Late last month, after volunteer EMT Tonya Mallard died in the crash of a Maryland State Police medevac helicopter transporting two teenagers from a car accident, people started asking me questions: “How come a volunteer was on that flight? You’re just backup, aren’t you?” they’d say. Or “It’s not really volunteering, right? You get paid, don’t you?”
Getting on that flight was not part of Mallard’s normal duty. These helicopters are typically staffed by only a pilot and flight paramedic. But she volunteered anyway, just as she’d volunteered to serve the Waldorf volunteer fire department, and just as she’d volunteered to leave her family that night.
Like me, she was in her late 30s, had been married for eight years (I have 11), and had two children, so her death carries special resonance. I’m aware that beyond the sense of satisfaction we volunteer emergency medical technicians reap from serving our communities and saving lives, there’s a rush of adrenaline that comes from performing under pressure. And with that adrenaline comes the potential for danger. And, no, we don’t get paid. Unless you count the occasional discount at a local restaurant.
I started volunteering in 1998, with the Sterling Volunteer Rescue Squad. One of my neighbors, a volunteer paramedic, brought an ambulance to our community open house. I started asking questions, and found out that anybody could do this. Drive an ambulance one night a week, help people, turn on the flashing red lights. All I had to do was take 6 months of training to get my Emergency Medical Technician certification, and I was good to go. Oh, and it was FREE! My first shift was Christmas Night, and I remember my first call. It was for a woman who had seizures. We found her semi-conscious in a tray of brownies on her kitchen floor. We transported her to the hospital (apparently it was not her first seizure).
I attended my EMT classes at our local Community College (although they were offered through our Fire and Rescue Department, the CC schedule fit mine better at the time. My Rescue Squad reimbursed me for my expense). I never missed a class, and averaged a 98 on all tests and quizzes, far above any class average I ever had in my life. I was no slouch-scholar, but I didn’t get invited to Harvard, either. I was THAT energized by the material and the environment.
The very first thing we learn about is Scene Safety. Don’t try to help anybody unless you are sure it is safe to do so. If there is a chance you could get hurt, you are instructed to “not go in”. This pertains to the EMT curriculum. Firefighters place themselves in harms way more regularly, but they receive obviously different training for their jobs. I have shut down many roads during Auto Accident because I didn’t want traffic driving by me while my team and I were working. Despite all of the safety measures we take, there is occasionally the errant driver who sideswipes our cones (or worse), or the gawkers who rear end each other while “watching us work”, and things. tragically, medevac crashes happen sometimes, as well, and you can never ever anticipate. It makes us all pause and reflect.
By the way, I’m not seeking thanks, or discounts, or free stuff. It’s not why I, or any of my colleagues, do what we do. Please do your part, and do give us some room when we’re working, especially on the roads. Slow down. For those under the red flashing lights, we are either in our chosen professions, or we are volunteering our time.
By the way, if you are interested in volunteering, or doing a ride-a-long with us, send me an email. While it’s not for everyone, I find it a truly amazing experience every week. I volunteer in the communities of Sterling, VA and Hamilton, VA
Portions of this blog were taken from an article, “The Risks We Take”, published 10/14/08 in The Washington Post.
