A/N I'm using the radio call system used by the Reynolds Volunteer Fire Department in Reynolds, IL, and the Andalusia Volunteer Ambulance Service from Andalusia, IL. My Father in Law is the treasurer of the Reynolds Fire department.
I made one minor change to the call system, since Reynolds has a population of just over 300, they only have one fire station. Lima, OH has a much larger population, and has numerous fire stations. Each station has a call number (Any guesses where station51 comes from?) Each vehicle is identified by function and station number. When dispatch calls station51, they are calling every vehicle from that station. Engine 51 refers to the primary engine truck. Every station has an engine, but some stations have other types of vehicles. Rescue truck is exactly what I described in the previous chaper. Other vehicles include Ladder (sometimes called hook and ladder,) Pump, Tanker, Foam, and Basket. There are a few others, too, but these are the ones you will mainly hear about. You will note that I say Allen51 instead of Ambulance51. Ambulances are usually contracted through the county, at least in rural IL, and while some are assigned to specific stations, others have other bases of operation, and are called by county name and not station number specifically.
Reviews are always appreciated!
...
CHAPTER THREE
December, 2009
"What's this?" Kurt asked, indicating the cupcake Rae had set before him.
"Happy one month anniversary, partner. It has been exactly a month since 'I don't know nothin about birthin no babies!'"
Kurt groaned. "Are you ever going to let that go?"
"Nope."
"Fine. Then I'll kindly remind you of the Thanksgiving Heimlich. Care for some cranberry sauce?"
"Ew!" She rolled her eyes, and they both laughed. "Fine, I'll forget it if you promise never to mention that word again."
They were sitting in the breakroom at the station, having just returned from transporting a woman to the ER with shortness of breath. Kurt was working on his homework at the table. Burt had gone down to Columbus to pick up some rare parts for a classic Silver Ghost an old lady wanted to fix up and sell, and Kurt didn't feel like going home to an empty house. The weather outside was beginning to get bad, and there were a few other volunteers hanging around as well, although none from Kurt and Rae's training group. They'd each been assigned to their own hometowns within the county.
"You brought cupcakes and didn't share, Rookie?" Ralph, one of the older volunteers teased. Ralph was in his late fifties, and had been a volunteer with the department since he was old enough to join. Everyone just called him Gramps. Sixteen years ago, he'd gone into a burning building to rescue a two year old boy, when the roof collapsed on him, leaving him with a scarred face and neck from the burning wood. He was friendly, welcoming, and surprisingly open minded for someone his age in this town. Everyone loved him.
Rae smiled at him. "Check the kitchen, Gramps. You know I wouldn't leave you out!"
"You're the best. Any chance I can convince you to dump your girlfriend and marry me?"
Rae laughed, knowing he was just teasing. "If she ever makes me mad enough, I might consider it, but until then, I'm pretty sure Delores would be happy to keep you company." Delores was the second shift dispatcher who lived across the street from Ralph.
"True, but she never brings me cupcakes!"
Rae laughed again as the older man wandered off to the kitchen.
Kurt split the cupcake with her. "So, when does your Christmas break start?" he asked.
"A week from tomorrow. Yours?"
"Same. Mercedes said Frankie would be home the day before Christmas Eve. Does he know Quinn is staying in his room?"
Rae nodded as she licked frosting from her thumb. "He's cool with it. He's going to crash on the couch while he's home. He's used to it, Pops and Nanna usually sleep in his room when they visit for the holidays, since it's closest to the bathroom, but they are visiting my aunt and uncle in Virginia this year."
Their chat was interrupted by the radio. "Station9, Station51, Allen42, Allen60, multi vehicle accident between I75 northbound offramp and Bellefontaine Ave. Unknown number of injuries."
"Looks like the snow is coming down harder. The roads are probably iced over," Kurt said. They rushed to don their turnout gear as Ralph and the other volunteers already at the station rushed towards the engine and rescue truck. Additional volunteers would meet them at the scene.
As they were enroute, Kurt's cell phone rang. "Dad, can I call you back? I'm on a run."
"I just wanted to tell you I'm stuck in Columbus for the night, kiddo. The weather is getting pretty nasty."
"I know, we're heading to a multi car crash. Do what you gotta do and stay safe."
"You too, bud."
…
"I'm not so sure about this," Blaine said, eyeing the woman standing beside Wes.
