Corporations Are People....Women Are Not?

So today was a regular Monday for every man in America. Today was a life changing day for every female in America. Today older women watched as the rights they fought for were taken away from the generations behind them. Today mothers had to watch as the choices they got to make as young women were denied to their daughters. Today young women like myself were denied the right to choose what we believe is best for our bodies. Today young girls had a right taken away that they never knew existed. Five men changed our world today. Five men think they know what is best for my body, and the bodies of the women I go to school with, the women I pass in the grocery store and the women who now have no option because it's considered 'wrong'. Today corporations became people and women became objects for them to control.

So now I can't have birth control that is covered by insurance at a job because the corporation feels it is against their religion. I can't have an abortion if I'm raped or if I have a pregnancy that isn't viable. Since when did my uterus become an object up for America's personal use? Since when did my right to choose what happens to my body become the decision of a corporation with religious beliefs? 

Those 5 men changed America today and I hope to God that my children never have to read about how great they were in history books. Today 5 men took my rights as a woman. Today the lives of millions of women changed because 5 men thought that religious beliefs of corporations come before the personal choice of a woman. 

Are they planning on paying for the children that will come into this world, born to young mothers who weren't ready but had no other choice? No. Are they going to pay for the doctor visits and check ups and God forbid the bills for any emergency during pregnancy or delivery? No. Are they going to pay for treatment of any disorder women have such as Endometriosis? No. Are they going to let us make laws about their reproductive system? Not a chance in hell. 

This is my body. Those were my choices. It's my uterus, not America's.
Today the women of America, all generations, watched as our rights were taken, and the rights of our future daughters were changed. But for men, it was just a Monday.

We Can't Just Call 911. Huh?

The reasons are endless and the need will go on forever. The need for help in a dire situation. The need for someone to come to rescue whether it be medical, violence, a car accident, or a fire. There are people who respond to these calls every single day, it is their job, and their passion. 

When we call 911 we get a dispatch office who we tell our emergency to, they put it in their computer and whatever you need whether it be police, ambulance or fire department, they are sent to you. Yes there are logistics, and protocols and laws, but the basic gist of it is, you dial those three simple numbers and help is on it's way.

So when I logged on to facebook this afternoon and had been tagged in a post about a fire in Arizona and read, "Understand that we can't jus call 911 and expect someone else to save our homes" I was quite aggravated. This statement made me so angry. We can call 911 and expect help from the firefighters that serve our area. That is what they do, they protect us, they help us in our weakest moments. That is what they went to school for and what they train for. They along with EMTs, Paramedics and Police Officers are who respond to these emergency calls. 

The person who said we can't just call 911 said we need to have fire plans and observe no burn rules when the climate is too hot and dry. I do agree with that, we need fire plans, we need to understand how to stay safe but fire is something we have no control over as the general public. We can't stop it, we don't have the equipment to control it, so what are we suppose to do? Sit back and watch it blaze through our backyards and destroy our homes and possibly take the lives of those we love or even ourselves? Not in my opinion. 

Firefighters are a rare group of people. They are willing to run into a burning building to save a person, they are willing to stay away from their families for long periods of time while fighting some fires. In all honesty, it's what they live for, to fight fire. When I was on my fire department clinical in EMT school the guys were al talking about how it had been a long time since their last big burn and that some of their best day son the job were the days when they did exactly what they were trained to do. Fight fire, save lives and make sure ever crew member survived the process as well.

So can we just call 911 when a sever fire begins to threaten our homes and lives? Yes, we can and luckily we know that crews will show up prepared and ready for whatever this fire has in store. They show up with the intention to stop it, before irreversible damage is done.

EVOC: In Other Words, My Worst Nightmare

Emergency Vehicle Operations Course or EVOC is my worst nightmare. I took the lecture part of it during EMT school, which was 8 hours on a day we normally did not have class. It consisted of videos, a speaker and a lot of time to kill. After we took that we signed up for a driving day, which is the time we would actually get to drive the practice ambulance and get our certificate for EVOC. Now most ambulance agencies require you to have EVOC or some form of emergency vehicle certification to get hired. I signed up for the last possible day to take the driving course, for two reasons. One being that I was having issues with my license because I had to switch states etc, so had hoped that by the last date all issues would be resolved. The other reason being I was deathly afraid to drive the ambulance. I know I know, sounds weird but driving is a nerve racking thing to do for me and the thought of driving a 20+ foot rig and backing it up did not sound like a ton of fun. So I talked to the women who ran the EMS division and they said it was fine if I didn't take it that semester. I have still not taken it yet, but contacted the one woman this week and they may have a spot for me to come take the course. I am excited because this will finally allow me to be employed with an ambulance, rather than a hospital, but I am also very nervous! I have no experience driving a huge rig! Off to U-haul I go to rent a truck to practice LOL

EMS Week 2014: Dedicated For Life

Happy EMS Week!! This is the week we celebrate those who put their lives on the line every single day. This is the week where we thank them for everything they do. This is a job that requires not only many hours of training and experience but one that requires compassion, dignity and heart. There are a handful of people in this world who are willing to wake up at 3 AM because an infant has stopped breathing, who are willing to put tubes down a stranger's throat to allow them to breathe, who are willing to put their finger(s) in a bullet wound to prevent any more blood loss. These are the people who save lives, yet risk theirs. Instructors are to thank for our medical skills but no instructor can teach us to hold a person's hand as they take their last breathe, or teach us to find dignity in cleaning up a patient who can't control their bowels. Nobody can teach us how to be strong when we have to tell a family that their loved one is no longer with them and nobody can give us the knowledge it requires to love people during their most vulnerable moments. Our lives are forever touched by the patients that we have, our uniforms stained with the blood, sweat and tears of a long shift. The roads we travel everyday become a scrapbook of memories of the calls we have run. This is not simply a job, it is a passion. A passion to help others, to save people.

So yes, while EMS is about saving lives and performing medical tasks, it is also about touching lives and being their for complete strangers. 

Thank you to those who protect and serve. I know it is not easy. The tasks we must perform are often gruesome and bloody and scary at times yet we put all that aside and go on with courage and passion. Our job is not about the medication we give, the money we make, it is about the skills we develop, the memories we collect and the difference that we make. 

I am proud to be an EMT. EMS Week 2014, May 18-24