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The Story Unfolds... Season One, Episode Eight.. The Promise Debut Launch: 15 May 2003. Main Character Image Gallery **************************************** From : "Roxy Dee" <laterrapincabesa@hotmail.com> Subject : Working Like a Dog.. Date : Thu, 22 May 2003 23:00:35 +0000 It was nine o'clock. Johnny Gage flew into the locker room whistling up a storm. He was happy. He saw his partner, still carefully unfolding his uniform socks like he usually did each morning. He was sitting on the bench with his back to him and hadn't yet noticed Johnny's arrival. Gage he couldn't resist playing shave and a haircut over Roy's upper back and ribcage with a few well placed finger drums in areas that sounded off musically. On the last two notes of 'six pence,' Roy's chest echoes sounded off pitch sour and they made the blond haired paramedic cough in response. Johnny frowned. "Ooo, Roy. You still got that bad cold? You sound covered in your left lung, lower quadrant." Roy just looked up and rolled his eyes. "It's not pneumonia, just a little smoke inhalation from that fire two days ago. You know as well as I do that I've been cleared for duty. And it's not a bad cold. Bad colds on me always hit me in the sinuses, not my chest. You don't need to paramedic me to death over it. I always know how I'm doing by how I feel. And besides I sound a little bubbly, Dr. Early tells me, because I'm a fireman." he grinned. "Not like this.." Johnny said, thumping over Roy's back once again over the tattle tailing area with more raps. He dropped his hands into a tickling mode, attacking his partner's waist on both sides. That made Roy cough liquidly when he laughed as he shifted ticklishly away to avoid him. It soon set off a jag that got fairly violent. "Uh, huh.. Not sitting in your chest, eh?" Gage said challengingly with his hands angled on his hips. "I'll just bet this is bronchitis setting in. I can almost hear the precursors of rales from here, even bare eared." "So now you're my self appointed doctor, too?" Roy smirked, spitting up some phlegm into a tissue that he produced out of his shirt pocket. He balled it up and threw it away into a waste bucket nearby. "No, I'm not your doctor. Just being a lookout." he said seriously, still thinking about what he had found on his friend. "Yeah, well. I'll do anything to stop you from attacking me with your trademark tickle assessment. You know I hate that. Took forever to get the kids to stop doing it and something tells me you'll be even harder to train to break ya of the habit." He said frankly, tying his shoes neatly. "I can't miss another day of work since I got major bills to pay. Joanne's amniocentesis tests alone were three hundred forty dollars. Tell you what, I'll work some O2 off the resuscitator before breakfast until the congestion eases to where you want it. Will that make you feel better?" he grinned in good natured compliance. John clapped his hands in celebrative success. "Sure would, Pally. Don't wanna have to report ya to Cap trying to sneak to work early, still afflicted with water lung. Just as long as I can follow up afterwards with a stethoscope for a listening or two." he added, putting on a winning smile when Roy rolled his eyes at the added black mail. "We can sneak the apparatus into the bunk room so Cap won't hear you using it. I'll tell him you... " Johnny said hunting for an excuse.. "...cut yourself shaving or something." |
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Roy chuckled. "That explains why I'll be late for breakfast. What's your excuse?" "Me? " Johnny gestured expansively. "Well, you know how I always break my shoelaces. I do believe I broke both of them this morning, one right after the other for trying to dress too fast yet again." he lied. Roy got up from the bench as he threw on his shirt and left through the door to go make his bunk up for the day. "Sounds good." "Don't tuck your uniform in until we're through." Johnny shouted after him. "I'll be right there!" "Yes, mother.." DeSoto teased as he walked past Chet, who was working out with barbells in front of the engine on a mat. Kelly stopped when he overheard Johnny's comment. Then he grinned when he figured it out. "Another smoky chest cover up?" "Must be to Johnny. I feel fine." Roy complained. "So I'll play along. Don't want his sticking like a tick syndrome to last all