"Trust me, the Chinese have been using acupuncture in healing for centuries, and western science has shown that it is effective against nerve pain. It also helps circulation, and can even help with anxiety and PTSD." Wes indicated the woman. "My aunt is a licensed acupuncturist, and she's willing to offer you her services for free."
"It couldn't hurt to try," Trent said.
Blaine sighed. "Okay, fine. I have nothing to lose, right?"
Wes smiled encouragingly at him.
…
"I need a collar and a backboard over here!" Kurt called out from the first vehicle they'd come across. He smiled reassuringly at the woman in the passenger seat as he kept her neck immobilized. She was conscious, and didn't seem to be too seriously hurt other than complaining of neck, back, and shoulder pain.
Across from her, Rae was checking out the driver, who also didn't seem too badly injured, other than a cut on the side of his face where the airbag had broken his glasses, and a dislocated shoulder.
They removed both patients and got them on the waiting stretchers. They were loaded into a waiting ambulance and driven off as Kurt and Rae moved on to check for other injuries. There were more than two dozen vehicles involved in the accident, which occured when a flatbed semi had hit a patch of black ice coming off the ramp and slid through a red light, into oncoming traffic. The flatbed had whipped around and flipped over onto two vehicles that had been waiting in the turn lane. A few other cars couldn't stop fast enough under the icy conditions, causing a chain reaction.
Kurt changed his gloves as he approached a small, dark blue sedan. There was only one occupant, the driver. She appeared to be in her late thirties, possibly early forties, and she looked kind of familiar. He'd seen her before, but couldn't remember where. She was alert, and calm.
"Ma'am, are you injured?" Kurt asked, kneeling beside her open door as he checked her vitals. Rae was checking on the driver of another vehicle.
"I have a sprained ankle, and I'm fairly certain my left wrist is fractured," she said calmly. "You go to McKinley, don't you?" Kurt nodded as he examined her ankle and wrist, agreeing with her assessment. "Maybe you know my son, Finn?"
Kurt was surprised by the name. "Yeah, I've seen him around," he said, trying to remain professional. "Does it hurt anywhere else?" he asked.
"No, I'm fine. I'm a nurse, you don't have to worry about me. I'm sure there are others in this mess that need help more than I do."
Her vitals were normal, her blood pressure only slightly higher than usual, most likely from pain. He radioed her condition to one of the transport units. "Female driver, dark blue Nissan, NP, CW/A." He smiled at her. "They'll have someone take you to an ambulance as soon as they can."
She smiled in return. "Nurse, remember? I speak the jargon. Non-priority, can walk with assistance. Go help someone who actually needs you."
Kurt decided he liked the woman, and gave her one more smile before moving on.
"Kurt, down here!" Rae called out from beside a champagne colored minivan. "I got three down, one critical. Gonna need Jaws to get them out!" Kurt nodded, radioing the request for the Jaws of Life as he jogged forward to join her. She was on the passenger side, the driver side unreachable due to another car on its side, blocking access. Another team of EMTs were working on the passengers in that vehicle. The passenger side front door of the minivan was jammed shut from another vehicle side swiping it. They had to go in from the back passenger side door
"The driver is pinned between the steering block and the seat," Rae recited as Kurt switched his radio to the hospital frequency to relay the information to a doctor and get instructions. "He's got multiple visible fractures, and most likely bleeding internally. He's shocky, but I can't get close enough to start an IV. The front passenger is unconscious, but stable. Possible concussion. There's a kid in the back, approximately ten years of age. He's awake but disoriented. Left leg is pinned under the driver's seat. He appears to be shocky as well."
Ralph and the fire chief arrived with the Jaws as Rae inserted an IV in the kid's arm. The chief assessed the situation. "We'll need to get the woman out first, before we can reach either of the other two. The problem is, if we unpin the driver first, the pressure might cut the kid's leg off, but there's nowhere for the driver to go if we try for the kid first."
"Any chance of moving the other vehicle on that side and getting to the kid from there?" Ralph asked.
The chief shook his head. "I don't know the status of the occupants of that car. Might be too dangerous to move the vehicle."
Kurt was only partially listening to the conversation as he put a cervical collar on the woman through the broken window, and got an IV started. She was showing some signs of coming to, but as she did, her respiration began to become more labored.
"We need to get her out now," he called out. "She's deteriorating."
