RESCUE ME !!!! ( But Not like that....)

   It was late. I don't remember how many calls we had already run that shift, but it was too many.
As we pulled up in front of the shabby little house, I grumbled into the mic, " Dispatch, 39's on scene."
I flipped on the scene lights facing the address, pulled on my gloves and headed to the other side of the truck to rendezvous with my partner. At the side door, we divided up the equipment we'd carry in, and started toward the house. No words flowed as we walked, no discussion or humor. Like I said, it was LATE.

The call was for hypoglycemia; literally, just low blood sugar. The answer for this problem is simple, swift and effective. On scene, we do a quick assessment that includes vitals and checking the patients BGL (blood glucose level ). If that confirms our suspicion that the patient is hypoglycemic, we administer an amp (large prefilled syringe) of Dextrose, 50% solution by IV. It works like a magic show most of the time. Most of the time, the patient feels so much better that they try to refuse transport. This really hurts our feelings. A lot. (Not Really. Most of us can't afford feelings...to expensive. I knew an EMT that had a feeling once. The thing was so expensive, he had to become a doctor just to deal with it. True story. )

This was precisely that call.Our patient lay on his back, slowly rocking side to side. He seemed to be struggling to open his eyes, and moaning occasionally.His BGL was a whopping "24" if I recall correctly.
My partner and I just sort of flowed into action. One of my favorite things about Fire and EMS, is that after you've done it a while, you develop this "knack" for working as a team. Whether it's deploying a hose line, or starting an IV, you know what your partner's going to do. He knows what you're going to do.  It just flows. No talking or explanations necessary.
It can be a thing of beauty, born of necessity.

This is the situation we found ourselves in. It is vital to point out here that the patient was NOT the person who called us. People in this "semi-concious" condition have a REALLY hard time using the phone. The caller, the patient's room-mate; stood by watching us as we worked.
Perhaps it was because of the silent fashion we worked, or maybe because we didn't communicate to him exactly what we were doing, and what was happening. I really don't know. But at that moment, the room-mate said something I don't think I'll forget for a long time.
"Ya'll need to hurry up! You need to give him some insulin!" The room-mate turned to the messy dresser top closest to the door, and rummaging through the clutter, produced first a syringe, and then a small insulin vial!

For those of you who may not be associated with the medical field or a diabetic patient, let me explain that this is precisely the OPPOSITE of what our patient needed. In fact, giving him insulin at this point would have solved all of his future diabetic issues.... Permanently.

As calmly as possible, I advised the now adamant and excited room-mate what we were doing, and what giving him any insulin would have most likely caused. I informed him that in the pre-hospital setting, insulin is NEVER a treatment option. As our patient began to come around, I considered what had transpired, and what could have been the outcome if the patient had been alone with his well meaning but misguided room-mate.

Isn't that just like us though? 
Have you ever prayed for God's deliverance, or intercession in your life, and then specified the way he should perform ?
 " God, I can't do this myself. Rescue Me, Lord!!" 
And then as he begins to work in our life...
" WHOA, WHOA WHOA!! NOT LIKE THAT!!"
I know I have.

 The bible clearly states that as far as the Sun is above the Earth (92,960,000 miles), so are His ways above our ways. It also tells us in Proverbs 3:5-6, that we should " Lean not on thine own understanding, but in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight ( simplify) thy paths."

I was talking with another firefighter, and a trusted friend of mine at the gym yesterday about this call, and it occurred to me how often I do the same thing with God that the room mate did with us. I acknowledge that a situation is beyond my capacity to deal with, I hand it to him, and then as soon as I let go of it, I'm standing over his shoulder while he works... instructing him on how it should be done.
Sounds foolish doesn't it? 

Just thought I'd share. I don't think you need me to "draw out" the lesson here. For those of you who are brothers and sisters in the field, it should be obvious. For those of us who are brothers and sisters in Christ, it should be even more so. God bless, and have a great Easter Weekend!!!!

