The Emergency Department was full of patients with the flu despite it being 8am on a cool spring morning. The staff thought a few more casualties would make the ED burst. They didn't know what was about to happen. There were road works around the city but most were round by a busy housing estate. It was very noisy with lots of drilling and the strong smell of gas filled the air due to a burst pipe. Stood in the old abandoned car park was John. He didn't know about the burst pipe and lit a cigarette.
"Don't light that cigarette!" shouted a road worker but it was too late. A flame appeared. It got bigger. Time slowed down as everyone knew that any moment a huge fireball was about to burst into the sky and wreak havoc in the city. A massive orange fireball flew into the air with a massive bang and there were flames dancing everywhere in the wind.
The old run down tower blocks on the estate, that used to be homes to hundreds of people, caught fire. They were slowly burning and the sound of people panicking filled the air. In the ED ex army medic Sam Nicholls was getting ready as the on call doctor.
"Be careful Sam I know what your like." Shouted Tom as she left.
"Don't worry about me Kent I'll be fine." She shouted back. She put her long golden hair in a bun and sprinted down to the ambulance station to get to the scene.
"Sam glad you're here massive incident in the old estate near the city centre people still live in them. Come on lets go." Exclaimed Tamzin as they got into the ambulance and headed for the city to try and calm the situation and sort out the different casualties.
"Tamzin what do you want me to do?" shouted Sam as she tried to find her way around the street.
"I need you to sort the urgent casualties out I'll do the less serious ones" Tamzin shouted back as she tried to find the pulse on John.
"Can't we radio for an air ambulance?" Sam asked Tamzin.
"Dixie tried back at the station but they won't come because of the smoke." Tamzin replied knowing they needed one because of the explosion.
Jeff, Dixie and Iain followed to the scene. Underground there was a load of toxic waste barrels from when the government started to modernise the city. The fire that started in the old estate had spread and heated up the ground above them. Sam could see the ground bulging and shouted
"Get back, everybody get back!" she and Tamzin moved a few of the unconscious patients and then moved out the way. Suddenly the ground exploded and loads of toxic gas filled the air. Simon the fire safety officer was securing the area and realised that there was a person on the floor.
"Hey you, the paramedic, can you treat this man?" shouted Simon as hey made his way over to the man on the floor.
"I have a name you know try using it." Said Tamzin "I will get Sam to deal with it." She replied back looking round for Sam not knowing that Iain had run in to the fire. Due to the toxic gas they moved everybody away and got specialists in to neutralise the area. Some people from the estate went to the ED for urgent care after being in contact with the filthy, toxic gas.
"Hey you, Sam isn't it?, get over here and treat this patient before I have to close of the area!" Simon shouted to Sam.
"Stop annoying me and go shout at a tree or whatever you do for a living!" Sam shouted back, getting annoyed at Simon's rudeness. Simon wandered off the burning inferno that was once a housing estate to help his teammates try and control the fire.
"Tamzin I forgot to ask how that man was you were looking after!" shouted Sam as she made her way over to the ambulance with another man.
"Not great. I couldn't find a pulse so Jeff tried but he couldn't get one either." said Tamzin sadly. Tamzin was crying because she thought it was her fault John died.
"Don't worry Tamzin. These things happen but it wasn't your fault. Ok". Dixie said comfortingly trying to calm Tamzin down.
"Thanks Dix." she replied.
Although the paramedics were told to get moving they were waiting for the all clear from the ED to start bringing patient's in.
"You can bring the patients in now guys." Exclaimed Zoe as she arrived at the scene to help the paramedics.
"Good news the fire has been controlled and you are free to go!" Simon said moodily as he was reeling the water hose back in to the fire engine. Tamzin and Dixie were treating a patient and Sam was talking to Jeff about what happened.
"Come on let's get back and get the patients treated." Said Tamzin as she got in the back of the ambulance. Suddenly Sam stopped.
"Has anyone seen Iain?" Sam said as everyone was leaving.
"He was by the ambulance but I haven't seen him for about twenty minutes." Dixie moaned unimpressed because he ignored her.
"I can't leave without him we have been through too much to do that now." Sam whispered quietly.
"I will get the police to look for him but you have to come with us." Replied Jeff gently.
Exhausted, grumpy and hot, the police searched everywhere but couldn't find Iain so Sam had to go back to the ED without him. At the ED a police man walked in and came over to Sam he took off his hat and said "Are you Miss Nicholls?"
"Yes I am how can I help? "Replied Sam politely to the police man. The police man shuffled then said solemnly
"I'm sorry Miss Nicholls but I am afraid Iain's dead." Sam sat on one of the waiting rooms old worn out chairs and started crying.
"What's wrong Sam? I've never seen you cry before I thought you were strong. What happened out there today?" Said Tom as he sat in the chair next to Sam trying his best to comfort her.
"I know you told me to be careful but it didn't stop Iain". "He ran into the fire." Sam had a flashback from her and Iain's days in the army together.
A bomb went off. Smoke filled the air and nobody could see. There were helpless cries from injured men. "Iain where are you?" Sam shouted desperately scared about where he was. "Sam are you ok where are you?" Iain cried back trying to locate Sam. "Iain make your way back to base." Another explosion went off "Iain are you ok? Iain?" Sam couldn't get a reply off Iain.
Tom could see Sam crying. "He's dead Tom" Sobbed Sam sadly into Tom's arms.
"Sam stay strong you'll be ok I'll make sure you will. Don't worry."
Later that disastrous day Zoe called a meeting for all the staff and ambulance crew in the ED. She came to the front and congratulated everyone for their amazing effort during the day and was pleased she could rely and her team in an emergency.
"Well done for everything you have done today I'm very proud of you and I know I can rely on you lot when I need to, thanks guys." Then Dixie came to the front and said how well everyone managed with all the casualties and the way they dealt with everyone.
"You have done a great job in managing the situation today and I proud to be part of this team well done." Zoe then talked to the team about a patient.
"A patient said they were scared of hospitals and that the people in blue helped her loads so well done for looking after the less serious ones as well." The whole team clapped and laughed until Charlie said
"Actually I think I wrote that one." Everyone laughed.
Tess laughed along until she finally said "Come on get back to work you lot."
A few months later...
Tom came in excitedly with a white envelope that had a red wax seal on and handed it to Sam.
"I got it delivered to mine this morning so I could give it to you myself."
It was to congratulate her and say she has won an award for her effort and bravery in the disaster. She was happy that she'd won the award but couldn't have done it without Tom's support.
"Sam I'm so happy you deserve that award, I'm proud of you". Sam looked at the bottom of the letter and in small fancy handwriting it said that a Mr Kent had nominated her for the award.
"Tom you nominated me. But why me?"
Tom stood and thought for a while before replying "I nominated you because of everything that went on and all the pain you were in over Iain in that event you stayed strong and saved lives."
Everyone on in the ED crowded round Sam and Tom and congratulated Sam for her effort and bravery in the biggest major incident that happened so far.