Ralph powered up the Jaws, and he and the chief popped the passenger door. Rae was busy working on the kid, so Ralph and another EMT assisted Kurt in getting the woman onto a backboard and loaded on a gurney. The other EMT rushed her to an ambulance as Kurt was finally able to reach the driver to get an IV into him, and got a collar on him. His color was not good, and his respiration was shallow and labored.
"You need to decide what you're going to do quickly, or we're going to lose him!" Kurt called out. "Either way, we'll need Lifeflight on standby!"
…
"You did good," Rae said, setting a cup of coffee in front of him. They'd just got back to the station, and it was already almost midnight.
Kurt was exhausted. After they'd freed the driver and the boy from the minivan and got them both loaded on Lifeflight, they'd handled four more extractions. Out of the twenty seven vehicles involved, there had been fifty one injured. Two were KOI, one was DOA at the hospital. Seventeen were in critical but stable condition, while the rest were minor injuries.
"I'm not sure coffee is a good idea right now," Kurt said, taking a large sip. "I still have French verbs to conjugate, and I have school in the morning. I should go home."
"Not in your condition, and with the snow piling up. We're stuck here for the night, and I wouldn't be surprised if school is cancelled in the morning."
Ralph came into the break room then. "There's sandwiches and fixings in the kitchen if you're hungry. Feel free to crash on one of the beds in the back room."
"Thanks, Gramps," Kurt said, fighting another yawn. He finished off the coffee, decided he was too tired to eat, and wandered to the back room to claim a bed. As he was settling in, it finally dawned on him; there may not have been a drunk driver, but he had kept that man from bleeding out before he could be medevaced, and so far, he was still alive.
…
"He's been a walking zombie all day," Tina noted as she pushed Artie's chair towards Glee rehearsal. It was Friday, two days after the big snow storm had closed the school for a day. "Last period, I swear he dozed off at least twice."
"Who?" Artie asked.
"Kurt! And Wednesday, when it finally stopped snowing and the roads were cleared, my mom sent me to the store for milk and a few other things, and I saw Kurt going into Breadstix with an older man. They seemed kind of chummy, if you know what I mean."
"Hold up, are you implying Kurt has himself a sugar daddy or something?" Santana said, startling Tina, who hadn't realized the other girl was behind her.
"I didn't say that."
"No, but it makes sense. The pager, him running out of the school at odd times, changing his clothes in the car."
"Guys, Kurt is only sixteen," Artie pointed out. "If he's doing the deed with someone that old, it's like, statutory rape. Do you think we should report it or something?"
"Report what?" Kurt asked as they entered the choir room.
The three teens all stared at him for a moment. It was Santana who answered. "The absolute abomination of an outfit Berry is wearing today. It should be outlawed."
"Yeah, it is pretty hideous," Kurt said, taking a seat.
The other three exchanged a look behind his back.
...
"Come on, Trent, Blaine, It's a Warbler Tradition!" David called out.
It was the last day of school before Christmas break, and the Warblers had just finished their annual Christmas concert, and now were being led outside by the Council members for another annual tradition, the Warbler Snowball fight.
"How can it be an annual tradition?" Trent asked. "This is the first time in four years there has actually been snow on the last day before Christmas break."
"Usually we have to get a snow machine, but this year, Mother Nature cooperated," Thad informed him.
Blaine wasn't so sure about this. The acupuncture did seem to be helping with the nerve pain, but cold weather could make it worse. And if someone hit him hard enough in the wrong spot, it could make things worse.
"Okay," Wes said, "The rules are simple: No hard packing, no hitting below the belt, and no throwing at someone whose back is turned to you. This is supposed to be fun, not wa-" His words were cut off when David threw a handful of snow in his face.
The other boys laughed and began scooping up snow and throwing it at each other. Wes retaliated against David, and then both boys ganged up on Thad.
Blaine had been a little hesitant, but five minutes in, he was laughing and giving as good as he got. Everyone was respectful of his injuries, and they all were having fun. After twenty minutes, they called a cease fire, and headed inside, to the Warblers Commons, where someone had set out hot chocolate and cookies.
When it was time to get ready to go home for the holidays, Wes called out to Blaine to wait a minute. He handed the younger boy a slip of paper. "This is my phone number. If you have any problems, or just want a friend to talk to, you can call or text me anytime."
