Last night, while returning from a transfer a local BLS ambulance collided with a parked semi at highway speeds. the passenger who was 24 years old and had just celebrated her one year anniversary as an EMT for the company died on scene, her partner required extrication and was taken to a local level 1 trauma center.

Last night ambulances and staff from my own service lined the streets around the Medical Examiners office, with lights on, as a sign of respect for the fallen. The romantic in me thinks it serves as a signal to the gods of EMS that we will light the way for our little sister who they took away from us when she was so young.

I have reached the 23rd year of my career in EMS this past month. Every single day I have put on that uniform and put on those boots I have known that  I might not come back, I may meet my maker at the hands of evil or by misadventure on a highway. I wear body armor whenever I am on the streets, I pay attention to the room I am in, and have a plan to fight my way out no matter who is against me. I wear my safety gear religiously when on the road, and keep my flashlight on whenever its dark out. I drive carefully and don’t push the envelope. All of these things have probably helped me make it this far, but at the end of the day I could be snatched away from my family, this used to scare me greatly, now days not so much.

In a few days we will lay our sister to rest, the honor guard will stand the watch over her, we will bring the ems apparatus and equipment to her service, and let her family know she mattered to us, because all of us could have been her, all of us if but for the grace of god could have been in that truck with her. her partner was injured and is in the hospital and will recover, but i can not imagine the heaviness she is feeling.

Marina Chelleen rest easy sister, I did not know you, but you are in my thoughts today, we got it from here.