Chapter Three
Chet sunk to the ground in despair. What were they going to do now? Was there any hope for John's critically injured patient? Chet was sure he was going to lose much more than just his leg now and he knew from the time he had worked with his team mates that it was going to be much harder on them than it would on him.
Chet looked down the road and thought hard about their last visit to the area. He knew the funeral home that had supplied transportation the last time they were there resided in the next town over so surely there was a phone in the next town to call for help. He was just about to go tell John the news and then start running to the next town for help.
While trying to calculate the miles he would need to run he saw the first signs of a vehicle coming down the road. The heat waves rising from the road distorted its appearance, and Chet wasn't sure at first if it was real or just a mirage. As it came closer Chet felt hope and with the fire reaching three fourths of the way across the road Chet was sure they wouldn't just pull around him and race off like someone had done the last time they were in the area.
Chet pulled himself to his feet and noticed that the speed was increasing on what he could now tell was a truck with a camper shell. His first fear was that they were going to try to drive through the flames so he positioned himself right between the Rover and the now burning truck and started waving his hands above his head making it impossible to drive through the gap without taking him out in the process.
The truck stopped before it came close to hitting Chet and before he was able to move around to talk with the driver both doors of the truck flew open and out of each door two men quickly exited the truck. One already had a fire extinguisher in his hand and the other raced to the back of the camper shell to get another.
Without saying a word both men ran toward the fire and started attacking it with the extinguishers. Surprised by their actions Chet watched the men struggling with the extinguishers, neither of the men seemed proficient with the devices in their hands but one of them was really fumbling with his extinguisher. Chet considered going and taking the extinguisher away from one of them but they were getting the job done.
As the men fought the fire, the woman who was sitting in the middle of the bench seat leaned over and stuck her head out the driver's side window. "Is anybody hurt?"
"Yes," Chet answered quickly feeling focused now that he needed to get help to Roy and to Johnny for the man who was hanging on to life by a thread. "There are two men with injuries one is really bad."
"Where?" the woman asked as she scanned the scene before her.
"Just the other side of those flames," Chet pointed.
"Can you drive this truck over to them?"
Chet was again surprised by the request but still quickly opened the driver's door and climbed behind the wheel. As he did so he noticed the woman sliding more toward the passenger side as she looked around trying to see the victims needing help. Chet also noticed that both of her hands were bandaged in to clubs having no fingers showing or able to move, one arm was bandaged up past her elbow nearly to her shoulder. No wonder she was asking Chet to drive.
Chet managed to drive around the arm of the flames that was quickly shrinking under the hands of the other men with their extinguishers and when the woman in the cab with him saw the three men on the ground she started giving instructions.
"Pull up on the other side of them and park with the back of the camper close to the patients."
Chet did as he was told and noticed her reach for the handle to open the truck door but with her hands bandaged as they were she couldn't get it open.
"I need you to open the door for me."
Chet used the rearview mirror to get a proper position in the truck then threw the truck in park and raced around to open the passenger door.
The woman climbed out of the cab of the truck and moved slowly with an occasional wince as she made her way to John's side.
"What have we got here?"
"This man's in bad shape, he's already lost a lot of blood and is well into shock," Johnny stopped short of giving this as yet unidentified woman the kind of detailed report he would give to a doctor. "His pulse is 140 and really weak."
The woman stooped down and took a moment to look at both patients before going over to Roy and placing a bandaged hand on either side of his face. As she looked into his eyes Roy looked back and Roy could see two dilated pupils looking back at him.
"You sound like you know what you're doing," the woman spoke as she moved her head around Roy's to check his ears while continuing to hold his head steady. "Are you an EMT?"
Now it was Johnny's turn to be surprised, "Chet there is, as well as being a professional firefighter, I'm a firefighter paramedic out of Los Angeles County and the guy you're looking at is my partner.
"Paramedics, huh, I guess I was right when I said you look like you know what you're doing. I'm afraid Paramedics are a little beyond us around here, but we do have a small crew of EMT twos. I'm Julie, by the way, Julie Clark."
