Wyle_E_Coyote
Northern Virginia
- Joined
- Dec 26, 2011
- Messages
- 4,109
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4. The comment implying EMS does not drive this way caught me off guard. Again, my apologies if I misunderstood, and this is MOO. I am not a medic but my husband is a former NYC paramedic and still has numerous friends who still serve as medics in NY and in other states. He and his former partners have consistently described the urgency with which they drive when a person is in need of help, and particularly how urgent the response can be when codes are "officer in distress", "fellow emergency responder" or "mass casualty" related. Both in NYC and in suburbs, they describe risks taken to protect life. In an emergency, I've personally experienced my husband leaping out of our personal car before I could even stop it, so he could aid a motorcyclist who dropped his bike on the road in front of us (as my husband proofread this, he still reminded me that I could have stopped faster). He also reminded me that medics sometimes don't appear to be driving as assertively as LEOs because ambulances don't accelerate as quickly as sedans and motorcycles, but they are floored nonetheless.![]()
From my own experience with medics, emergency response training is not only trained/drilled, but also intuitive, natural, and does not always adhere to a conservative driving protocol. I thank every emergency responder for this behavior, and personally will always continue to do everything within my power to make their ability to respond to calls as easy as I can (and to recommend the same to others) - it's how I as a citizen can honor and respect the risks that they take every day to protect my community.
Snipped for focus
When my son was taken to the ER, the ambulance driver was driving so crazy that the paramedics in back were yelling at him to take easy and drive slower. When we got to the hospital he apologized to me for the bickering. I told him there was no need to apologize... he's a hero. My son did not make it, but I am forever grateful to that driver and those paramedics for giving me a few more minutes of hope.
Please thank your husband for me.
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