When ice isn't so pretty to look at.

Out of nowhere, a slight rain turned everything onto a sheet of ice.  I was called out as an EMT (and I hadn't had my coffee yet) and as I left my driveway I realized how serious it was.  In first gear, I couldn't go faster than 5 mph, down a curvy windy hill to the firehouse.  Going to the scene of a traffic accident, the ambulance also used 1st gear and didn't go over 10 mph the whole way.  It was a very serious accident.  We  had to squeeze 3 people into the ambulance.  But  before we got them there, we had to take the driver carefully out on a back board, the passenger had to be cut out of the car and taken out via the back seat on a back board and the 3rd patient was taken out in her car seat.  As we slowly drove to the hospital the Paramedic and I were doing multiple tasks, splinting, IVs, BP, pulses, cutting off clothes, doing exams, etc.  At one point we had 3-4 IV's going, hook ups to a monitor, as well as other things all over the floor.

We got to the hospital at the tip of the iceberg.  After our patients were taken over by hospital staff, everything broke loose.  The ice had caught everyone off guard.  Over 14 ambulances, at one time were outside the emergency room unloading, with more coming in.  I hear there was a 11 car accident on a bridge, another road had a 50 cars pile up, I even saw a policeman in a wheelchair that had been attending an accident and his leg was bumped into by a car.  The hospital took a sitting room and turned it into an X-ray room, non-trauma patients were stuck in hallways or where ever there was a space.  All hospital & Emergency personal were called in.  The hospital declared a "Disaster" and went into crisis mode.  This hasn't happened to them in years.  There were so many different towns represented in ambulances there, it was amazing.  Even an out of state one had to come in.  And they said on their way in they stopped at 3 other accidents.  It was an interesting experience to be a part of...  I left for the call at 12:00, and got home at 5:30, so that in itself explains the day..  All without my morning coffee, ugh!

Then I came home to the children who chose to 'forget' to do chores, feed the animals, make beds, etc.  Well, by golly, I was in no mood to pull punches on this one.  (Of course their Father was home, but he tends not to notice things.)  I came down pretty hard, and said how disappointed I was, etc.  They did get upset, but said that they understood.

I'm off to bed now...  It's been a long day.