"John Gage, and the guy you're working on is Roy DeSoto, the one with the mustache…." Johnny was starting to introduce everyone when the two other men came to her side having just emptied their fire extinguishers.
"W, w, we got most of it, b, b, but the w, w, weeds are sti, still burning," one of the men reported while the other at his side locked his eyes on the patient Johnny was working on and started to lose all the color in his face.
Julie caught the color drain too and reached up with her bandaged hand and forced his face in another direction as the other man at her side continued to report in his stuttered speech.
"If you have a sh, sh, shovel in yo, your tr, truck I th, th, think I, I, can get it ou, out." The man doing the speaking looked to be in his late twenties early thirties. He had shaggy blond hair that didn't look like it had seen a comb in some time and was way over due for a haircut. Besides his stutter, there was something about him that Johnny just couldn't put his finger on.
"I'm sure you could, Frank, but we're going to have to let it burn for now. We need to take care of these people first." Julie talked to the man bouncing on his heals at her side. "Can you take," she paused looking at Chet with a gaze that conveyed her need to know a name by which to call him.
"Chet, Chet Kelly,"
"Can you take Mr. Kelly with you to help carry things, we need the back board, a leg splint and you better get both Jump kits out. And while you're at it you better get that new toy of mine."
"O, O, Okay," the man that had been addressed as Frank responded before launching to his feet the same way you would expect Johnny to.
Julie then turned her attention to the other man whose face she was still holding in a direction away from the action with the victims. "Roy, do you think you can get on the radio and let them know we're coming."
"Sure." Roy DeSoto, who still had one of Julie's hands on his face responded. "I just need you to help me get to the radio."
"Oh, not you, I was talking to my brother here. His name is also Roy," Julie explained as she managed to give her brother a slight nudge to get moving.
"Better have them get the state fire marshal out here too." Julie instructed before turning to see that Frank had opened the top hatch and was lowering the tailgate of the truck before pulling things out of a compartment under a bench that ran the length of the truck and handing them to Chet.
Johnny's attention was drawn to the chaos that was taking place at the back of the truck. He noticed the raised shell over to the bed of the truck that was slightly higher than the cab of the truck it was on. He was able to give a sigh of relief that there would be some headroom as they loaded the patients.
Then his attention was drawn to the front of the truck where they all heard the sound of retching coming from the other side.
"At least he's still conscious; we're going to need him to drive." Julie took the sound in stride as she turned back to holding Roy DeSoto's head steady with her bandaged hands.
"The sight of blood?" Johnny questioned still trying to see through the truck parked near them.
"Ye-ah," Julie responded, "he never has been able to handle it."
Chet pulled their attention away from the other Roy by stepping up carrying two boxes about half again larger than the drug box that John and Roy were so used to. One had the look of a fish and tackle box while the other looked more like a tool box.
"Where do you want these?"
Julie looked in his direction and with a jerk of her head directed him to Johnny. Once the boxes were down on the ground at Johnny's side she started talking.
"The top tray of that blue one has a set of airways, gorilla diapers and Kerlex on the bottom left and blood pressure cuff and stethoscope on the bottom right. There's a note pad and pen to record vitals in the top tray. "
John was quick to pop the blue fish and tackle box open with one hand and just as quick to pull the proper sized airway device from the top tray. Carefully working the tool around the man's tongue to hold his airway open John was then able to pull the top three trays out of the way to see if he could figure out what it was Julie had called a gorilla diaper.
The Kerlex was easy to spot right where Julie had told him to find it and next to the unopened package were several packages of sterile abdominal pad, the largest bandage known to be commercially manufactured. Just what he needed for the leg wound he was trying to treat.
"Is this what you call a gorilla diaper?" John asked with his famous crooked grin as he held up the package.
"Doesn't everybody?" Julie answered as she looked to see Frank struggling with the plywood creations he was pulling from the side compartment under the bench in the camper.
"You must have spent some time in the military," Roy DeSoto talked as he did his best to hold still for his care giver. "That's what they call them on the front lines."
"NO," Julie answered with a smile, "But our Doc, started out with the military so since we try to speak his language I guess that's where it came from."
