By Laurel J. Sweet and Laura Crimaldi
The Boston Herald
AMHERST, N.H. — A paramedic who just became a father for the first time and a male and female EMT were on the Amherst, N.H.-based ambulance that rushed to help the mother and daughter viciously attacked by machete-wielding teens.
Brian Gleason, director of emergency medical services in Amherst, said this week has been brutal on the first responders who rushed to the sides of murder victim Kimberly L. Cates, 42, and her daughter, Jaimie, 11, who was seriously injured in Sunday’s predawn assault.
“What really has emotionally taken a toll on them was the horrific nature of the crime itself,’' said Gleason, who was not on the ambulance run. “As more information got out this week, it was devastating to them.’'
Mark Hastings, the EMS trauma coordinator at Southern New Hampshire Medical Center in Nashua, said Gleason called him on Wednesday to set up a critical incident debriefing when it became apparent his staff needed the support.
“Over a period of a few days, people start to have a rough time thinking about how things happened,’' Hastings said. “When you go through a traumatic event sometimes you have several days when it’s hard to sleep.’'
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