While we were recuperating from our training on Thursday our we heard our fearless leader (our chief) on the radio, "San Bernardino, Chief 5200, Emergency Traffic!" At this point we we had a lot of our equipment out on the ground so we scrambled to get everything that we would need onto the engine, mostly our gear and SCBA's. Our chief continued, "San Bernardino, Chief 5200, we have reports of a vehicle vs a motorcycle. You can show Chief 5200 responding, please dispatch Medic Engine 461 and MBA." A couple of seconds later our tones go off to officially dispatch us. About two minutes later we are responding. The chief continues, "San Bernardino, Chief 5200 on scene, one motorcycle vs a pick up. Medic Engine 461, what is your location?!" That was the chief's was of saying, 'CRAP! I don't know what to do! Where's my medic?!"
We arrived on scene to find a 15 year old boy that had been struck by a pick up. His only obvious injuries were road rash to the right wrist, and a possibly broken left foot. Because of the mechanism of injury I ordered an airship. Why mess around with a kid that could have internal injuries? We placed him on a back board and started an IV before the ambulance showed up. The medic on the ambulance wasn't thrilled that I had ordered a chopper but that wasn't his call. We loaded the kid up and started a second IV en route to the LZ (landing zone). When the chopper was two minutes out it had to abort due to mechanical failure. The chopper crew made it back to their base (I don't know what happened) and the kid was transferred via ambulance to the trauma center.
I found out two days later that the kid does have a broken foot, a compression fracture of the spine and several bulging disks. I don't feel bad about ordering an airship.
We arrived on scene to find a 15 year old boy that had been struck by a pick up. His only obvious injuries were road rash to the right wrist, and a possibly broken left foot. Because of the mechanism of injury I ordered an airship. Why mess around with a kid that could have internal injuries? We placed him on a back board and started an IV before the ambulance showed up. The medic on the ambulance wasn't thrilled that I had ordered a chopper but that wasn't his call. We loaded the kid up and started a second IV en route to the LZ (landing zone). When the chopper was two minutes out it had to abort due to mechanical failure. The chopper crew made it back to their base (I don't know what happened) and the kid was transferred via ambulance to the trauma center.
I found out two days later that the kid does have a broken foot, a compression fracture of the spine and several bulging disks. I don't feel bad about ordering an airship.
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