"Are you talking about Doc Frick," Roy asked finding it difficult to believe the hippy looking Doctor they had met once before had ever had a crew cut or wore a uniform of any kind.
"You know him?" Julie seemed surprised.
"We met him a few years ago," Roy reported, he welcomed the distraction from his throbbing head and the pain in his neck. Their talking was also keeping his mind off his upset stomach. "We were out here on another fishing trip and on our way back home we came across a head on, not too far from this very place if I remember right."
"You must be those guys from LA he talked about when he started pushing the EMT program around here."
"Oh really."
Their attention was pulled again to the back of the truck where two pieces of plywood strapped together were dropped in an attempt to hand them over to Chet.
"Yeah, Ozella still accuses us of trying to take over the place just like you LA boys did whenever we bring her a patient." Julie talked without taking her eyes off of Roy as Chet managed to get the back board away from Frank and then pick up the other boards.
Soon Chet was at Julie's side setting the back board down next to Roy before commenting. "I'm not exactly sure what this is?"
"That's the leg splint." Julie was quick to answer. "You better take the back board here and that over for the other patient."
As Chet was retrieving the back board from the ground to move it over to John's patient Frank came up running with a long slender box that was still factory sealed with large staples.
"Is th, th, this the n, n, new t, t, toy you w, w, wanted me to get?"
"That's it, you did real good Frank, real good. Just set that down here." Julie nodded with her head to the ground at her side.
Julie then made eye contact with Chet. "Do you know how to apply one of these?" indicating the box at her side.
Chet looked at the printing on the plain brown box and read 'Kendrick Extrication Device,' this was something he did understand. The boards still in his hands were clearly homemade devices and one of them was something that he had never seen before.
"Yes, Ma'am. I'm well trained with a K, E, D, I use one nearly every day I'm at work."
Once Chet set his load down next to Johnny he quickly returned to Roy's side and with the aid of his pocket knife he made quick work of getting the device, a set of long strait and sturdy slates made of a plastic material that could be x-rayed through that were housed in a canvas vest type thing that wrapped around from the victim's head and down to his waist and then was strapped into place to keep his head and neck inline. It was a new device to the rescue world but one that had cut the time it took to get a victim out of wrecked car in half.
While Julie continued to hold Roy's head steady, Chet made quick work of wrapping the device around Roy and then securing the strap around his forehead. He would then need a moment to remove the straps for across his shoulders and chest from their individual plastic wrappings before he could apply them to the device and fasten the rest of it around Roy. But his head and neck were perfectly stable for the moment.
"Frank," Julie called, "Can you kneel down behind this man and hold him up while Mr. Kelly finishes with these straps so I can go show the other guy how to use the leg split."
Frank just nod his head and quickly kneeled behind Roy placing his hands on his shoulders and carefully pulling him back against his chest.
Julie turned around and nearly crawled over to John's side. It was clear that her movements were painful to her but it didn't stop her.
"Somehow I'm sure you've never seen a splint like that thing before and don't have a clue how to use it." Julie commented gesturing toward two pieces of plywood cut ten inches wide by four feet long. The boards were rounded at the corners and held together in four area's by pieces of a worn out fire hose. Between them was two pieces of a foam mattress pad, the kind the hospital often uses on their beds.
"The first thing you need to do is pull the Velcro straps loose and open that thing up." Julie started to instruct as she moved in with her bandaged hands to take a hold on the injured leg and pull a slight bit of traction. "Be advised I've got a boatload of Morphine on board right now and I'm not exactly sure which is right and which is left at the moment."
Johnny gave her bandages a good looking over and wondered what was under them but his patient was critical and if they didn't move fast they were going to lose him so Johnny turned his full attention back to the man on the ground.
While Julie held traction on the leg and talked Johnny through the application of her leg splint Johnny slipped it under the injured leg and then with the two pieces of plywood on either side of the leg with the foam pad cushioning the leg Johnny secured them in place by pulling the fire hose tight and then fastening it with wide strips of Velcro.
"Ozella says Doc's not at the clinic today," Roy Clark, Julie's brother, called from the other side of the truck, as he called he stood hiding behind the truck as if he was a police officer protecting himself from being shot at.
