I am a Firefighter/EMT with the Village of Waukesha, in Waukesha WI. When I run EMS calls, I am either a driver or an attendant in the back, so I have done both jobs. Driving an ambulance is a very rewarding experience. Anytime I can deliver the patient safely to the hospital and bring my crew safely back home, it’s a great day. While driving an ambulance, there is a lot you have to do, especially when you are arriving at the scene. Generally, you run hot (light and sirens) to the scene initially, and then run silent (no lights and sirens) to the hospital, unless the patient’s condition requires otherwise.

When running hot, there is a lot to watch out for. Other drivers, pedestrians, and road conditions. Generally, you are going faster than everyone around you, so it is certainly exciting. You definitely have to learn how to control your adrenaline, so you can focus on what is going on around you. There are a lot of blind spots in an ambulance, so constantly knowing where everyone around is located is very important. You also have to listen to the dispatch information and prepare a plan with your partner, on how to help the patient when you arrive. While en route, my partner and I will discuss who will do what on the call. Such as patient assessment, applying oxygen, getting medication, etc. We will also have to think if we will need to ask for additional units, based on the initial dispatch information. Finally, knowing where you are going as the driver is probably the most important. You can’t help the patient if you can’t get to the patient. Knowing your community is very important to help you get around quickly, as you can’t rely on GPS, because you need to focus on the road. Being in the ambulance as a driver or attendant is the best job ever! I get to help people when they need it the most, and that is very rewarding.

Pros:

• Helping people
• Getting to do something that a lot of other people can’t do.
• Being involved in a person’s life, at the moment they need you the most.
• Ever-changing and challenging
• Never sure what you are going to have when you arrive on-scene.
• The ability to quickly see something and know exactly how to fix it.

Cons:

• The things you see, you can’t unsee. Since you are being called to help someone at the worst time in their life, it can be very difficult at times.
• Time away from your family
• Sometimes you have to miss different events or activities because a call came out and you have to run it.

The typical day is different depending on your agency, the size of your response area, and the typical number of calls your ambulance runs per day. Department policies and procedures, and shift length also affect your day.

Our shift is 24 hours 0700–0700 the next morning.

At my department the first thing we do in the morning is have a shift meeting with our Lt. Then, we check out vehicles. This check includes inventories, accounting for controlled substances, signing into our report computers, making sure our vehicles are running, check fuel and lights, and change out our batteries for our cardiac monitor/defibrillator, and CPR machine.

After checking our vehicle, we do house duties, ie…cleaning. Then, we usually have some type of training. Training lasts anywhere from one hour to four hours. Then we prepare and eat lunch. Food is bought by either the engine or ambulance crew. $10.00 per day for lunch and dinner. After lunch we workout. After the workout, we fix and eat dinner. Then we clean up from dinner. After dinner, we watch TV and at about 10:00 pm we go to bed.

We usually get up about 0600 am and the oncoming crew comes in around 0630 am. We will give the oncoming crew a report called a “pass on.” Then we go home at 0700 am.

At any time a call can come in. At that time we run the call.

First thing, “Ambulance drivers” are usually EMTs and Paramedics. A few services employ drivers, but most are licensed EMS personnel. Minor detail, I know, but some EMTs are very touchy on the subject.

Believe it or not, much of the time you are just bored. First thing in the morning there is work to do. Ambulances need to be checked, inventoried, stocked, and cleaned. General housekeeping needs to be done just like in any job. After that, if it’s a slow day, you are looking for a way to stay busy until a call comes in. (I know EMTs in busy services are saying, “I wish”)

Most emergency calls are surprisingly routine. Once you get some experience, you get a feeling for what is serious and what is not. Broken bones, sprains lacerations, are fairly easy to deal with, bandage, splint, provide pain control, and reassure your patient. Even some medical calls, such as diabetic emergencies and allergic reactions can be easy to deal with.

Other calls are interesting on a problem-solving level. Figuring out what may be wrong with a patient who has a strange set of symptoms is mentally challenging and satisfying to solve.

I wouldn’t feel guilty unless a patient died because I didn’t do my job properly. I feel bad for people who die before they should, such as young people who die in crashes or assaults. I hate to see children ill or hurt by anything. When an elderly person who has lived a good long life dies, it is part of life, something we are all headed for, I do feel for the family who is experiencing the loss of a loved one. Sometimes the hardest part is explaining that their loved one is dead and that there is nothing you can do for them.

The truly bad calls don’t happen as often. I don’t know an EMT who doesn’t dread a call for a seriously injured or ill child. Seeing someone dying because some idiot thought getting drunk or high and driving was a good idea is hard, especially when the drunk driver is loudly demanding that you treat him before the other people, you swallow your feelings and treat him like you would any other patient.

How do we tackle situations? We rely on our training, we assess our patients carefully and treat what we find. If there are any questions about treatment, we can call our medical control doctor for advice/orders on how to treat. We constantly take classes to keep our skills sharp and to keep up with changes in the way EMS works. EMS is constantly changing and we have to keep up.