Adrenaline still managing to push around whatever small things are running my motorskills, I sit on my yoga ball at work bouncing, smiling, and listening to some Tom Petty.

Where did this adrenaline come from you ask? Well I’ll tell you without too many of the gory details if I can. About 4:30 yesterday afternoon my pager went off for an injury accident. The tone went out and the dispatcher said 5 parties still stuck in the vehicle.

By this time I’m racing out the door, with an “oh shit, this is for real” look on my face. I change shoes and shirt at the stop light and try and mentally prep for what I can only guess is about to come. My “40 second stop light” has gotta be the slowest I’ve ever seen as I turn and head up the hwy towards the station, tie my boots, try not to speed and call the station to let them know I’m in route. No answer… 47th and Kings Ridge, just a block a way, and BAM train. I sit, wait, listen to the radio, and try and calm myself just a bit. A helicopter on standby and 3 ambulances in route, a van with 7 passengers is the new info. The world is CRAWLING as I inch through a space on the shoulder and turn into the station just as our heavy rescue truck takes off lights sirens blaring.

2 min later I’m announcing us in route to the dispatcher in our medium rescue truck. We fly north as I navigate and watch for unaware drivers who haven’t pulled over. An update comes in and everyone has made it out of the van except the driver. It’s a confirmed pinned party and our first unit arrives and reports that it will be a level 3 extrication (remove doors, remove roof, dash evolution, and the full works).

An hour seems to go by while we make our way through the city and toward our destination. I’ve got plenty of time to put on my bunker gear, radio harness, get my channels set, go over some things in my mind and take a deep breath. Then all my thoughts snap together as we park our truck and I step down.

Doors popped, metal bent, wood broke, bolts sheered, glass shattered, engines grumbled, radios blared, and a man screamed… The next week of life somehow managed to pack itself into a 1 hour segment of my day. We used almost every trick we learned, and some we made up on the spot. Most our tools off 4 trucks were employed in someway, as well as the 15 or so rescuers who responded in addition to the fire fighters, paramedics, police, and their respective vehicles. The driver was pinned by the dash, pedels, and seat with two compound fractured legs plenty of blood, but otherwise stable and responsive.

After hydraulic spreaders (jaws of life) cutters, rams, made enough space for the driver’s legs, I found myself inside the van holding the driver’s C-spine (head) to prevent neck injury as we slid the severed seat back and moved the patient to a backboard, and carried him out to waiting ambulance.

He survived, must have… we worked so hard to save him, he’s got to be ok. I tell myself that but really I don’t know… We took a deep breathe, cleaned the blood off our gear, repacked everything, debriefed and made our way home.

One might think that everything would appear dim in the world after bright vivid colors, emotions, energy, and memories like those, but oh the contrary. Everything is bright today. Although I’m still on high speed, I spend a moment to enjoy life, the company of those around me. Being so close to pain, death, tragedy again made me realize how special life is. STILL!

Keep your head up and smiling! If you’re ever feeling down know that there are literally hundreds of people in your city who will drop everything if you are in trouble. It still amazes me every time I show up and there are 30 or so fire fighters, law, sheriffs, paramedics, rescue specialists there trying to help in any way possible. Not to mention all the untrained bystanders who put out good thoughts and prayers to those in trouble and lend a hand if the can.

After saving a life, today, I again feel like superman, and it’s fantastic.

I hope you are all feeling safe and loved tonight.