"No, he's in the hospital," Julie answered back.
"There's no answer at the hospital," Roy Clark responded again.
"They must have turned the CB at the nurse's desk off," Julie mumbled more to herself than anyone. She then looked at John.
"What kind of numbers did you get?" she nodded toward the blood pressure cuff when John gave her a puzzled look for a response.
"Pulse is 140, respirations 20, and blood pressure is only 70 over 50 and falling." John reported and then watched as she shared his grimace.
Julie thought for a moment shifting her eyes back and forth as she did, then she called out to her brother.
"Roy you better give the Highway Patrol a call then, be sure to let them know we're transporting a real red hot one that's bleeding out, and we need Doc on the radio."
"They'll never get the signal." Roy objected from the safety of the other side of the truck. "They're all on the freeway on the other side of that mountain range; the signal will never reach them there."
"I know that, but hopefully one of the many old busy bodies that have nothing better to do than to sit around all day listening to the police scanner will call the hospital and tell them that we need to talk to Doc so they'll turn the radio back on. Don't forget to tell them to get Wally out here."
By the time Julie had given instructions to her brother Chet was finished securing Roy in the KED and was now at their side ready to help slide the back board under the patient once John and Julie worked together to roll him.
Since movement was painful for Julie she remained at the man's side while John held the head steady and Chet was on the other side ready to push the back board up against the man's back once he was rolled.
"Alright on three," Julie called out, "One, Two, Three," at that point Julie pulled on the man's hip and shoulders, pulling him towards herself as Johnny made sure the head and neck turned at the same time. Chet then pushed the back board under the man making sure to tilt it up so that the back board was in the best possible position.
While Johnny was securing the patient down to the back board Julie had more instructions to call out.
"Mr. Kelly right?" Julie got Chet's attention after a moment of frustrated thought. "You and Frank better get the other Roy there in the truck first. I think he'll be most comfortable in the captain's chair in the back, it has crisscross seat belts to hold him in place. Then you better leave Frank with him and come back and help your friend carry this guy. We're going to need some sand bags for his head. They've probably slid up next to the cab there's a cupboard door near the cab that you can look in to find them."
Julie then turned to Frank and started talking as if she were talking to a child. "Frank, I need you to help Mr. Kelly here move that man into the seat in the back of the truck. Can you remember how they showed you to help them lift some of the patients at the hospital?"
"Y, Y, Yeah," Frank talked as he closed his eyes as if thinking hard. "I, I, I j, join my h, h, hand a, around his sh, shoulders and m, my other h, hand u, under his n,n, knee's. It's called a ch, chair, c, carry be, because, w, we m, m, make a ch, chair with ou, our arms."
"That's right," Julie praised, then looking at Chet as she talked, "Just be real careful, so that you don't hurt him and listen to Mr. Kelly here and he'll tell you when to move and which way to go. Okay?"
Both Chet and Frank gave a nod of their heads to confirm that they understood their instructions.
Julie remained on her knees at John's side, sitting on the heels of her feet she was clearly thinking. It was also clear to Johnny that she was feeling the effects of the Morphine she told him she'd taken.
As John finished fastening his patient to the back board Julie scanned the area, the fire had now spread to a five foot tall pile of tumbleweeds and they were quickly being eaten up by the flames. Each one kept the corner of their eyes on Chet and Frank as they lifted Roy into the truck.
Johnny had been nervous about letting the young man named Frank help lift his best friend and partner. As he watched his fears lessened. First Roy was aided in putting his arms around each man's shoulders and then when Chet and Frank had their arms in place Chet took just a moment to tell Frank to be sure to lift with his legs before counting to three. Both men rose to their feet easily and Roy's weight didn't seem to be a burden to eather of them. Once Roy was sat on the tailgate of the truck Chet was quick to climb in before taking Roy under the arms and pulling him into the back of the truck.
John's attention joined Julie's as the flames continued to grow, now having lit the dried limbs of a nearby Ceader tree ablaze. The fire was quickly getting out of control but still getting their patients to the medical help they needed, was their first priority.
