Former volunteer fireman, when I was younger, but still an EMT if that counts. THX

27 year career RN. Have worked in the Neonatal ICU for 15 of those years in large Level 3 NICU and have seen lots of sick babies through the years. Currently, we are very busy and have been for months. Thankfully, haven't been shut done due to covid-19.

Thank you for the opportunity to win this generous Karma.

Troy

I’m a FF paramedic for a large department. Thanks for the generous karma.

I have lots and lots of stories.

I always enjoy the silly ones. Well after the fact they can be fun. During not so much.

We had a guy call at 0300 because his arm was tingling. When we left the station I told my partner that I was sure they guy slept on his arm wrong. When he got there he said hey guys I don’t need you I guess my arm went to sleep.

I’ve had multiple patients stop their “seizures” to tell me they are having one.

I had a guy tell me that a midget assaulted him in his hotel room. During the transport he proceeded to tell me that the midget came out of the TV...

Last month we had a CPR that walked out of the hospital. That is super rare and a really great reminder that sometimes we really do make difference. On that call my guys did awesome but the biggest contributor to his survival was a bystander who started CPR.

Thanks again for the chance and thanks for all you do.

26 year veteran of the fire service and paramedic...I’m shift commander with rank of Captain for past 12 or so years...also got tapped by the regional SWAT team as a team medic for 10 plus years and remain active with them as well..thanks for the opportunity to throw my name in the hat with these fine people....one of a kind!

A few years ago I was sent to investigate a fire alarm during a thunderstorm, not unusual to get a bunch of alarms all at once with that type of activity...I had my ladder company, ambulance and engine company all on the road doing the same thing.....We (heavy rescue) just pulled the short stick that night. We arrived in the (cough) low rent district, directly on the water and out on the point no less....million dollar home at least. Nothing showing, no one home.....pouring rain! Wtf?!
Exit the truck, we start walking around the house, looking in windows and figuring out how we can gain entry with as little damage as possible....the two guys that ride with me went one way around the house and I went the opposite...trying to lessen our time in the downpour...then....blinding flash of light and a deafening boom at the same time....not sure where that bolt of lightning actually hit but it was wayyy too close! Scared the living shit outa all of us...of course, I just know in my mind...if I’m alive...then my two guys are dead on the other side of this house! They, had the same thought!
Suddenly there are three firemen, soaking wet, on a full run around the house yelling each others names...tried the portable radio but no answer which just confirmed my fears in my mind.....we literally ran into each other rounding one corner of this monstrosity of a house...everyone yelling “I thought you were dead!” And had a group hug! Wtf!?

Laughed all the way back to the station....never got into that house, screw it, not my house and I was done tempting fate! The house is still there today so all was good.

Emergency Department RN, please include me in this.

While it's easy to tell the WTF moments of the job, I think I'll take a little bit different tact, remembering some of the more memorable patients I've had. Those patients that I wish I could take the rest f the night off, sit in their room and listen to their stories.

A World War II veteran who was a B-24 pilot and flew on the bombing raid of Ploesti. Changed my view on legalizing marijuana. If it helps a 96 year old veteran with his chronic back pain, who am I to say no.

A World War II and Korean War veteran who flew F-6 Hellcats and F-8 Bearcats off of carriers. Shot down over the Sea of Japan during Korea, rode it in rather than bailing out and spent 24 hours in the water with a broken leg before being picked up by a destroyer. At 92 he still held his pilot's license and flew an acrobatic glider on a regular basis. Bummed I had to leave his room to go next door to deal with a 22 year old complaining of an, "Unbearable" migraine with 25 out of 10 pain busily gaming and texting on her phone. Really sister? Want to experience 25 out of 10 pain, go talk to the guy next door.

Husband of a patient who had a USS Indianapolis hat on. Sure enough, he was a survivor.

Shortly after taking the job here in Alaska, had a real life, honest to God owner/operator captain of a crab boat. So of course I had to ask, "That show Deadliest Catch, how much of it is real and how much is bullshit?" Got quite an education on that one.

