Wednesday, May 21, 2003

I think this goes back to people seeing false shows on TV and the lay persons not knowing enough about EMS. People seem to think everyone gets shocked and EMT and paramedics can just appear, they do not research what type of response system they have in their community nor do they think about traffic, drivers who do not understand what to do when they hear sirens coming, which in itself can hamper your time, or that these medics might have been clearing from another run.

My heart goes out to this family for their loss but printing articles like this is fair to no one.

These paramedics are probably having a hard enough time with this call without needing that added stress that they may have done something wrong. I assure you that, given the circumstances given in the article, not too many medics if any would have acted differently.

These paramedics should be praised for their efforts, not ridiculed. They handled a very serious pedi-trauma case with success, considering they were able to revive the child several times.

For those of us that do work in the field, reviving a trauma patient for any amount of time is a job well done. To the medics and all personnel involved in this case, great job; keep up the good work.

And to the person(s) who started circulating this e-mail in your community, maybe you should become an EMT or paramedic. Then you can be put into serious, critical situations and then be criticized for your heroic efforts to see how it feels.

Dan Sherman

EMT-P R.I.

Zachmeldan@aol.com