day." "Yeah, know what you mean. I feel sorry for all the victims you guys treat in the field. They have to put up with Gage for the duration, when they're not feeling too hot to boot." Chet puffed, beginning another set of arm lifts from his stomach to his chin. Roy smirked in quiet amusement at Kelly's unique view of paramedics. "They seem to get better faster if I let him be the primary assessor. Why else do you think I'm always starting the IV's?" Chet just shuddered. "Remind me to never get hurt or sick when Gage's on duty, ok? That scenario's just too unpleasant to even contemplate." he kidded. "Ditto.." Roy said moving into the sleeping room. "It's gonna take me all day to convince him that I'm not infectious here." his voice admitted, wafting out of the doors before they closed off his echoing reply. Gage immediately stopped whistling as he entered the vehicle bay and he tip toed to the squad's side compartment to open it. Then he reached inside after seeing the coast was clear. He noticed Chet working out nearby, breathing heavily with effort under the barbells in a difficult butterfly exercise. "Kelly, you're blind for thirty seconds.." he said without preamble. "As a bat.." Kelly said, straight faced and cooperative. "I'll even deflect Cap if we have to rapid stow it if a call goes out." Gage double glanced in surprise but said "..'kay.." to instantly cover it. ::How the heck did Chet figure that out so fast..:: he thought. Then he shrugged. ::I can live with Kelly being no obstacle for once. Something tells me I'd better take advantage of it.:: "Let me know where they are on cooking, would ya?" "I'll be the cleverest man alive." Chet promised. Johnny gingerly lifted out the O2 and jammed a burn blanket packet or two against the usually clangy oxygen cylinder so he could wheel it into the bunk room for Roy to use. Another hand, cracked open the trauma kit where it sat in the compartment rack, and he reached in and groped around until he found the balled up stethoscope by feel alone. Two seconds later, the squad was resealed up and Gage disappeared into the depths of the bunk room after Roy. Kelly kept one ear on the kitchen door for sounds of activity. He heard Stoker throw a few strips of bacon on the counter top fryer. "My.. that bacon smells good. Gimme six Stoker. I'm really working up an appetite out here.." He shouted to the gang gathered in the kitchen. "So's Johnny and Roy. They'll be right in to butter the toast.." Johnny winced at Chet's lack of subtleness and cringed. ::Thank goodness, Cap doesn't get scheme sharp until he has his coffee and I'm not smelling any of that brewing yet.:: "Here.. Roy.." he hissed in a whisper, parking the O2 where Roy was leaning over making his bed up with neat hospital corners. "Better hurry. Kelly says the bacon's on." Roy turned and surprised his partner when he had a still snoozing Bonnie draped over his forearm. "Maybe we outta use some of that 02 on her." he joked. "Even bacon's not rousing her outta her sleep this morning. Found her snoring away on my pillow." "I'm not surprised. She must've chased after hundreds of Kelly's off target soft ball pitches in the yard yesterday while we practiced." Johnny chuckled, taking the sleeping Yorkie from Roy so he could begin his self treatment off the mask. Roy took a pull off the O2, coughing when he felt the cool oxygen work its way down through the raspy tight spots in his left lung. "About time you guys started in. The tournament's next week." Johnny scoffed and not mildly. "We woulda started sooner if you hadn't changed your mind about joining the team." Roy sucked in another breathful of oxygen and coughed to force it out again. "You know I couldn't be a part of the games this year. Both kids are entering the little leagues. I've got games of my own to go to." John reconsidered as he stroked the sleeping Bonnie's head and straightened the red ribbon tied on a lock there. "I see your point. They come first." he said gently. He adjusted Bonnie's head on his arm so her loud snoring eased off into light sighs and he wandered over to the desk to give her a good brushing over with her wire brush. "I might as well get her cared for, too, while I can still get away with it." he said. Roy laughed. "Smart move, doing it now while she's still dead to the world. Didn't she almost take off your finger at the second knuckle last time you tried to brush her?" Johnny set shushing fingers over his lips as he sat down on Roy's bed to work her over cautiously like a barber with a barely contained powder keg. "Just keep busy over there." Gage whispered. "I'm watching ya closely. Breathe in deeper, you're not getting enough alveolially." he snapped in irritation that was completely faked. DeSoto complied with drawing in lungfuls so big, that his ribs cracked in protest, just to tease Gage. Johnny's mock stern expression likewise shattered into a bubbling look of you-got-me back. |