Christmas Eve in my first year of being a nurse, had a patient come in with an active STEMI (heart attack). Scrambling to get him prepped for a trip to the cath lab. Asked him what his pain level was on a scale of 1-10, he answered a 2. I was amazed and asked again. "It's only a 2, getting shot was a 5." Turns out he was a retired Chicago cop.

Having a patient visit the ER from recovery to shake hands and thank everyone after we had treated and stabilized him. Young man in his 20's collapsed at a gym. CPR given on site, shocked into rhythm by EMS on the way in, shocked twice into rhythm by us including once by me in the elevator transporting him to CT. Ended up going to cath lab to have an ablation to correct the neural pattern in his heart. It was like, "Holy shit, you were dead in front of me and now standing here shaking my hand!"

Then there's patients who are so few and far between. The ones that are respectful, grateful and able to maintain a sense of humor in what really is one of their worst days. Those few who leave with a thank you, a hug or a handshake almost make up for all of the fuck yous and temper tantrums.

I'm not in the required categories and thus cannot -- and will not -- enter.

Kudos to all of you who deal directly with our challenges. Best wishes to all of you. Stay safe.

Kudos to 12131 for offering this P228.

Paid On Call Firefighter/AEMT here with my local fire department since 2008. I also work part time for Michigan's largest non profit EMS agency. That side hustle pays for my shooting/watch/cigar hobbies.

Lots of adventures. Brad's overriding Rule of EMS is that there is no adding or subtracting of patients in the back of my bus. That is no birthing of babies or dying in the back of my bus. You can do that either while still on scene or after we get to the hospital. Well last year I broke that rule with my first and hopefully only field delivery. We got on scene with a patient 32 weeks along and in full labor. since we were 5 minutes from the hospital and she told us two of her 4 children had been born out of hospital we loaded and scrammed. didn't get out of the parking lot and my partner told me to stop and get in back. Delivered my first and hopefully only baby in the field. Checked back a day later and mom and baby were doing fine.

As for C19, my county has the highest number of positives of rural counties in the state. Just heard tonight a firefighter from a neighboring department is in hospital with it. I've been up to the front in Detroit and it's ugly. Nasty damn bug.

Thank you for the very generous karma. I would be honored to be entered.

Very generous. Please count me in. I’ve been a volunteer EMT for the last 18 years. Thanks.

Chris

Not a first responder so keep spinning the Karma wheel. I wanted to say thank you everyone who is and I appreciate the stories.

Another thoughtful karama

24 year LEO. Please add me to the generous karma.

One of the most memorable was a barricade/ESU call. Shot at his wife, shot at the local PD, shot at our Bearcat, barricaded on the second floor of base housing. Had a gas mask and multiple firearms.

Tried a gas plan, tried a K9, no luck with either. Ended up gassing ourselves a few times.

We ended getting an excavator from the town highway department to pull the house down around him. I was driving it across his lawn, covered in bomb blankets and plate carriers when he finally answered the phone for negotiators and surrendered.

Q you are amazing with all these karmas!

I'd love a shot at the 228. I'm a Compliance Officer / Constable here in SC. 23 years.

Thanks and Happy Easter!

Q, you are an amazing dude. Don’t enter me this time. I just wanted to say that.

Please throw my hat in the ring. I've been a cop for 13 1/2 years now. I am currently answering calls by phone so that when patrol starts loosing people they will have someone people to fill in.

No good recent stories though.

Another most generous offer! Thank you sir!
Please count me in, retired Trooper, current forensic detective. Too many stories to tell.

Don't throw my name in, since I've been promoted to admin (yep, the dreaded "brass") after 14 years in LE and am no longer "on the front line", but I wanted to say Thank You to Q for yet another generous Karma.

Stay safe, folks. Keep fighting the good fight. And wash your damn hands. I'll be back here with my reports, spreadsheets, budgets, and training schedules. Lemme know if you need approval for time off.

First of all, thank you for the generous karma! I have been working in direct patient care for close to thirty years. Started off as an EMT, then LVN, and Deputy Coroner. I currently work in a clinic(down to 20 hours right now), and continue to do my night shift call for the Medical Examiner's Office.

