I finally have a weekend off from the station. For the past 8 months, I have been working at least one saturday or sunday. I am very excite. Because last weekend was, I think the AVGN puts it best, a shit load of fuck.

Thursday I had to take one of my cars to the shop. It's only 2 years old and the check engine light went off. My other car had to be tagged that day and I didn't have the title yet. I called the dealer and they told me they have had it they whole time, but were waiting on a lien release. They said they would try their best to get it ready that day but no promises. 30 min later they call back and tell me I'm good to go. I was too glad to get it done to get too pissed off. I went by and grabbed the paperwork, I got everything in order, and headed to the DMV. Waited 30 min in there, to learn the dealer never inspected the damn car. Yeah, I was pissed. I got that scheduled for that saturday and picked up my other car from the shop.

Friday I was at the station. I came in early like always and as soon as I walked in we got a call. So I took it. It was for some dipshit that smoked 2 packs a day for 35 years and got COPD... Bad. We ended up running him hot because he was having so much trouble breathing. Next up was a building collapse. Jim Bob and Mary Sue were knocking down an old building in their backyard. Knocked it right on top of her. A wanged head and a broken shoulder. On our way back from that one, we got another. A 22 month old seizing. Probably febrile seizures but we booked it there any way. Turns out to be a 22 month old crack baby that was smaller than her 2 month old healthy brother. It was as sad and pitiful as it sounds.

Saturday I got my car tagged and inspected. I also bought a new gun, a Colt .357 magnum. Mega win!

Sunday I had a fatal mva. A guy crossed the median on the interstate right into oncoming traffic. His face hit the steering wheel of his old pickup and smashed his face in. Pretty bad. The other lady was alive, but had to be choppered out. Then I had some fat fuck with diabeetus. He tested 518 and what did he do? Eat a banana. Yeah. Lastly, I got a 2 year old that nearly drowned in a pool. We got there and got him breathing again but it still made me pucker up. Once I got home, I saw Equestria Girls was on youtube. Better than I was expecting, but Flash Sentry sucks. His character and role served no purpose in the movie. It would have been more of a statement of friendship if the other 5 saved Twi from being framed. Sigh, moving on. I'm getting sidetracked. Just remember, it's not canon...

So yeah, I'm excited to have some time off. At least I WAS excited. I've been thinking about using this time away to look for another department to work for. Don't get me wrong. I love my job. But I've noticed that I don't really fit in there. I've lived in the city all my life and the fire dept raised me. From when I was little all the way up until I got on at my department, I spent a lot of time at my dad's station learning the ropes. When I was old enough to start my own career, I began riding along with them. So all of my previous experience come from riding on the pumper and ambulance in the city. I watched them squeeze their rigs through gaps in traffic that I could have sworn were smaller than the damn rig. All while going highway speeds. I asked them how they could do that. What they told me is pretty much what I strive to do each day.

I believe that being the operator of an emergency vehicle has 3 main responsibilities:

Get there as quickly as possible.

Get there as efficiently as possible.

Get there as safely as possible.

Sure, I do a lot more than drive the bitch. But the main point of contention I have with some of my partners is my driving. They think I don't look as I pull out of the station. They think I drive too fast. They think I don't look as I back in to the station. The 1st and 3rd one are simple. I have ADHD. I can process information very quickly. Looking a half second each way as I pull out allows me to check that it's clear. I know what the street looks like when it's empty. A quick glance will either pick up either movement from a fast moving object (a car) or a form that shouldn't be there (a person). If I see either thing, I stop and look again and make sure everything is clear. When I back in, I pull into the oncoming lane. That way I know that lane is clear and I have an unobstructed view of the other lane. Just in case someone was riding my ass. However, me driving too fast requires a little more.

As the operator of an emergency vehicle, you are given certain legal powers. When running hot, you can break the speed limit. You can run stop lights/signs. You can drive on the wrong side of the road. As long as you maintain full control of your vehicle, you can pretty much do whatever you want. Back to those responsibilities, you must be able to satisfy all 3 on every call. You may be wondering how you can mix going fast and staying safe. Simple. The operator must know his rig inside and out. I know how tall the box is on my rig. I know long my rig is, including the front and back bumpers. I know how wide my rig is. When I come to an intersection and there isn't an open lane, I know the size of my rig so I can choose the appropriate path to take. I also know how fast my rig can go. I know how fast my rig can stop. I know how my rig handles. My district is basically centered on a big H. An interstate to the east, a US highway to the west, and a state highway in the middle. And my station is smack dab in the middle of that H. Every single call requires me to drive on at least one of those highways. So over time I have come to know them very well. I know every single curve on those highways, and what speed is safe to take it at. Wider curves allow me to go faster. Sharper curves require lower speeds. All of this allows me go at a high rate of speed and still maintain safe control of my rig.

However, it's not all my partners' fault. They all come from a different background than I. They all were born and raised in the country. Life out there is on slow mo. People aren't in a hurry to get anywhere. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten stuck behind Farmer Brown takin' his time while I'm trying to get to work. There's nothing wrong with that lifestyle, sometimes I actually enjoy it myself. But all of them think that lifestyle applies to their job as well. They all seem to think that taking over 20 minutes to get on scene is OK. Their favorite response is "Who else are they gonna call?" or "It's not my emergency, it's theirs". They think that EMS shouldn't involve any dangerous situation. If something looks scary, hide in the rig until the cops deal with it. I was raised and trained that when the bells/tones go off, it's now YOUR emergency. We are the ones following the cops in to a shootout, and the firefighters into burning buildings. If you don't like it, fine. There's the door. We aren't drafted, we choose to do this. Maybe not giving a shit is why the public thinks less of us than the police or fire department. Maybe if they would grow a pair of balls...

Maybe... Maybe I'm fighting an uphill battle. Maybe I should just let them do what they do. If the city was hiring, I would be gone in a heartbeat. But they're not. And won't be anytime soon. I don't know what to do.