Blaine felt a little choked up. "Thanks Wes."
The older boy just smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "I told you, Warblers look out for each other."
…
"Line two, advance, fully open!" The fire chief called out. Kurt and Rae pushed forward, opening the nozzle up to full as they beat down the flames that had engulfed the living room. This had been the third Christmas tree fire since school let out for break the day before. The family had managed to escape with their three year old cat before they'd arrived, so Kurt and Rae jumped on a hose to help out. The department was a little understaffed at the moment because of a flu bug that was going around.
They got the fire out, but the living room and the two bedrooms above it were too far gone to salvage. Kurt felt bad for the family, who would have to spend the holiday in a Red Cross shelter, but at least they were alive, and hadn't lost everything, unlike the fire the night before. That one had been a complete loss.
After they'd returned to the station and changed, a few of them headed to the Lima Bean for a pick me up. They placed their orders, and then Rae excused herself to use the bathroom, while Ralph and Kurt got a table in the back. Kurt was laughing at Ralph's tale about his first rescue call when movement out of the corner of his eye drew his attention.
"Hey, Kurt," Artie said as he and Tina approached them.
"Hi," Tina said, looking at the older man curiously.
"Um, hi," Kurt said. "This is Ralph, a friend of mine. This is Artie and Tina. We're in Glee club together."
Ralph smiled at them. "Nice to meet you both."
"What are you two doing here?" Kurt asked.
"We just came from seeing The Half-Blood Prince at the theater," Artie said. "We stopped in to get something to drink before heading home."
"Yeah, I promised my mom I'd be home by three to help her make the pies for Christmas dinner," Tina said. "We really should get going. It's already after two thirty."
Kurt smiled at them. "Have fun. Maybe I'll see you around over the break."
"Merry Christmas," Artie said. "And if we don't see you before school starts again, Happy New Year."
They left, Tina whispering something heatedly to Artie as they went. Kurt shook his head. Those two were an odd couple if he ever saw one. He was just glad they hadn't asked too many questions about Ralph.
Rae rejoined them just as their orders arrived.
…
"So, you are the famous Kurt I keep hearing about,"
Kurt smiled at the older man. "Don't believe half of what your sisters say about me."
Frankie laughed. "So, you didn't kick ass in the training program, and score the winning field goal in the only game your team won all season?"
Kurt Laughed, "Well, that much is true. I hear you're pre-med at state."
"Yep, second year. If all goes according to plan, I'll transfer to John Hopkins in another year."
"Are you going for a specialty, or GP?" Kurt asked.
"Well, dad wants me to specialize in dentistry, like him, but I'm leaning more towards orthopedics. Better money, and more reasonable hours than a GP."
"Talking shop?" Mercedes asked as she and Rae joined them. It was the day after Christmas, and they'd gone to exchange a shirt that had been too small.
"Education," Kurt replied.
"Good. It's your day off, and I don't want to hear about anything that involves blood."
"We're still on call, 'Cedes," Rae said. "That flu has hit pretty hard, so if they're short handed, we'll have to run."
"Fine," Mercedes said, "But I don't want the deets. I'm still having nightmares about that motorcycle accident you two went out on last week."
"It was the idiot's own fault," Kurt said. "What person in their right mind would ride a motorcycle in December in jeans and a sweatshirt, and no protective gear?"
They all shook their heads at that.
"So where is Quinn today?" Kurt asked. "I thought she'd be with you."
"She's trying to make peace with Finn and Puck. They've all gone to Finn's house to talk things out, but she was going to meet us here for lunch. She should be here any minute, actually."
From somewhere nearby, they heard a woman's raised voice. "Richard? Rich, what's wrong?"
Kurt and Rae were both instantly on alert as the woman began to shout for help. Kurt was the first to reach them. The first thing he noticed was that the man had a gray pallor to him, and that he was having trouble breathing.
"Are you choking sir?"
He shook his head. "He hadn't even taken his first bite before he clutched his left arm and started wheezing," the woman with him, presumably his wife, said.
"Does he have a history of heart disease or heart attacks?" Kurt said as he lowered the man to the floor. She shook her head no.
"Kurt? What's going on?" Quinn said as she joined them.
Kurt didn't have time to answer. "Did anyone call 911?" he called out. "Rae, do you have your bag in the car?"
"I'm on it," Rae said, even as Mercedes dialed her phone.
