What it takes
We’ve all seen the 15 second blurb on the local news about a serious car accident. Have you ever thought about what actually goes into saving someone’s life in that situation? Last night at Wentzville Fire Station #1, I heard directly from the First Responders that saved a young man’s life on 5/25/2016. Receiving Liberty Mutual Firemark Awards where the crews from Wentzville Fire, Wright City Fire, Lincoln County Fire, Lincoln County Ambulance, St. Charles County Ambulance, St. Charles County Emergency Communications, Missouri State highway Patrol and ARCH Helicopter.
This is a brief, condensed version of what actually happened that day.
The initial call came in from a bus driver who isn’t from Missouri. He didn’t have any way to give an exact location of where the accident happened. The dispatchers from St. Charles County Emergency Communications spoke with the caller and through landmarks and a description of the area where able to direct the Missouri State Highway Patrol to the scene. Once, there, MSHP blocked traffic and made contact with the victim. All of the Fire and EMTs described how helpful it was for the MSHP Troopers to calm someone down in that situation to lower their heart rate and keep them calm. As Fire and Rescue crews from Wentzville, Wright City, Lincoln County and St. Charles County arrived a new set of issues arose. When the young man crashed, the car rolled and was wrapped around a tree. The driver’s side of the vehicle was on the ground and the car was too unstable to begin the extrication. Working together, they strapped the car to the tree, placed jacks under the car in order to safely begin the process of getting him out. He had multiple injuries and was also pinned in the wreckage. The leader of each crew has to keep their team focused on their specific jobs. One crew works on the patient, one crew works on cutting the vehicle while another crew puts out the fires started by the sparks from the saws, cutters and spreaders. As the call goes out for a medevac helicopter the Highway Patrol now has to block both sides of the road so the helicopter can land. A Firefighter gets cut badly during the extraction and an EMT has to treat him so they can both get back to freeing the victim from the car. The chopper lands but the crews are nowhere near close to getting the patient out of the vehicle so he has to shut the helicopter down to keep it from overheating. Most extractions last from 30-60 minutes. At the 90 minute mark the adrenaline rush begins to wind down and everyone has to refocus their efforts and energy. The patient’s vital signs begin to slip and the crews still have half a car to cut through. The Battalion Chief of one of the ambulance crew calls a local ER and speaks to a Doctor about the possibility of amputating the victim’s leg so he can be removed from the wreckage. For 2 hours the crews from 3 Fire Departments and 2 Ambulance Districts have been working nonstop, mostly with their equipment held over their heads or hanging upside down in a flipped vehicle. As they get closer to extricating the victim, the pilot has to determine when to start the helicopter while being cognizant that if it idles to long it will overheat. As the final cut is made and the victim is free he still has to be stabilized and lifted out of the car and moved to the helicopter. The helicopter crew begins their work and notifies the closest Trauma 1 hospital they are on their way. As they leave the crews still have work to do. EVERY SINGLE TOOL they have is on the ground or in the car. Think about that, 3 Fire Crews 2 EMT crews and every tool they have is out of the truck. The Troopers still have to direct the 2 ? hours of backed up traffic and ensure the tow truck can safely remove the vehicle. As a First Responder, you typically work a 12 hour shift so these men and woman who just went through the most difficult accident/extrication any of them had ever seen still had a full days’ worth of work to do.
On average there are 27,000 traffic accidents a day in the United States. From fender benders to devastating crashes like this example from May. Our First Responders are there. Working together no matter what the situation to save us, protect us and to make sure we can make it home safely. The next time you see a Police Officer, Firefighter, EMT, Dispatcher or any First Responder, give a smile or wave. Tell them thank you for everything they do, day in and day out, that never makes the news. They deserve it.