My day: Get assigned as the patrol for the southern end of the Park. Thinking this is going to be a nice, easy day. Yeah, right, Ranger. I decide to take a walk on the Wild Basin trail. One of the great things about this job is that were Rangers, not strictly law enforcement officers. People seek us out, for conversation, education, and even photos. Find me one cop that has been asked to have his photo taken? Everyone wants to talk to the Ranger, so a walk on a trail is always fun. I am not 1/2 mile down the trail today and here comes a visitor cradling his arm. And here we go... He says his thumb is dislocated. Skeptical, I ask to see it. He shows me this purple sausage extending at the wrong angle from his hand... Well then... Do you need an ambulance? Calmly--no, lets just keep walking. And I take him to the trailhead and give them directions to the hospital. Easy money, and back down the trail I stroll. Soon enough, here is a young lady on her back in the trail, being attended to by what appears to be a camp counselor. Hi, I say. (What else, really?) This very nice young lady tripped on a rock and hit her head as she fell. She presents no outward symptoms of serious injury, and a physical exam also gives no indication otherwise, but for some reason, I am unwilling to move her and call for an ambulance. All the while thinking I am being overly cautious. Soon enough, my boss arrives and backs my cautious approach. We wait for ALS, and after a while, the ambulance arrives to the trailhead and a paramedic trots out to our location. He happens to be my EMR instructor and I brief him on the condition of the patient and my concerns. He proceeds to conduct the tests to clear her cervical spine and at the last test, she complains of neck pain. The end. She will be carried out in a litter and c-collar. I am vindicated, but as this is happening, the radio chirps with a report of a visitor unresponsive at the very same trailhead. Yes, really. Its the effing twilight zone, and all I wanted to do is take a stroll down a nice trail and talk to people. The paramedic says, you got this, and hotfoots it down the trail to the unresponsive visitor. What is there to do but keep up the spirits of my young patient? I spend the next hour teasing her about being better before she gets married, all the while keeping her still and checking her vital signs. Eventually, we put her in a suck bag, (will define that one later), and wheeled her out on a litter. Before we put her in the ambulance, I held her hand and thanked her for being such a good and patient, patient. Considering how she waited in the hot sun for the other, more priority patient to be treated, she never whined or complained. A really great kid. The other guy will be okay, and so will she, because a bunch of dedicated Americans acted in accordance with both their training and instinct to help others. And I dont mean me. I was just out for a stroll, hoping to have my own tired spirit lifted by fellow Americans. And it was. Back at it tomorrow. 0700. #USParkRanger #Merica
Posted on: Fri, 11 Jul 2014 04:04:50 +0000
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