My "Other" Job

I thought I’d give you all a little taste of my “other” job. The one I actually like…the one that pays me more…the one that I’m going to do full time starting in November. It’s a small team, but it means that we all know each other well and have fun working together. And it kind of makes us elite, or at least we think we are! And look at that rig! It’s the biggest one Rural Metro owns – it’s a duely! Just think, on Thursday I get to learn how to drive that sucker. Look out Aurora! These two are my frequent partners. As of now we work Fridays and Saturdays together. Vicki (right) is probably our most experienced paramedic. She’s worked in the field for 25 years and has a lot of know-how. She’s also the “boss” and runs the administrative side of CCT. And she’s kind of a mom for all of us young’ uns, too. Carrie (left) is probably my favorite EMT because she’s spunky and might even talk more than I do! The three of us have worked together so much that we pretty much know what will happen in any given situation. We know how the others will react and can read minds – that makes it so much easier when the poo hits the fan!

Most days we run anywhere from 4 to 6 calls. Not bad when you figure critical patients have more equipment, more drug drips and more history than most. So it takes an average of 1-2 hours to get them loaded up and transferred to wherever they’re going. However, some days we get nothing. Nada. Zip. Like the other day. Thursday we ran one call. Friday we ran zero. Boring. Luckily our quarters has cable and a comfy couch. And yes, I get paid for sleeping. Pretty cool, huh? But when it’s slow we also do things like go out to eat with certain B-shift EMT’s or shopping (we are the Gumby Girls, after all!). Oh, don’t feel bad for me yet. Last week we had 2 days in a row where we got absolutely pounded and didn’t eat until 8:00 at night. But that’s how it goes when you work the streets. And I don’t mean that in the hooker kind of way. But when it's not busy we do other things - like clean quarters, especially after the boys have been working. Why does it always smell like feet in there? And of course we take good care of our rig. The other day Carrie, Vicki and I spent 2 hours detaling that beast! We even took out all the equipment, the pram and anything that wasn't bolted down. It's amazing how much goo you can find when you're really looking for it. Yuck! Now if only it would stay that way...