EMT: Calls during holiday weekends can get ‘interesting’
Calls for emergency services over Labor Day weekend tend to be few and far between, but once one comes in, it’s like a cascade that keeps crews occupied for hours, according to EMTs and paramedics who work the holiday weekend.
When the calls do come in, they’re always more “interesting” than the average day, according to Butler Ambulance Service EMT Brianna Thomas. Most of the calls during summer holiday weekends are for heat-related illness, she said, since most families are gathered outside or around hot grills.
“I get to use my brain more,” Thomas said about strategy of treating heat-related illnesses since the symptoms between illnesses often cross over, and drinking lots of water isn’t always the answer.
And because every family celebrates the holiday a little differently, Thomas never knows what she’s getting into when a call comes in, she said.
“A boring day for us is a good day for the community,” said Butler Ambulance Service assistant supervisor and paramedic Michael Mitchell.
But the crew knows how to turn a boring day into a fun one. If it’s slow enough during a holiday the weekend, the best way they do that is by having a BBQ. Mitchell said a BBQ always boosts morale and makes working a holiday a little more bearable, and fewer emergencies and scheduled transports allows the crews to spend more time with each other.
The most fun part about working holidays is working the community events, according to National Set Medics paramedic Lance Theiss, who worked Saturday at Switchback MX for Muddy Dash — Pittsburgh.
He said working events is like a stress reliever compared to his day job as a firefighter in Oil City. He gets to interact more with the community, and the injuries he responds for usually aren’t as serious.
Theiss said most injuries at events are minor cuts and bruises that can be addressed quickly.
“The potential is there for serious injury, but everyone is usually pretty safe,” Theiss said.
Mitchell agreed holiday weekends are always more fun when they include a community event. He said it’s fun to see how excited children get when they see what’s inside the back of an ambulance, and former paramedics and EMTs also frequently approach him to tell stories of their time in the field.
He added his crew sometimes has to leave a community event if there’s a nearby emergency, but it’s usually smooth sailing.
