Chapter 12 - ELMO

I am rolling up some very dirty hose line.  I glance back at the amount of hose line that is stretched from the Engine to the building and am trying to estimate how much hose line we have on the ground.  We have the new shift coming in to provide relief for a very tired and exhausted crew.  It is a matter of pride that we pick up as much hose line as we can before the fresh crew arrives.  

I am beyond tired.

We are cleaning up hose from a structure fire at a gas station last night right off the Interstate 25.  Engine 3 crew advanced hose lines from the rear of the building and did an exceptional, disciplined job getting a knock on the fire.  Arriving engines from two of the surround towns arrived to provide much needed relief.

The fire was reported at about 3AM and was considered out at about 7 AM.  Fire Investigators have arrived and are starting the initial investigation of the cause of the fire.

Dirty hose lines stretch from the engine all the way to the western horizon.  Picking up hose is a long and painful exercise. You bend at the waist, roll the hose into a small donut and roll up the remaining hose up into a giant donut of very dirty hose. When the fresh crew arrives, they will take all the large donut roles back to the station.  They will throw out the rolls, hose off both sides of them, and hang them up to dry.  Fresh dry hose line will be replaced on the engine.

It feels like we have been doing this forever.  I keep my radio close so I can hear the arrival of the fresh crew. 

I am older than most of the guys on the crew.  I am the Captain on Engine 3.  For a reason that is only known to me, it is important that I set the standard for the crew.  I am always the last one to sit down and today that is taking its toll on me.  Nothing sounds better than a hot shower, a couple of a ibuprofen and a bottomless cup of hot coffee.  I do not want to roll another length of hose line up, but I am reaching for another one.

I love every miserable minute of this, I was always supposed to be a firefighter.  My youth was wasted on a series of jobs that were not my true vocation.  I got remarried late in life to a profession I love.  Even as I look at the endless dirty hose lines, it's hard to think that that I would ever find another job I love like this.

We really need coffee and a quick break, there is a Burger King right across the street.

"Hey LT, send Tom over to get coffee and some breakfast and sandwiches for the crew." I tell Chris.

Beep Beep Beep

Engine 3, Paramedic 3 respond to Burger King for an unresponsive male.

"It looks like we are all going to get coffee" Chris says.

The address is right across the street where we are working.  I am relieved that I will not be rolling hose for the next little while and that our relief arrives while we are across the street.  Everyone on the crew looks relieved to get the call and stop picking up the endless hose lines.   

Engine 3 responding, status 4.

When we arrive, we find an older male face down in the drive thru.  He is breathing but unresponsive and there is a strong smell of alcohol as we are approaching him.  There are cars in the drive thru with people standing outside of their cars and on their cell phones. 

Engine 3 arrival with one unresponsive patient in the drive through, establishing BK command, we are investigating.

I can smell the booze before we get to him. One Hispanic male flat on his face in front of the menu board in the drive thru. Everyone is looking around to find a car that may rolled away or any indication that this person was hit by a car.  There is no car close to him.

The Sheriff Officer is pointing to the car behind the man in the drive thru.  "She said he staggered in front of her car, yelled at the ordering box and fell down.  He has alcohol onboard."

In a department where I am the only person of color, I hate to see incidents involving minorities.  In our response area, most of the Hispanic wage earners work in agricultural, and the turkey processing plant in town.  They work hard all week and when they have a day off during the week they play as hard as they work.  

"Tom, you and Christopher have patient care." 

They protect his head and neck and roll him over.  He is breathing on his own and without difficulty.  A wave of old beer and vomit smell wash over him as they roll him over.  A quick check does not show any airway compromise, deformity, significant trauma, or blood loss.  They are doing a very through secondary assessment when the patient starts to stir.

"Alto" I say to the patient, and he stops and stares up at me.  This is the moment I have waited for. I do not speak Spanish, and everyone expects me to. 

Thank you, Elmo, thank you Sesame Street, I am speaking Spanish to this guy, and he understands me.

"Get good vital signs on him" I tell Tom.  The ambulance is about 15 minutes away and I want to give them good information on what they will be walking into.  They are already doing vitals and a good head to toe assessment.

 

“Hasta Tomado?” I am on thin ice now. I have just asked him how much he has had to drink.

Mercifully, he starts counting on his fingers in Spanish. He has stopped at nine and is holding up nine figures.  I announce the result to everyone helping to provide patient care and the Sheriff's Officers standing over us all.

"He has 9 drinks" said Captain Obvious

"Cerveza?" I ask and he nods.   That does not need any translation.   

Everyone nods silently and I am floored. I am a runaway train now, way past my Sesame Street Spanish. I want to stop speaking Spanish, but I can’t stop myself.

“Donde te dwelle?” I am asking where it hurts.  Up until this point it does not occur to me that at some point, he will answer me in Spanish I cannot understand.  I should have stopped with “Alto” and called it a day. Any minute he will start talking in rapid fire Spanish that I will not understand, or the Sheriff’s officer will ask me to ask him a question.  I out way past thin ice.

The patient is in his late 40’s and has the look of a farm worker. Bronzed and wrinkled by the sun he is lean with strong arms and shoulders. He points to the laceration on his head and speaks to me in rapid fire Spanish. I have no clue what he has just said, but he is clearly looking at me, glad to have an interpreter, a brown face among all of the white ones. He still stinks of booze and is trying to lay back down on the pavement. 

Drawing on all of my medical training, I announce in succinct medical terms just what is wrong with him.

"His head hurts”. I cannot stop myself from pointing to the laceration on his head.

"Paramedics are here" Chris says.

I stand up, and walk towards the ambulance, glad for the last second reprieve.  I am giving the paramedic a quick turnover report.  He nods and him and the EMT and Christopher and Tom are assisting the medic's getting him loaded into the ambulance.
 

The morning has taken a decidedly great turn.  Looking across the street, it looks like our relief has arrived and they are starting to pick up the endless hose lines.

Now we can stop for coffee, get a quick breakfast sandwich.  We will get back to the station, take showers and the new shift will pick up where we left off.    

Suddenly not as tired, I have my second wind now. I am more pleased with myself that I am able to admit, if I knew no one was looking I would be punching the air with my fists.

Engine 3 in service 

I see the paramedic’s loading the guy up and walk over to the Sheriff’s officer to tell him we are leaving. He is facing me, and I am facing away from my crew. The officer now asks me if I can ask the guy how he got there, was he with anyone else, does he have a car and to find out home address, phone number, and explain to him that he is going to detox.

Elmo and Sesame Street, where are you now?

I explain to the officer that the dialect of Spanish he is speaking is confusing for me and I am worried that I will misinterpret something or use a term he would not be familiar with. This is technically correct; his use of Spanish is confusing for me and the possibility that I could use a term that could confuse him is very probable.

 

A Hispanic Sheriffs Officer has approached and nods to me and starts talking to the patient in fluent Spanish. 
 

"You are in good hands" I tell the officer.  I turn to my crew and give them a thumbs up.  We are walking back to the engine with tired, happy smiles on our faces. 

Today, we have done the two things that a Firefighters that are trained to do.  We have saved lives and property today.  

"Tom, pull up to that Starbucks down the street, I am buying."