No sleep, 12 calls on my last shift at Franklin Fire Dept

I knew I had to end my senior project with a bang. Like every day I come into Franklin I have no idea what the day will bring. Friday was warm and sunny making for a busy day in the city of Franklin. The first call came in for a lift assist, so we went across town to help a man with legs amputated at the knees into his wheelchair. He denied transport to the hospital. After that we conducted a fire drill at Franklin High School. Back at the station we installed the air conditioners and closed all the windows, slowly turning the living quarters into a refrigerator. I felt bad for my roommates sweating on the third floor of Carr House. Around lunch we had a call for wires down by the hospital which the chief handled until the power company responded. Shortly after that we got a call for a fire alarm activation at a credit union in a strip mall across town. I got to ride in the front seat of Engine 4. As soon as we pulled out of the station we had a red light and heavy traffic on central street. We laid on the air horn and Q siren and it was a thrill riding in the front. The fire alarm activation was because of a malfunctioning air conditioning system. It was sweltering being in turnout full turnout gear but it is standard for firefighters to wear full gear to fire calls even in intense heat. Back at the station we cooled off in the air conditioning, hydrated, and ate lunch. Captain Goldthwaite was at the captains desk working on alot of paperwork so this left the rest of us to take it easy around the station. We got a call for a paramedic intercept to highlands mountain bike park in Tilton. EMTs in Titlton wanted Captain Goldthwaite to give pain medications to a biker with a broken arm. Back at the station we finished installing the AC units and Jason and I went out on a service call to an apartment where a woman was complaining there was no oxygen and her heat was on. The woman had a psychological problem and even though we used a gas meter show her that the air in her apartment was 20.8 % oxygen she wanted to go to the hospital. It was a bummer to have to take our ambulance out of service to transport a woman who didnt need to go to the hospital. As we brought her out to ambulance 2 we got pre alerted to another call. The hospital was up the street and we headed that way quickly. I did a BP fast and gave it to Jason. He radioded the hospital as usual but basically said we were handing the patient off quickly because we had another call. Then we got toned to a car accident on central street. From the hospital we headed to the scene and met other call members there who had taken the extra ambulance and rescue. Jason, Jon, and I backboarded the driver of a pick up truck. We got back from that call and ate american chop suey for dinner cooked by Jon. It hit the spot after a long day. We did chores after dinner and I was relaxing in a recliner when we got pre alerted for a man having seizures at a restraunt in town. On arrival I got the monitor as usual and we were introduced to a man sitting at the front step with his wife. I noticed the wet sidewalk and thought it was vomit from the man seizing, which was right. He was fairly young with a clean health history so we did a 12 lead EKG to see his heart rhythm. In the end it seemed to maybe be food poisoning. Back at the station I couldn't find anything good on TV and Jon and I went outside to set up the ladder truck. I decided bed sounded good and fell asleep within minutes in the frigid bunk room. That didn't last long. The night was a long blur of calls. In order from 11 PM to 7 AM we had a fire alarm activation, three med calls, and a car accident. Throughout the night I was so delirious getting dressed for calls I couldn't remember what the previous call had been. Jason kept asking me, "have you had enough yet?" I had to say no because I was really loving how busy we were. It can be annoying at first but once we start investigating the patient's chief complaint, I get into it and I like working the monitor, taking BPs on my own, or doing paperwork. At the hospital I try to do just as good of a job dressing the cot and deconing equipment at 4 in the morning as I would in the middle of the day. I think my attitude reflected well on the shift. After that night my internal clock is pretty messed up. It feels like a Sunday afternoon. The busy shift was an awesome way to cap off senior project. Thanks to everyone for reading and especially to my sponsor, his shift, and Franklin Fire Dept for making it all happen.