EMT Class week 7 - Medical Patient Assessment and a Break

We only have one class this week - last night's patient assessment (medical) went pretty well.  No PowerPoint paralysis, rather we spent tons of time doing practical assessments.  Very nice.

The afternoon started off a bit chaotic - call from Mr. Medic at 1435 to go grab the ambulance and head up to the residential area for a 50 yo male with chest pain.  No problem.  My office is just 50 meters or so from the ambulance bay.

Let me paint a picture.  Our ambulance bay is a single garage about halfway down a long row building.  I think it used to be horse stables back in the day.  Another row building sits across from the bay about a meter higher.  There's enough room to pull the ambulance out and make a hard right turn to go up about a meter to the "main road."  So the ambulance bay sits in a hole.

We have had a fair bit of snow over the past few days, maybe 10 centimeters or so.  Last I checked the plow crew had plowed us out of the snow at least marginally.  Not so yesterday afternoon.  Effie can trudge through 10 cm of snow without problems on most days, but when the plow driver leaves a meter of crusty berm at the top of the hill, she just can't make it.

So here I am, made the turn fine, now trying to get enough momentum to climb up onto the road.  First try in 2wd was miserable.  Not only was I sliding back, I was sliding right as well - toward the building.  Back up, put the rig in 4wd low and take another run - hit the berm and stopped.  Cursing, back up again for another run.  No luck.  Switch to 4wd high and think maybe if I back up far enough I can make it.  Hit the berm again.  Crap.  Get on the radio.

"Dispatch, I'm having trouble getting the ambulance out of the bay.  Could you send a plow truck over here at their earliest convenience?" (Under breath, f***ing idiots didn't just NOT plow the bay, they plowed us in here!")
"Copy that, ambulance, break, maintenance crew we need a plow at the ambulance bay immediately."

Sigh.  OK, I'll give it another try.  Back the ambulance up as far as it will go.  Stomp on the gas.  Tires spin a bit, but momentum is established.  Have we achieved escape velocity?  Slowly, slowly, crunch!  Through the berm!  The front tires spin on ice, then grab, then pull - we have liftoff!

Make it to the call just fine (HR a bit high, but oh well)  get our patient loaded, relief arrives as Sid and her temporary partner jump in for the ride to the hospital.

And I'm off to class.