No real over the top stories as an EMT or LVN, but man, on the Medical Examiner side, there are lots. I investigate all deaths other than certified hospice.

One story(gross one) still crowds my brain like it was yesterday. Got called to a home where a lady called in a bad odor coming from her next door neighbors house. She was friendly with him and said she has not seen him in the past week or two. I get there along with the PD. One officer is already outside vomiting after he entered the home. He told myself and the funeral home guy where he was.

At that point, the two of us can candle a "little odor", so we both went in to see how we are going to do the removal and open doors to help ventilate the home. Mind you, this is August and was 80-90 for two weeks straight. House was dark(330pm) with all the blinds closed. Myself and the Mortician run in back door with flashlight, find guy, and run out front door. Oh, did I mention his electricity was off too!

By this time, an ALS ambulance crew arrived then the Fire Chief arrive with hazmat suits and SCBA's. Now we could finally go in and spend a little more time in there, along with a PD Supervisor. We lit the place up with flashlights and took "good" pictures. Poor guy was in his recliner, basically melted in it. This did not look real, kinda something you would see in a movie.

Anyhow, there was no way we could pick him up with out him falling apart. I could get more graphic, but I wont. Eventually, we used a blue tarp over the top of him, tipping him and the recliner over into the body bag, then picked up little pieces that didn't make it into the body bag.

Being the house was built in the twenties with a wood frame and crawl space, it was torn down to the ground by the city. The PD Supervisor eventually retired which was planned. Myself and Mortician are still plugging away. We still talk about that one and it has been close to five years now!

Thanks brother for the karma chance. I have only been in the field for about 28 years now as a ff/medic, a lot of time to some and not much compared to others. I enjoy what I do and have always done so. It is truly a blessing to help others in need at a time when they need it most. I try to witness at times to people when the opportunity arises. Most of us have seen some terrible things in our travels but some funny and amazing things as well.

We had a call in the past where the pt. could not come to the door so we had to break the door in to gain to access the pt.. My ff brother and I went to work on the door. It was a metal door and solid wood frame,which proved much harder to get into than others we have done before. We first tried using the "K" tool, ( it removes/shears the deadbolt without damaging the door too much),but it did not work out so well. I tried a few times at prying it open while he struck the Halligan with the axe. He worked himself to death beating the door in. I stepped in at the last moment and wound up kicking the door in/open,( I got the credit for his hard work-lol). One of the guys recorded our efforts for posterity's sake. He combined some music and Gerard Butler's line from the movie "300" -"THIS IS SPARTA". He added it perfectly and my kicking in the door coincided with "SPARTA". We still laugh today about it.

What I love the most is the friendships I have had over the years with my fellow workers. Without them, I wouldn't be where I am today.

Thank you

43rd year in Public Safety -Police / Medic / Fire
13 shifts left to retirement -It has been an excellent ride - Like to think I made a difference

Thanks again

I am a medical doctor, specifically a psychiatrist. I don't know if you'll include me in this but I would like to enter if you'll allow.

I work full-time in a large hospital treating inpatients and doing consultation-liaison work. I am not a first responder however I am working in the hospital through this pandemic. Luckily I purchased some N95 masks back in January when I saw this unfolding. I've given those to co-workers in my psychiatric hospital and we were actually wearing them in open defiance of the hospital policy that we could not use our own PPE. One week ago the hospital came to their senses and officially allowed us to wear our own PPE as they continue to be desperately in need of appropriate masks. Just ordered 100 more N95s to hopefully share with more coworkers, I just hope they actually arrive.

I have treated several COVID positive patients over the last month, and may have even been infected myself. I had a 103.6 fever for two days and was out of work for a two week unpaid quarantine, I returned as soon as I could and continue to work daily.

I know doctors are often left out of these things as we are seen as being high paid golfers but I took a 75% pay cut already and am facing furlough even though our hospital is still chugging along and our psych facility continues to receive many admissions daily.

Thanks for this karma, if I don't meet your requirements I understand.