In EMS we deal with some of the most unreal stuff. Not just things you would expect like gory accidents, stabbings, and shootings but we deal with more. We will get psychiatric calls and people who are drunk or on drugs. Sometimes with drunk people or people on drugs I often wonder if the police are being nice to that person and tells them they must go to the hospital instead of taking them to jail or giving them a ticket.
Since we all love real stories and experiences here are some of my calls that you would think is unreal!
The ultimatum
We get a call to remove a sleeping possibly drunk person at a library. Arrived on scene police was talking to a person outside. Police told us this person needs to go to the hospital because they are just over the legal limit. Talked to the person they are fully aware of what is going on and is refusing to go to the hospital. Asked police if they will petition the person so we can force them, they said no. Told police we cannot force the person to go. Police gave the person an ultimatum that they must go to the hospital, or they are going to jail. The person chooses jail. As the police were arresting the person, they decided to change their mind, but the police told them it was too late they already choose jail.
Dealership love
We get called for someone passed out at a dealership in their lot next to the new vehicles. We arrive on scene to see a person sleeping on the grass in front of a new vehicle. We tried to wake him but obviously drunk with an empty bottle next to him and smelling like alcohol. We get him on the stretcher and as we are loading him into the ambulance, he starts getting combative. On the way to the hospital, we let them know the patient was being very combative. Once we arrive two hospital K9s and 8 hospital police are waiting for us. One officer tells the combative patient if you hit us, EMS, or hospital staff my dog will attack you. The patient was extra good and quiet while we got them off our stretcher.
Under the hat
This was during the peak of COVID-19. We get called for someone not feeling well and possibly covid (everything was possible covid back them). We pulled up in the ambulance and they were waiting outside for us. We help them into the ambulance get them on our stretcher and started taking vitals. My partner pulled something off the patient’s shoulder and flicked it outside. I didn’t think too much of it. My partner does it again, this time I noticed this patient’s hat had two bed bugs on them. I showed my partner and he said he pulled two off the patient’s shoulder. When we lifted the patients’ hat there were hundreds of bed bugs in the patients hat and hair. He went straight to decontamination room when we arrived at hospital.
Poopy situation
We get called for a person who stole stuff from a box store and locked themself in their vehicle. The whole time driving to this call my partner and I kept saying this is a police matter not EMS. We find police with a vehicle and all the doors open. Inside we find a person who sniffed 15 cans or keyboard air aerosol cans. This person kept having diarrhea. They pooped in their car. Police didn’t want to touch the person because they were full of poop. They told us we must take this person to the hospital. We got this person onto our stretcher, and they kept pooping on our stretcher the whole ride to the hospital. By the time we got to the hospital the back of the ambulance was full of poop (diarrhea) on the floor and all over everything because the patient kept touching everything. This person went to the decontamination room to be cleaned but couldn’t stop pooping the whole time they were in there. The hospital was not happy with us as we were not happy with the patient. The smell and seeing so much poop I think will haunt me! It took over 5 hours to fully clean the ambulance and stretcher as well as get the smell out of the ambulance.
Sick or really sick
We get called for a person not feeling well. We arrived on scene to find someone who isn’t feeling well and wishing to go to the hospital. We get them on our stretcher and as we load them into the ambulance, they say they are feeling nausea. Give them an emesis bag in case they get sick. We try to get an IV so we can give them anti-nausea medication but pulled their arm when we stuck them with a needle, which made the IV come out. We offered to give it in a shot form into their muscle, but patient said no more needles. We gave the patient a tablet of anti-nausea medication and then violently started vomiting everywhere. It was all over them, on the floor and walls of the ambulance. After the call I scrubbed the ambulance down and found more vomit on the ceiling.
Poop where I want
Had a patient we were helping to get them home from the hospital. We arrived at the patient’s house. Patient said they can walk if we help them. My partner was in front of them I was behind them helping them walk into their house. As they were walking, they started pooping, which I didn’t realize. It wasn’t until I went into the house with the patient and realized there were poop stains in the carpet everywhere. The patient that we had to help because they couldn’t barely walk, walked just fine once we left with no assisted needed. When I got back into the ambulance, I realized that the patient pooped all over my boots and pants. Not cool!
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