With EMS Week coming to a close, we’re pleased to announce the winner of our TEAMSTRONG contest. Out of our six finalists, you voted Andrea Syrstad’s “Lift assist in the size of a sardine can” as the story that best exemplified the spirit of teamwork in EMS. Head to our finalist page to check out all the finalists!
By Andrea Syrstad
It was a day that started out like any other.
We recieved a request for a lift assist at a local residence. This was not out of the ordinary, but on our arrival we came to find out real fast this was no ordinary lift assist.
The wife met us at the door stating, “Please excuse the mess, we are hoarders and my husband is in the bathroom.” We made our way through the narrow path to the bathroom and feasted our eyes on a very morbidly obese gentleman wedged between an uprooted toilet and a sink counter.
Amongst the clutter, we were barely able to get one person in the bathroom the size of a sardine can. We used a garbage bag to put under him and slide him out from being pinned and then proceeded to help him to his feet with no such luck.
We called for extra help, utilizing our local law enforcement and fire department. Requesting the fire department’s vehicle stabilization air bags, we were able to get one of them underneath him. Using a SCBA cylinder to inflate it, we got the patient to a high-sitting position. He was then able to stand and move himself to a chair.
That day we all worked together and the moral to this story is air bags really do save lives...and our backs!