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Laughing to himself, Roy thought. ::Some day, Junior.. You're going to be an absolutely wonderful father. I'll make sure to give you plenty of contact with the kids so you can hone those skills even more.:: Bonnie remained oblivious to Johnny's ministrations where she lay like a rag doll on her back across the beige bedspread, still snoring softly. ------------------------------------------------------ Mike Stoker barely glanced up from his cooking when another odd breakfast comment from Kelly out in the bay floated in to him. "Man, is he being a little too obvious or what?" he whispered to Marco, who was arranging fruit into a wooden bowl for the table. "Yeah.." Lopez agreed. "I wonder what Gage and DeSoto are up to." They both shot glances at Cap, who remained unaware of anything out of the ordinary as he opened the morning mail while he watched the daily morning show on the television set. He cut his finger on the edge of an envelope and cursed until Stoker whistled aloud to get his attention. Mike tossed the metal envelope opener Hank had left on the table earlier, back over through the air to him. "Thanks, pal. I'll get a bandaid for this later." Captain Stanley continued to pour over the bills while Marco and Stoker kept nervously watching the door for the tardy Roy and Johnny. ----------------------------------------------------------- "Wait a minute. Wait a minute.You're back a day early because of an amniocentesis bill?" Johnny asked belatedly. Roy nodded reluctantly. Shy. "You mean to tell me you two are expecting again and you didn't bother to tell any of us about it?" Roy pulled away the O2 mask sheepishly. "What's to tell? I-I..I mean, a new baby on the way isn't all that important an event to even share here at work. Especially with this being our third." "Whatdiya mean not important, Roy? You're forgetting that we all didn't know ya yet when your other two kids were born. Thanks for excluding us from the news, buddy. Makes us feel real welcome and chummy here." Johnny complained. Roy played with the resuscitator in his hands. "Sorry. Didn't think you, or any of the guys would be interested in family matters." Johnny scoffed as he put away Bonnie's brush and began the long task of untangling her head ribbon and rubber band to replace them with a brand new red one, all without disturbing her rest. "How can we not be interested in your life, Roy? We know about Marco's sweet little enchilada cooking mother. And Chet's prankster sister and Cap's nagging wife..." To each, Roy nodded honestly. But then Gage spoke again. "And and..and you guys even get to hear all about my dates I go on every week." Roy didn't say out loud what he was thinking. ::Yeah, we sure do. Intimate details of all fifteen crash and burns logged to date in Johnny's little black book. :: What he actually said out loud was. "Didn't think you wanted to know about things like that. The pregnancy with new baby thing's kinda boring to anyone who's not married." "So.. What's that got to do with anything? So what if Stoker, Marco, me and Chet are still swinging single. We can still care about our crewmates AND their wives. Geesh. Give us the benefit of a doubt. We're friends, aren't we?" "I get constantly reminded of that." DeSoto quipped, hefting up the flowing O2 mask he still had in his hands. "So tell us all about how Joanne and the baby are doing over breakfast when we're through here." he suggested.. " or I'm gonna break the good news FOR ya." Gage said, putting on his stethoscope. "Now lean over with your elbows on your knees and fold your T shirt up. I'm gonna listen to ya while you're taking that in some more." Roy went through the whole rigmorale, breathing when ordered and holding his breath too, as Johnny got aural information of how his left lung was faring under the cleansing onslaught of the O2 