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It’s not every day that you respond to a transport call only to find out your patient has a grenade that could go off at any minute lodged in his leg — and you stay with him for eight hours in an ambulance until a bomb expert removes it.
Alabama paramedic Cameron Padbury did exactly that this week, and we’d like to recognize him for his bravery and commitment to patient care. He and EMS provider Tim Brown remained with the patient from 11 p.m. Saturday to 7 a.m. Sunday, talking, keeping him calm, calling his family, and all the while not knowing if the device would explode.
The patient thought he was disassembling a novelty round — until the gun powder inside the grenade launched it into his thigh.
The U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal specialist arrived just before dawn. Padbury ordered his crew across the street to a safe zone, and was joined in the ambulance by medic Brian Tolbert, who had been outside the vehicle handling things for Padbury most of the night.
The bomb specialist gave them body armor and explained how he would remove the device.
“He gave me the option to get out of the ambulance,” Padbury said. “I wasn’t going to leave my patient.”
Padbury described it as a tense situation, but one he’s trained for.
“When you do this work, there’s a switch you have to flip,” he said. “You find a way to disconnect from the situation. You usually handle it with humor at the time, and then maybe get upset when it’s all over and done.”