A Florian Life

Saint Florian

     Saint Florian, the patron of firefighters, is often depicted in artwork as a Roman soldier who is pouring water over fire. Florian, a member of the Roman Army, was charged with developing and training soldiers whose sole mission was to fight fires.  Thus, the first firefighting brigades were born (2015).  For more details on the life of this saint, I direct you to the reference section of this entry.  So what is it like to follow in the footsteps of Florian?

 

 

     First responders (fire, EMS, police, Red Cross, etc.) are called upon at a moment’s notice to aid others in need.  When citizens dial 911 it is usually because they are not having a good day.  We are subjected to the horrors of human suffering and without a doubt, in my personal experience, absorb the emotions of a particular scene.  This cycle repeats itself shift after shift, and year after year.  Over the course of a 20+ year career, this takes a toll on both our physical and mental well-being, which brings me to the point of this posting: three.

     Every first responder will always remember his/her top three calls that most profoundly affected their psyche.  Last year, I shared with you my number one: the witnessed suicide of my co-worker and friend.  Today, I leave you with number two which I call:

March Sadness

     “It was an exceptionally quiet shift one Sunday in March of 1995, until the alarm sounded for the four year old child not breathing.  When we pulled up to the scene, I opened the ambulance door and noticed a woman running towards me with a small child in her arms.  She looked at me and pleaded, “Please save my baby!”, and placed her in my arms.  While carrying her to the back doors of our “mobile hospital”, I stared into her lifeless eyes and knew that her soul had left her.

     Once in the back of the ambulance, I placed her on the cot, confirmed that she had no pulse, was not breathing, and immediately began CPR. Her little frame gave way to the weight of my body pushing down on her upper torso.  Meanwhile, my partner placed the EKG electrodes on her tiny chest, I stopped compressions momentarily, and together we confirmed that she had a cardiac rhythm known as asystole or flat line.  I resumed my efforts at resuscitation while a small flexible tube was inserted into her delicate trachea (windpipe) to assist with breathing.  An intravenous line was started and drugs were introduced into her circulatory system. The alternating sequence of CPR and drug therapy continued while enroute to the emergency room. Even though the ambulance raced to the hospital, time passed slowly, as a five minute ride seemed like fifteen.

     Upon arrival to the emergency department, our patient’s heart began to spontaneously beat, and I felt a weak pulse in her limp wrist.  Over the next twenty minutes, the emergency room staff fought valiantly to preserve this tiny patient’s life, and I could no longer bear to watch this scene.  I walked outside, sat down on the back step of the ambulance, and buried my head into my hands in despair.  For several minutes I searched for an answer as to why this innocent soul was subjected to this kind of fate, and came up empty.  As we left the hospital, I carried with me the horrific image of this fragile human being connected to every tube possible known to modern medicine.  Our patient was transferred to a pediatric hospital that could more aggressively manage her condition, and died thirteen hours later. I can no longer remember her face (I do remember her name), but I will never forget those lifeless blue eyes”.

9/11

     Leading a Florian life is a time honored tradition that calls upon duty, honor, and courage to those who answer this calling.  While this profession has tested the endurance of my spirit at times, I wouldn’t trade it for anything else in this world.  In over 20 ½ years it has been, and still continues to be the greatest privilege to serve those in need.  Thank you Saint Florian for blazing the trail.

 

Reference

St. Florian. (2015). Wikipedia. Retrieved May 15th, 2015, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Florian