The recent murder of three Burnsville first responders and the outpouring of support and recognition for their sacrifice caused me to reflect on the critical and mostly hidden role paramedics, Emergency Medicine Services (EMS) first responders, play in our community.
We hear the sirens and see Hennepin Healthcare ambulances responding, but until I had my own experience, I took it for granted and didn’t give it much thought.
Life altered!
That all changed on August 3, 2012 when my husband and I received the call you never want to get.
A good Samaritan, who found “mom and dad” in our son’s phone, was on the line saying our 13 year old, Quinn, had been hit by a car at Lyndale and 25th while biking home from his friend’s. He was unconscious, and the EMS were loading him into an ambulance. I asked to speak to one of the paramedics, and he asked me what hospital we preferred.
At that moment, I had no idea as we are lucky to have a number of good options, so I asked the paramedic what he thought, and he said without hesitation, “I think he should go to HCMC.” And it finally hit me, this was really serious, and Quinn needed the best Level One trauma care, and he was going to Hennepin Healthcare (known to many as HCMC).
Quinn is now 25 years old, living in Boston and heading to law school, and we attribute his recovery to two main factors: he chose to wear his bike helmet, a decision for which we will forever be grateful, and he received amazing care from the Hennepin Healthcare (HHS) team from the moment EMS was on the scene.
Our personal experience with HHS prompted us to get involved as donors, volunteer with the dog therapy program and join the Hennepin Healthcare Foundation board, an organization created to support the important work of HHS.
The Ride
My involvement gave me an eye-opening opportunity, an EMS ride-along with HHS Emergency Management Services Chief, Marty Scheerer. Fellow Foundation board member and Lowry Hill resident Katie Severt and I started our five-plus-hour experience with a tour of the EMS training facility and offices where staff are double- and triple-stacked. Thankfully, the EMS facility is the first area to be addressed in the Hennepin Healthcare facility redesign.
Before heading out, Marty offered us each a bullet-proof vest, something some EMS choose to wear during their shift. Not something I had considered when I had heard the wail of sirens in the past.
After watching how the EMS teams prepare for their shift, we jumped into Marty’s EMS SUV outfitted with sirens, call monitor and radio. I sat in the front seat and monitored the various emergency calls from dispatch that came through.
One of our first calls was an upscale Minneapolis hotel, where a man was reported to be struggling with balance. When we arrived, firefighter first responders and EMS were calmly talking to the man who said he didn’t want to go to the hospital because he didn’t want to give up his gun. Police were notified, EMS continued to calmly talk with the man, and Marty quietly and quickly escorted Katie and me away from the scene.
An early lesson that what may seem like a routine call is always laced with a level of danger. I asked why I never see EMS running to a call and Marty explained that as they enter a scene, they are observing the surroundings looking for potential issues, exits and information.
That evening we responded to a litany of calls from dispatch across Minneapolis and suburbs including a line-drive fan injury at the Twins stadium, an older man with a possible stroke, a wheezing toddler, a confused older woman who the EMS knew by name and a man passed out with a needle in his arm. We took a detour back to the hospital to witness the arrival of a critically ill patient from greater Minnesota who was flown in by helicopter for life-saving care at HHS.
We wrapped up our night at an apartment building where a young man had overdosed. Prior to our arrival, the man was given multiple doses of Narcan. The EMS dedicated doctor on shift had jumped in his car and with lights and sirens arrived to lend assistance because the man's heart had briefly stopped.
We arrived as the man was coming to and attempting to leave. The doctor and EMS team gently talked with him about the importance of going to the hospital by ambulance. They explained that because his heart had stopped, he needed to receive additional care.
The man’s father was there and had called 911, sadly not for the first time, and he was obviously concerned, but did not speak English. We departed as the EMS team patiently persuaded the man to go with them to the hospital and contacted translation services to help communicate with his worried father.
I arrived home that night full of adrenaline and replaying the night’s events.
I came away with an immense respect for the EMS team that responds to all kinds of emergencies across 266 square miles of our city and surrounding suburbs. They respond to all calls that come into dispatch regardless of income, life experience, or language spoken.
Katie and I witnessed EMS provide the highest quality, cutting-edge, life-saving care while also taking on the role of social worker, mediator, confidant and critical bridge to police, firefighter first responders and the Behavioral Health Response Team. We were witness to one five-hour shift, just a few of the 100,000 calls Hennepin Healthcare EMS responds to each year.
At some point in your life, you may receive the call my husband and I did, or you may be making the 911 call yourself. You may see Hennepin Healthcare EMS at an U.S. Bank Stadium concert, a Lynx game or responding to an emergency on your block. Take a moment to acknowledge them for their medical expertise, patience under pressure, collaborative work with fellow first responders, dedication and willingness to risk their own health and safety for the betterment of our community. Thank you, Hennepin Healthcare EMS, and all first responders.