I Think Jesus was a Firefighter

All across America today, thousands upon thousands of times; the tones have "dropped" and men and women have scrambled into their gear, climbed aboard apparatus, and screamed off down the street to someone else's emergency. The reality is that whatever is happening down there, at the end of the "Run", really isn't their business anyways. So why do they do it ?

I have often struggled to explain to others what it means to me to be a firefighter. 

When someone asks: "What made you want to be a firefighter ?" or " What makes it worth it ?" I don't often know what to say.

The second question is especially difficult, because it references more than one issue - long hours away from home, low pay, and even things as far reaching as paying that ultimate price. I always wanted to answer, and answer well, but the words fail. It's not that I don't know, it's just that I don't know how to put in words what I feel inside, what I think, concerning this thing called firefighting. Maybe this will clear things up a little.

The other day I stumbled across the picture above, something I had read long ago, and forgotten. In a moment the disconnect between words and emotion was bridged. I read it over and over again, and want to share it with you now. It is important for one simple reason. Every man or woman who truly wishes to be a firefighter, aspires to the profession for these reasons. 

In the excerpt above, Chief Croker eloquently puts down these essential elements of understanding what firefighting is about. Allow me to unpack it.

1.) "Everything is destroyed by fire." Fire Destroys everything --it is as sure as any physical law. Provide it three things, fuel, oxygen, and heat, and it will exist, and it will continue to exist until it has consumed all of it's fuel. It is described in the new testament as being the way this world ends.(2Peter3:12) We know that nothing.... NOTHING, is "flame proof".... it's only " flame resistive" . Everything will burn once it's hot enough.

2.) " We strive to preserve from destruction the wealth of the world..."-- For the good of society, things that are valuable must be protected from destruction.The world of man collapses when The Good things of man; what he has created for the betterment and/or enjoyment of all, is destroyed. In a broader sense, If the good that man does is taken away, then what is left is only chaos and confusion.

3.) " But, above all; our proudest endeavor is to save the lives of men- the work of God himself." -
 Life is to be preserved, if possible, at all costs. Not just because it is valuable to us individually, but because it is the gift of God. Man is valuable to God, the Creator. Man is the only thing in the creation story that God took the time to fashion with his own hands... everything else he spoke into existence.

Condensed, the whole idea looks like this: I see the good in what man has created, and recognize his individual worth to God. I will gladly stand between these, and their ultimate destruction in this physical world, because if he were physically here, that is exactly what God would do.....would do? It's exactly what he did.

In the garden, the serpent hated Man. He knew the law that existed, and what God had said would happen to man if he broke that law. He knew God couldn't lie, and all he had to do to assure man's destruction was to get him to eat of the tree. And so he did.

What should have happened next was the absolute destruction of man,  the end of all humanity... the serpent laughing evilly in the background.

But what actually happened was this: The word of judgement was spoken. Fire fell from heaven to destroy the man God had created. The demon laughed... and then stopped suddenly, laughter frozen on his lips.

Across space and time a new sound was heard. For just a moment the sounds of angels singing above a tiny stable in Bethlehem sounded like the distinctive highs and lows of station tones. As all heaven grew silent,  the king of Glory vacated his throne, and stepped into the "Turn out" gear of his own mortal flesh. Without consideration for himself, he responded; and took his place between humanity and fire. 

Maybe that's overly simplistic, and a little "out there" for most people. But to me that's simply how it went down. There was no reason for God to come to man's rescue. He didn't have to, but he wanted to. His love for his creation made it "worth it". And in my mind, there is nothing more noble, nothing better served than the thing that is closest to the heart of God.
The serpent had it right; and at the same time, completely wrong. There was no way to avoid the natural consequence of Fire...  But the heart of GOD is the heart of the firefighter.


"No man is worth his salt who is not ready at all times to risk his well being, to risk his body, to risk his life, in a great cause." 
                                                                                                                -Theodore Roosevelt