"Wouldn't it be nice if they...."

Going along with my previous post about finding balance, you need to know when to laugh at yourself. Today my partner said he'd "never seen someone go through emotions as fast as you." What happened?

Well, returning to quarters from a transport the garage door opener flew off the sun visor and landed on the dash. Considering I'm on an expressway at the time, I just leave it there. Upon pulling in front of the garage door, I pull forward, then line the ambulance up and stop. Reaching for the opener, I press the button; the door doesn't open. No big surprise, could be I didn't press the button hard enough, a low battery, a disturbance in the Force. I press it again; nothing. A third time...nothing. Remember that saying about repeating a sequence expecting a different response? I was well on the way there.

So I continue pressing the button, trying different variables of pressure, duration, angle, pointing it in the mirror, nothing. After several frustrating minutes my partner looks at his mirror, then at me and says "Bay 2 is open." I look down at the dash, back up at where I'm parked...doh! In my admiration of the spring sunshine and a beautiful day, I neglected to remember I pulled out of bay 2 for this call. Meanwhile, I'm parked in front of (and demanding that the door to) bay 1 open. The ambulance we're in ALWAYS goes in bay 2.

My partner looks at me and says "Wouldn't it be nice if they put the ambulance number in big letters on the dashboard," pointing at the 3" Scotchlite numbers pasted on the dash in front of him. He and I shared a laugh for a good five minutes before I could muster the ability to park the ambulance in the correct bay.

Finding Balance

After joining the first agency in my career, a small outfit with two ambulances, a pole barn base, and about 20 active members, I jumped in with both feet. I wanted to be a part of everything, wanted to do everything to help out my hometown Corps. This “dedication” drove the other three new members (and most of the vets) nuts. “You need to slow down, or you’re going to burn out.” 18 years old, full of….yeah, those two things…and ready to save lives. After all, that’s what this is all about, right?

Many years later, I often find myself reflecting on those sage words spoken by the elders of my first Corps. At the same time, they were people I admired and utterly despised because I thought they were holding me back. I knew the stuff on the State exam. Even more than some because my father was an EMT for most of my childhood, so I was always around it. I knew what my job and responsibilities were. But what I didn’t know was that I didn’t know it all. The wise elders at my first Corps tried their hardest to tell me, but I was too bullheaded to listen.

My “dedication” drove me out of that first agency in less than a year. I couldn’t find a balance between the “book stuff” and the “real world” stuff.

It wasn’t until a few years later that I finally understood the need to balance my EMS passion with the rest of my life. Yes, I’ve chosen to make EMS my career. No, I don’t make much money doing it. But when you look past the financial part and understand there is so much more to life than “saving lives” and “true emergencies,” the real essence of this job comes out.

A quality professional provider learns to recognize this job is not “all action, all the time” and that a good deal of down time will occur. They learn to take advantage of this time to enhance their knowledge, catch up on a favorite novel, or just kick back and enjoy a few minutes to breathe. In essence, they understand the need to balance the “go” mentality with relaxation and recharging for the next call.

The last, and arguably most important aspect of balance, is that between EMS and the rest of your life. A quality professional will understand that when the day’s over, it’s time to turn off the pager, hang up the scope, and take some time for you. For those who volunteer and respond to calls from home, this can be applied by understanding that you alone are not responsible for handling every call. There are other members of your Corps for a reason. I’m not saying turn off your EMS brain entirely; there’s a chance you could be in the right place at the right time to help someone in need.

This was one of the hardest lessons for me to learn, and I’m sure I’m not the only one. But you have to do it; otherwise the things we see and do in this job will consume you. Spend time with your family, or with friends who aren’t in the fire/EMS/police scene. Start a new hobby…or catch up on an old one.

Establishing a balance between your emergency services life and the rest of your life can be one of the hardest things to do, especially when you’re passionate about the job. But believe me, once you’ve established that balance you will certainly come to appreciate everything you have in your life and how precious life really is.