"He's stopped breathing!" Kurt said, as Frankie knelt down across from him.
Kurt began rescue breathing as Frankie began chest compressions. When Rae returned with their emergency bag, which they'd been carrying around the last few days because of the short staffing, she took over breathing as Kurt pulled out a stethoscope. They paused CPR for a moment as he listened to the heart and lung sounds. He shook his head and they resumed.
"Give me the phone, 'Cedes!" Kurt took the phone from her and spoke to the dispatcher. "Tell the responding unit that EMTs are on site, with bare essentials. We'll need IVs, and probable intubation. Send Advanced Support as well."
Quinn was standing by Mercedes, watching in awe, as Kurt calmly spoke to the dispatcher while assembling a manual pulmonary resuscitator. She recognized it from her CPR class in junior high school.
"I got a pulse," Frankie said. "It's thready."
"He's still not getting enough oxygen," Rae said.
Kurt looked up at the wife. "Has he been involved in an accident, a fall or anything lately?" he asked as he handed the air bag to Rae.
"He fell from a step ladder on Christmas Eve. He wasn't seriously hurt, though. Just a bruise on his leg."
Kurt frowned and grabbed a pair of scissors from the bag to begin cutting the man's pants away. He found a bruise about the size of his hand on the back of the man's calf. He spoke into the phone again. "Inform advanced support, possible pulmonary embolism. Patient has a large bruise on the anterior calf, received from a fall two days ago."
"What does that mean?" the wife asked as the other EMT team arrived.
As they took over, Kurt took the wife's arm and steered her to the table closest to her and gently sat her down. "It means that a blood clot may have formed in his leg, and then may have broken free and traveled to the lungs, and possibly even to the heart. It's very serious, but if we've caught it soon enough, the doctors may be able to remove it. Right now, he's in really bad condition, but you have to hold on to hope. You got really lucky. If you'd been alone when this happened, he may not have gotten treatment fast enough."
She sobbed and threw her arms around him. He held her as the EMTs intubated him and got him on pressurized oxygen. Advanced support arrived a few minutes later, and they rushed him away.
"I was wondering why you and Rae seemed so chummy," Quinn said to Kurt. "You're her partner?"
Kurt sighed and nodded. "Guess the cat is out of the bag. Just please don't tell anyone else!"
"Why?" Quinn asked. "They probably know something is going on with you running out of class all the time. And what's up with Sue running interference for you?"
"Yeah," Mercedes said. "I know you didn't want anyone else to know, but you never told me why."
Kurt sighed. "The jocks and other jerks at school don't need any more ammunition. I get bullied enough as it is."
"Okay, I get that," Quinn said as they settled back down at the table they'd been sitting at before all the excitement. "But why not tell the rest of us in Glee? We would understand."
"Do you think Rachel could keep it a secret? Or Brittany? And you know Santana and Puck would have a field day at my expense."
"He's not wrong," Mercedes said with a shrug. "But what does Sue have to do with any of this?"
"Sue is in charge of recruiting and training," Rae said. "Believe it or not, I think she secretly likes Kurt and is proud of him, so is helping him smooth things over with his teachers."
"Honestly," Quinn said. "Is there anything Coach Sue is not in charge of?"
…
"What's next on the list?" Trent asked, passing Blaine the popcorn bowl as David switched out the DVD. They'd already watched the first four Harry Potter movies, The Hobbit, and Captain America, The First Avenger. This was the Warblers' annual New Years Eve Movie Marathon. They'd started watching at six o'clock that morning, and planned to go through six the next morning, pausing only at Midnight to ring in the new year.
Blaine could have stayed home and celebrated with his family, but felt a small measure of victory that he was comfortable enough around the other Warblers that he no longer feared being surrounded by large groups. He'd come so far in the last six months, with the help of this group of boys, he almost felt like the happy-go-lucky boy he'd been before the attack.
He no longer felt the need to hide away in his dorm, or to keep his chin tucked down when walking the halls to get to class. His confidence and self esteem were growing day by day, and for the first time in over a year, he felt whole.
"Everyone ready for more Avengers?" David asked. "Up next, Captain Marvel!"
...
A/N KOI- Killed on Impact
DOA- Dead/Deceased on arrival
P/E- Priority/Expedite
NP- Non Priority
CW/A- Can Walk with Assistance
NMA- Needs Mobility Assistance