Public safety personnel are there for the minor and the major events. We are there when rings won’t come off fingers. We are there when you are having a heart attack. We are there when you’ve fallen and need a helping hand. We are there when your loved one is dying.
Many times when we are there for you, we are missing our family events or holidays. That is me in uniform at my daughter’s piano recital because I had to leave early to go to work. We make sacrifices most people don’t understand. I am not complaining. I absolutely love my job. But we are people too.
Just because we arrive with kind hearts and smiling faces to help you in your time of need does not mean it doesn’t affect us. We work best facing tragedy. We are capable of pushing aside our emotions for the here and now. But we can’t do that forever.
There are multiple different coping mechanisms we have developed throughout our careers. Some resort to comedy, even with inappropriate timing. Some resort to talking amongst coworkers about “war stories”. Some resort to substances. Some seek professional help. Some keep it inside. Some have a good cry on the bumper of the ambulance after watching a family say an unexpected goodbye to a loved one.
Yes, we do feel. We don’t always feel or understand your physical pain but we do feel your emotional pain. We can see the 50+ years of marriage disappearing in the blink of an eye leaving a spouse to figure out a new life alone. We can feel the heartbreak of a child losing his/her mother. We can hear the hurt and disbelief when we have to tell you our efforts have been in vain and the person we have been fighting so hard to keep has died. Sometimes we are able to hide our pain from you. Sometimes it’s too much.
We live your worst nightmares every day. We see things people should never see and we do it multiple times a shift. We do it because we love people. We do it because we want to help complete strangers in their hour of need. We don’t get paid a lot and that’s okay. None of us ever got into this job thinking we are going to be rich. We don’t need recognition for a job well done. We also didn’t realise what we would witness during our careers.
We get abused, both verbally and physically. We get soaking wet standing in the rain at the scene of an accident. We get overheated standing by at structure fires trying to keep our firefighter friends from heat stroke while battling a blaze on hot summer days. We freeze standing outside in the winter waiting to enter a house that is locked and the person inside we were sent to help can’t open the door. We risk our lives standing on the side of a highway while cars rush by beside us. We see babies being born and lives ending. We see it all.
Please don’t ask us what the worst thing we’ve seen is. We will tell you a lie. If we do relive the worst thing we’ve ever seen we don’t want that burden on your shoulders. That is our baggage. Many of us suffer from PTSD. Many of us don’t know where to turn when our shoebox of memories overflows.
Please look out for your fellow public safety folks. Smile at them when you see them in uniform. Let them know you appreciate their sacrifices to keep you safe. A simple thank you means a lot more than you would ever know. If you know someone that doesn’t seem to be acting like themselves, talk to them. Get them help. Sometimes we are the ones in need.
Let’s keep our public safety family happy and healthy to serve you another day.
Oily Minded Medic 