Editor’s note – Shorts are collections of stories that have been submitted that are shorter than 1 paragraph in length.
So, I have PTSD, depression, and anxiety disorders unrelated to EMS. I am a paramedic. I just separated from my husband at the time when I was called out to a 34 y/o male unresponsive patient. When we got there, he was in cardiac arrest and his dad was doing CPR on him. He was in VFIB; so, we shocked him. We loaded him up and continued to work him. Got a pulse back en route but lost it again. That patient didn’t make it. Though I have worked quite a few cardiac arrests, I cried for him. It bothered me. I wasn’t just being an emotional woman. It was because I had, during that time, thought about doing the same thing….ending it all.
– Story written by an anonymous 32 year old female paramedic.
As many do I work for 2 EMS Services they are located around an hour from each other. Worst day of my life I will never forget at 4:36 am the tones drop for a motor vehicle accident . Once on scene we confirm 2 deaths and extricate the 3rd. The patient was alert and oriented x 4. She confirmed that the woman who was driving was my friend and co-worker from my other service I worked for. I thank my stars that another unit was on scene and helping because I lost some of my composure. It’s not easy to loose loved ones or friends but it’s 10x worse when you have to confirm their death. We lost a good medic that day to a drink driver and I lost a good friend.
– Story written by an anonymous first responder, 3 years on the job.
I was dispatched to a crash. Four 21-year-old kids hit a grove of trees at a high rate of speed after celebrating one of their 21st birthdays. When we got there, all four were trapped inside the car, and the car was on fire. We listened to three of them scream as they burned to death, while we tried to save the only one we could free from the vehicle. He died at the hospital. That was 10 years ago. To this day, I sometimes wake up to the sounds of them screaming.
– Story written by James Weber, EMT-A from PA. 17 years in EMS.
