This past weekend, the space shuttle Atlantis returned to earth, marking the end of a decades-long historic program.
In one sense, it inspired awe and the belief that anything is possible. For someone who grew with Johnny and Roy but also with Captain Kirk, seeing shuttles take off and land made me think: someday, someday.
The shuttle program changed things. Women became astronauts. Educators were slotted for space travel in order to teach us as the space program always has. Canada became a tremendous partner in building the arm used to launch and to recover satellites. It was no longer a US-only program: it took on more of an international effort.
During the life of the program, the international space station was launched and the cold war ended. Toward the end of the program, the shuttles were a critical part of the space station resupply, living up to their name by shuttling people and supplies to and from space.
Perhaps the greatest lessons learned over the course of the shuttle program came from its two spectacular failures. It is said that everyone alive and old enough to remember when the shuttle Columbia exploded will always recall exactly where they were when they heard the news.
The “Race for Space” has always been about heroism and has produced many of Americas bravest. When the Challenger exploded upon reentry, congress established a committee to investigate the events and circumstances leading to the explosion and loss of seven American lives. In keeping with the honorable tradition of the space program, the committee told the facts as they really were — that people knew there was a real and present danger and that the shuttle Challenger was not safe. The committee concluded and bravely announced that the lives need not have been lost.
What does this have to do with EMS and a column about safety?
Every day, somewhere, an ambulance crashes. In the United States this costs roughly 50 lives each year. These lives need not have been lost.
If we are honest, we will admit to knowing about at-risk behavior and of looking the other way. Perhaps it is a failure to stop at traffic control devices; perhaps it is from speed that is unsafe for conditions. Perhaps we take short cuts with PPE use, exposing ourselves unnecessarily to contagious disease.
Years ago I responded to an ambulance collision. Tragically the driver was killed. He was not wearing his safety belt and he failed to stop at a red light. He left behind a wife, parents, and an unborn child.
An investigation revealed that management knew this crew behaved like every other crew in this area. Management looked the other way, ignoring safety rules and policy. I suspect that this practice goes on hundreds of times a day.
In both the Columbia disaster and the crash detailed above, there were ‘reasons’ given for looking the other way, rationales for not doing the right thing. At the end of the day, when a life or lives are lost, there is no good reason, only excuses. At the end of the day, lives are still being lost needlessly.
Imagine being that person or persons at NASA who could have saved those lives. Imagine being the EMS chief, lieutenant, or ambulance supervisor who could have saved the life of a coworker. Imagine the life-long guilt they’ll carry.
Like each space launch, every EMS or Fire or Police call is an act of bravery with unknown risks along the way or at the destination. Honor this bravery with the courage and conviction to speak up and to say something.
