In the neighborhood

Yesterday, I was heading home to grab some Girl Scout cookies for one of the girls in my troop, and I happened to notice a guy RUNNING down the street. What caught my eye wasn't his running, it was that he had no shoes on, and he appeared to be running in fear. In fear of what? Nothing that I could see.

A few minutes later, I am heading down our main drag here in Antelope, and I see this same guy on the side of the road, sitting down. And another man is holding him down, having grabbed the hood of his sweater and twisting it a bit to keep the other guy down. He looks around with what I refer to as "pleading eyes", so I pulled over and got out. I asked him if everything was OK.

"My brother is having schizophrenia problems", he tells me. "Can you call the police?"

I did a brief check on the man. High pulse, his respiration rate, sweating. Not 100% alert. Well, since this is clearly a medical issue, not a criminal one, I got on the phone with dispatch, requesting medical aid instead. Went through the usual yada-yada with dispatch, even after I informed them I was an EMT (They operate off of scripts), who tells me, "Don't let him eat or drink anything". OK. Right. I forgot to ask for no lights or sirens, however.

I get my gear, and get back to the man and his brother, who is still holding him down. I start up a conversation with him. He starts to talk to me a bit, which is good. He's not completely gone wherever he went. He was clearly running from someone, but we can't see them. I assure him I won't hurt him, and that the people coming to check him won't hurt him either. I don't want him bolting into traffic.

The man wants to lay down. I put my backpack under his head for a cushion. Recheck his vitals, still high pulse and respirations. Then the Fire Department arrives. Thank God, no Code 3 (Lights and sirens). I honestly think it would have wigged this guy out. I give them the run-down, and they offer to take the man to the hospital. Thankfully, he agrees and goes with them.

"Thank you, maam...", is the bulk of what I got from Fire. I toss my gear back in my Jeep.

Oh well. At least the man will get the treatment he needs. I hope.

Busy-ness

Wow! These last few weeks have been CRAZY!

Jan 28 - Went down to WestPack conference and worked there until Jan 31 for work. Had two of my co-workers with me. Worked out really well, though!

Jan 31 - 10:30pm - Got home from southern CA.

Feb 1 - 7:00am - Got in our ambulance, heading for Death Valley.

Feb 2 - Worked in Death Valley. Nobody had to get transported - YEAH!

Feb 3 - Came home

Feb 4 - Out the door at 4:00am to Southern CA again to pick up a new (well, new to us!) ambulance

Feb 5 - Home after midnight... Got up and gone by 6:00am, heading for ANOTHER conference! This one was near San Francisco. Started feeling sick on the way (scratchy throat, nose getting stuffed up.)

Feb 5-7 - Attended the CUPA Conference. Learned a lot, but I was REALLY sick. Did what I needed to, work-wise, but went to bed around 6:00pm on the 5th and 6th. Started feeling better on the 7th (Nyquil and fluids, yeah!), finished out the conference, and headed home.

Feb 10 - Out the door again, this time for Monterey for a race. Treated a few racers, sent one to the hospital. Asthma flared a bit, so I was on albuterol every 2 hours.

Yes, I am feeling better. As I said, my asthma kicked up a bit, due to that nasty cold I got, but it is under control again. Hey, I gotta breathe, right? And I don't want to end up a patient!

Of Deserts, Snow, Conferences and Updates

Well, where to start? Um...

This last month has been an absolute BLUR. I started out going to the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show in early January. Had an incredibly fun time while I was there, even though I got sick ('tis the season... see below). Got home and promptly hit the ground running, work-wise. First, I became a partner in First On Scene EMS. Yep! I am co-owner of a business! Second, my work at the St. of CA has kept me incredibly busy, with prep work for 2 conventions, plus my usual work. We are talking 16-hour work days! And not just M-F. EVERY DAY... But I love it!

So, Monday Jan 28, I boarded a plane for Orange County, and ran our booth at a packaging show. Contacted A LOT of people! It was definitely worth the cost, time, and effort. By Thursday, I was exhausted, and got home after 10:30pm, due to flight delays, even though I changed my flight to an earlier time. Threw my clothes in the washer, went to bed, and got up at 4:30am to get ready for... a trip to Death Valley! We had a marathon out in Titus Canyon, and First On Scene is the EMS provider. We took the ambulance down there, and had a good time, providing EXCELLENT medical care out there. Got back LATE Sun night, threw the clothes in the washer and dryer again, and was up and gone by 4:30am yesterday to go down to pick up another ambulance we were buying (Business is picking up!). Got stuck at the Grapevine for 1.5 hours due to snow and fog (More fog than snow), then got over the hill. Picked up the new rig (well, new to us... it is a used ambulance), and headed home. Got home after midnight this morning. Got up at 5:00am, and went to yet another convention for work! Crazy schedule, huh?

So, I am here in the SF Bay area attending a conference for the next few days. I will update more when I have a chance, and will hopefully post some pics soon.