Soon Chet was back at their side with the sandbags he'd been asked to bring. They were simply the lower leg portion of worn jeans, sewn at the top and bottom then stuffed with pea gravel. Two were placed at each side of the man's head while four more were placed to help steady the leg splint for transportation.
Mean while back in the truck Frank was doing his best to watch out for Roy. He really had no idea what he was watching out for but he was dutifully at his side.
"H, HI, th, there, M, my name is F,F, Frank."
"Hi there Frank, My name is Roy, Roy DeSoto," Roy managed to offer his right hand to shake.
"B, boy are y, y, you g, g, going to g, g, get t, teased r, real b, bad when y, y, you g, get to the h, h, hospital." Frank talked with Roy but didn't shake his hand. Roy was sure by now that this man was at least somewhat handicapped.
"Oh really, how come?" Roy asked.
"Y, You'll s, s, see." Was the only answer Frank seemed capable of giving.
"Here, were come," John called out as he rested his end of the back board on the bench in the back of the truck and then climbed in to help slide his patient in the rest of the way.
Julie was soon in the back and moving around Roy to call through the window into the cab where her brother was sitting behind the wheel.
"You alright to drive Roy?" Julie asked and since her head was through the window and into the cab Roy DeSoto was sure she was talking to her brother, the one that got sick at the sight of blood.
No one heard an answer but Julie continued to call out instructions so the others assumed he had said yes.
"Alright turn the emergency flashers on and get us out of here, we need Doc and the hospitals operating room so there's no reason to stop anywhere else on the way. Remember that we need a smooth ride more than we need a fast ride, but we do need it to be fast. If this truck had lights and sirens we would only be licensed to drive ten miles over the speed limit so keep it down to at least twenty miles over the speed limit.
"I'll stay here and work on the fire," Chet informed as he shut the tail gate and was pulling the top hatch down.
"With what?" Julie started to object. "You don't even have a shovel to work with or anything else to fight it with and it's not safe for you to try it on your own anyway. You don't even have any communications with anyone to call for help if you need it, no shovel, what could you hope to do by yourself anyway?
"Look Roy, the one in the cab of the truck here, could use some moral support. There's not a person out here that's going to miss a single one of the sage brush and tumble weeds that fire is going to take out and once we get to civilization we can send a team with the proper equipment back to put it out."
Chet was conflicted. What this girl they'd never met before was saying was right but to leave an actively burning fire to continue to burn was criminally neglectful in Chet's mind. He looked to Johnny for whatever orders he would give
"She's right Chet; you better get in the cab." Johnny backed Julie up.
Reluctantly Chet shut the back hatch and made his way to the cab not even getting the passenger door closed before Roy, the brother of Julie, pulled out squealing the tires as he did.
"How far is the hospital from here?" Johnny asked after checking the vitals once again.
"About fifty minutes," Julie answered, "I'm betting on Roy being able to make it in thirty."
John looked back at his patient. It was going to be a miracle if he lasted another thirty minutes.
Author's notes:
In areas where the population is sparse, Having an EMT Certification is a major plus for getting work with: ranchers, small ski resorts, campgrounds, mine workers and other such employers that set up away from the beaten path. But they don't want to pay for all the equipment for these EMTs to take care of an injury at the work site.
Creative people have designed lots of ways to make supplies for these times and have joined networks to share what they've come up with and glean what someone else has come up with. Since help was often far away and no phones on the range their only options to summon help were to send someone to the nearest phone which was so far away they might as well just take their patient in themselves. For that reason many of the EMTs in such areas are quick to collect their own equipment, some who had access to world war two surplus supplies thought they were in paradise. Most drove trucks with camper shells or Suburbans and some had more equipment in them than the local ambulances. Also small communities often don't have the tax base to buy every piece of equipment they would like so they tie into those networks also to stock their ambulances and fire trucks and while they were making them for the community they made an extra one of two for themselves.
P.S. I've recently been home for a visit and the area that inspired the first chapter where the boys were splashing in the water and scarring the fish away and where Johnny caught a frog. That is now the county fair grounds and the camp ground area is paved over as a parking lot. Some people call that progress; I'm not so sure I agree.