By Pam Witt-Hillen, ThedaStar Flight Nurse
One can rarely watch the evening news without viewing a story about EMS workers risking harm to rescue someone in need. Countless human lives are saved every day because of the brave actions of our emergency first responders. Thank goodness for these selfless people who risk their own lives to save others! EMS workers are called upon to be mission-ready in a moment’s notice. They throw on their “suit of armor,” or boots and uniform, and find themselves on the front lines, thrust into some pretty unimaginable situations with very little information available. And then we call upon them to bring an out-of-control situation to order and hopefully save a life.
Thank goodness Alex Peterson, firefighter and first responder for the Saxeville-Springwater Volunteer Fire Department, escaped serious injury when he hit a deer with his truck after he was paged out for an emergency call in Waushara County.
The importance of volunteers to the delivery of emergency care to a community cannot be overstated. As volunteerism is a rich tradition in the United States, so has emergency medical services depended on volunteer support for many years. Individuals volunteer their time, capabilities, and energy for the benefit of the EMS agency and the accomplishment of its lifesaving mission! People volunteer for a variety of personal reasons, such as “wanting to help others, giving back what I got, for a sense of citizenship, or interested in the type of work being done.”
Considering the nature of the work, sometimes the rescuer needs rescuing. Alex became a first responder in January 2012 because he finds great satisfaction in helping people in need. He said, “There is no better feeling than when someone you helped comes up to say thank you and you truly know you made a difference in someone’s life.”
After hitting the deer, Alex would be the one thanking his own first responder group who “rescued” him. He was treated at Wild Rose Hospital and “luckily walked away with a bruised trachea, whiplash, and some bruises on his shoulder and hip from his seatbelt.”
“If I wouldn’t have been wearing my seatbelt, I am sure the outcome would have been a lot worse for me!” he said.
The moral of Alex’s account is twofold. Seatbelts save lives and so do the many EMS personnel who put their own lives on the line daily for those needing help in our communities. Remember to always buckle up! And remember to thank the many amazing first responders making a difference in your town with their public service. We owe a debt of gratitude to these selfless people.
