Broken Bones Call Number 20230808

[M. Price]

MEDIC 1 - Eastland Mall, Oxnard - Broken Leg

"911, Where's your emergency?"

"Eastland Mall's parking lot, my friend is an idiot."

"Ok, miss, what is your emergency?"

"Well, he decided to have fun in a shopping cart, hit a pothole, and spilled out of the thing.  Now he is bitching that his leg is hurting pretty bad and he can't get up.  We think it's broken."

"Is the wound open?"

"Not sure, can't tell because of his jeans, we don't want to move him so we don't make it worse, it's definitely bending funny"

"Ok miss, I'm dispatching EMS, stay on the line so I can get further info"

[B. Jacobowski]

Dusting the lights on the grille off I think to myself what little respect the other shift has for their rig. I stand up and look at the perfectly clean grille and smile to myself when the toner sounds. When I hear Medic 1 announced, I run to the bucket on the side of the bay and toss the rag in there, before opening the bay door and doing the walk around of the medic unit. As the door grinds to a stop at the top of the bay, I turn the engine on, and bring up the MDT call information while my partner comes out. I have the leg up on him obviously, I was touching the truck when the toner sounded. 

Eastland Mall  I read, and let out a little chuckle. I guess Average Medical Response didn't have a unit available for this. That's alright, SCFD to the rescue! We're the better service anyways. 

Not a big mall go-er myself, I click the nav icon to check the quickest route, and turn on the lights as my partner climbs in the cab. 

[A. Breslin]

*Hearing the tones drop and a few minutes of a nonresponse I walk out to the bay and see BJ alone in the truck waiting for his partner. I walk up to the passenger window and see the timer on the screen of KDT ticking upwards.*

'Where the fuck is your partner and why the fuck are you still here?'

"O1 Show me jumping on M1. Put it in as a crew member sick, Update the crew to 2201 and 1301"

*Running over to the command car and throwing the ALS equipment from the back of that to the side door of the bus I get in the passenger seat.*

'I'm going to rip your partner a new asshole when we get back.'

"M1. For the duration of this call, you can upgrade us to ALS and put O1 out of service for the duration"

[M. Price]

"Copy M1, marking you ALS and responding"

The fuck is up with that?  I wonder to myself.

[B. Jacobowski]

'Where the fuck is your partner and why the fuck are you still here?'

'Lou, I thought he was in the washroom or something. I yelled out twice.' I check the timer on the MDT, we're just under two minutes from tone out. 

'I'm going to rip your partner a new asshole when we get back.'

While the lieutenant calls our resopnse, I pull out of the station, activating the sirens as I merge into traffic

[A. Breslin]

*Pulling the tablet out from its mount I start getting the basics for the call down.*

'If this is gnarly enough we may have to ALS it.'

*I say as I read the notes on the MDT.*

'If this is a legit open fracture I think he earned his Fentanyl.'

*We pull into the mall parking lot and there's a group of kids trying to flag us down.*

'Looks like we found him.'

*I say as I hit the on scene button on the MDT.*

*One of the girls runs up to the window. I open the door.*

'It's him.'

*She says pointing to the kid on the ground next to a flipped over shopping cart.*

'I wouldn't have guessed. Thank you so much.'

*I see a deformed leg with an obvious open tib/fib fracture*

'BJ, Get the scoop and the stretcher'

[B. Jacobowski]

"Uh, I prefer Benjamin" I say, getting out of the cab and walking around the back of the ambulance, pulling the stretcher out, and then to the side compartment for the scoop.

When I get over to the patient, I already see Breslin knelt down attending to the patient. 

"Steve-o wouldn't have much on this guy here." I say, knowing my reference likely won't even come close to something these kids would get.

 

[A. Breslin]

*Kneeling down I put on a pair of gloves.*

'Hey, My name is Alyssa and I'm with the fire department. Can you tell me your name?'

'Kyle'

'Of course, it is.'

*I hear one of his friends laugh at that comment.*

'Do you remember falling?'

'Yes.'

'Did you lose consciousness at all?'

'No'

'I have some good news and bad news.'

'What the bad news.'

'Your leg is pretty messed up.'

'I figured but what's the good news?'

'When we get you to the ambulance I can give you something to make the pain go away. We're going to get you in the back of the ambulance and start getting that leg taken care of.'

*Seeing BJ get the scoop disassembled and bringing it over on the stretcher.*

'You ready?'

[B. Jacobowski]

"Yes, ma'am!" I say, when the scoop is ready. 

We rotate a little, and in a couple moves, have him in place, and lift him onto the stretcher beneath. Another pull or two later, we have the scoop from underneath him and work on strapping him in.

"Alright Lou, looks like we've got him secured in. You ready to move to the ambulance?" 

This is like the lightning round. I'm impressed, but we make a good team. 

[A. Breslin]

*We get him loaded in the back of the bus.*

'Start working on the leg, I'll get an IV started.'

*I grab an 18 gauge starter kit out and quickly get a line started. I push some Fentanyl. I see a look of relief as I push it*

'Feeling better?'

'Yeah'

'BJ hows that leg looking?'

[B. Jacobowski]

'Start working on the leg, I'll get an IV started.'

I pull my raptor shears out of their holster on my duty belt. I unfurl them and start slicing away at the pants around the injury. I begin cleaning it before securing it when Breslin asks how he's doing. Ignoring the name, I bite my tongue, and then provide a report. 

"Obvious protrusion, but looks fairly contained. No excessive bleeding. I'm just securing the break now." Turning to the patient, I warn him. "You might feel a little pressure around the site now, but let me know if it hurts too much."
 

[A. Breslin]

*As BJ starts to dress the site I start the ACR.*

'How old are you?'

'15'

'Any of your friends know how to get in touch with your parents?'

'The girl with the black hair and glasses. Sabrina. She my cousin,'

'Ok.'

*I get up and pop my head out of the side door.*

'Which one of you is Sabrina?'

'Me'

'Your Kyles cousin?'

'Yeah.'

'Get in touch with his mom. Let her know we're taking him to county.'

*I get back in as BJ is wrapping up dressing the leg.*

'I'm good to go on you. Also Kyle Sabrina is calling your mom'

[B. Jacobowski]

"Alright, Code 3 Lou?" I say, finishing wrapping Kyle's break before standing and moving towards the door.

 

[A. Breslin]

'Alright, Code 3 Lou?'

'No Lights no siren. Nice and easy.'

What are they teaching them in the academy these days.

[B. Jacobowski]

As I close the door, I think to myself. Poor kid needs pain killers and we're not going to rush him to higher care. I guess SCFD doesn't have the same urgent care rules as Shiloh Volunteers. 

Sitting in the cab, I key the mic as I turn off the lights. 

"Medic 1 is going to county, regular road traffic."