fire Critic!
This is Rhett Fleitz, aka ‘The Fire Critic’
Rhett is a bit of a blog veteran. ‘The Fire Critic’ isn’t his first rodeo. He’s been blogging since 2005, has authored multiple blogs, and written 1300 articles for ‘The Fire Critic’ alone! Exploring his blogs, we had to learn more about this blog rockstar. Check it out:
So, Rhett, how would you describe your blog?
My blog is a fire service blog hosted at FireEMSBlogs.com and ranks among the top fire blogs in the World. It is about anything and everything firefighting including fire based EMS occasionally.
What woudl you say is the focus of the Fire Critic?
The focus of my blog is to give my readers interesting articles to read. I do write a good bit myself, but I also feature other links, videos, and content from other blogs around the World. I try to use my network and my reach to help my readers find new blogs and help other blogs get new readers. I try to share the stuff I enjoy reading myself. I write in all different kinds of ways. Everything is an experiment for me. Sometimes I write without offering my opinion on a topic so I don’t sway others opinions. I offer posts that include the good, bad, humorous, sad, and ugly of the fire service.
Why did you start this particular blog?
I saw a void in blogging when it came to the fire service and filled it with the uniqueness of what The Fire Critic is all about. Even though “The Fire Critic” was simply the name of the blog, it has actually become somewhat of an alter ego. So many people know me as The Fire Critic and might not realize what my real name is.
How long have you been writing on this particular blog?
I began The Fire Critic in June 2009. That includes almost 1300 articles which works out to a little over a post a day.
What’s your favorite thing to write about?
I really enjoy writing about great articles by other bloggers and writers and helping share their message. That is probably the most rewarding. It is great hearing from other bloggers thanking me for sharing their stuff.
What about your least favorite?
I dislike writing about Line of Duty Deaths. I still find honor in sharing information about our fallen, I would just rather not have any LODD’s to write about.
What is your blog ‘community’ like
The network surrounding fire service blogs is immense. Every day, more firefighters are finding out about fire bloggers and starting to follow more and more. The content created by fire bloggers rivals that of any original content on the main fire service web sites. I get my inspiration from other bloggers and firefighters. I find my motivation to keep on doing it through the communication between myself and my readers as well as the occasional out of the blue comment of thanks for doing what I do.
What has been your best experience as a blogger?
Probably the relationships I have forged just through blogging, email, twitter, and facebook. It is amazing how I might meet someone in person after knowing them online for years. Typically once we meet in person it is like we have known each other personally for a long time. If you blog, people get to know you…You kind of become a “celebrity” at times. People might have read about you for years and when they meet you they talk to you like you should know them too. I have a terrible memory and hate it when this happens. It makes it tough for me at times.
Have you learned anything through your blogging experiences?
I have learned that it isn’t worth it to try to please everyone…it simply isn’t possible. I have helped so many fire bloggers get started, one thing I always tell them up front is that it takes time to get readership and you have to stick with it if you want to succeed. If they aren’t willing to put the time in, they won’t succeed.
If you win the TOP BLOG competition, to which charity will you donate your $200 winnings?
The National Firefighters Endowment because I believe in what they are doing and I want to see them grow into a huge success that will help fire departments across the United States.
Is there anywhere on the web where people can keep up with you, other than the blog?
