Earlier this month, we posted to our EMS1 Facebook wall and asked our fans the question, “You know you’ve been in EMS too long when…?” We received a lot of great responses — most of which left us smiling, because we were guilty of the same.
Here’s some of the best selections — be sure to add your own ideas to the member comments section below.
1. “When you see someone and the first thing you judge is how easily you could do an IV with their AC.” — Steven Huff
2. “When you try to turn the sirens on at a busy intersection in your personal vehicle.” — Lindsay Dobbert
3. “When you are home, asleep, your phone wakes you and you answer: “Fire department, what is your emergency?” — José Tovar Ureña
4. “When you sit down for dinner at a restaurant and completely finish your meal by your spouse’s third bite. Or when you wake up on your day off to go somewhere with family and manage to: Shower, shave, brush your teeth and begin the wait for them within 3-4 minutes. " — Steven Pearce
5. “When you step in dog poop, and think that if it’s the worst thing on your boots all day, then that’s a good day.” — Mike Hasty
6. “You feel down the side of your leg to grab your pen when off-duty!” — Joanne Sisco
7. “You look at people’s arms or necks to see how big of a vein they have. " — Crystal McAfee
8. “When you bring a family member to the ER, and while you’re in the waiting room you can pretty much name what each person is there for. " — Patrick Ramsey
9. “When maggots crawl out of someone’s head and you think Chinese take-out sounds good. " — Steve Trimble
10. “When you can guess what the call is by the sound of the tone. " — Michele Kravitz