treatment. Another minute went by with an edge of dizzyness setting in from the rich air intake, when Johnny announced. "Ok, you're through. That crackling's gone for now. We'll do this same thing tonight before lights out and maybe post rescue once more if we have to go into a fire today." he said in full medical mode. "If you say so. Bye.." Roy said, tossing down the mask. He scrubbed Bonnie's sleeping head once and made haste for the kitchen and the food that was a becoming a serious siren's call in his nostrils. "Hey! Aren't you gonna help me clean up here?" Johnny protested, indicating Bonnie's hairy brush, abandoned old ribbon and the O2 apparatus. "Nope." |
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--------------------------------------------------------------- Roy was halfway through emptying his plate when Johnny ambled in distractedly for his own morning meal. Marco and Stoker immediately began motions of drawing rings around their necks at Gage and looking urgent. Roy frowned, not immediately catching on and his active chewing slowed. His crewmates broke off their antics immediately when Cap came over from the rec side of the room to sit down in his customary chair by the station wall phone. Johnny was retrieving his eggs eagerly from the pan on the stove, so he missed all the warning hints from the rest of the gang. Roy missed them, too, still intent on smothering the hunger pains in his stomach that had been sharpened by his use of the O2. It was too late when Roy finally noticed what Marco and Stoker and Chet had been frantically hinting about. Cap didn't even blink when his eyes caught it. He glanced down again to fill his empty plate. "Nice stethoscope round your neck there, Johnny. Just be sure to have whoever it is you saw just now, run by Rampart on your next resupply for a doctor's check up to confirm what you ruled in or out." "Uh," Johnny stammered. He hastily pulled off the tattling device and coiled it up onto the table guiltily. "Yessir.." "And next time. I wanna know about it, too. First, before anyone else when you decide to examine someone for signs of trouble." Johnny nodded, rendered mute with instant remorse. Roy admitted. "He was looking at me, Cap. Tamped lung. We've just cleared it out with O2." Johnny and Chet and Marco and Stoker all glared at Roy for blowing their carefully crafted cover. Cap just kept on chewing. "Glad we got one honest fireman here this morning. Gage you got the can detail later for hiding him from me." "Aw, Cap.." Roy immediately protested. "It's not his fault. I just couldn't stay home another day without pay. My sick leave was all used up when I got electrocuted a month ago while that trainee was here. If you punish anyone, punish me. It's my fault for not levelling with ya on the phone last night when ya called on how I was doing." "Ok. You got mop detail. Vehicle AND kitchen floors. And the next time you stifle a physical symptom from me or Gage, you'll get a formal reprimand, is that clear?" Cap said. "Y-Yes sir.." DeSoto nodded, not daring to chew. "Last thing I need is a weakness in the man power chain I don't know about, Roy. I thought you guys knew well enough to tell me ahead of time whenever someone's not feeling one hundred percent ship shape so I can make plans for safety to cover for ya." "Sorry, Cap. I was thinking about my paycheck and not my own well being for a bit there." "Oh... New baby on the way, eh?" Cap said, immediately dropping his disciplinarian air. All the guys around the table just about choked on their eggs. "What? Why did ya keep us in the dark about it?" "Roy, that's terrific.." "Wow.. number three." "What do ya want this time? A boy or girl?" Roy held up defensive hands to those upset by not finding out sooner. "I- I- I just didn't think anyone would be interested, that's all, so pipe down and stop looking like I kept a secret from ya. Cap. How did you know we were pregnant here?" "I did the same hiding symptoms stunt with my captain when I had pregnancy check up bills to pay too. Only I tried to hide a sore shoulder and not a phlegmy chest. How IS he doing, Gage? Give it to me straight." Hank said, glaring at Johnny, piercingly changing the subject. "Just fine, Cap." Johnny mewed. "Now.." he glared at Roy. DeSoto threw up his hands. "Glad we're so chummy. I'm fine. Joanne's fine. Baby number three's fine. So can we get back to eating now that the hard talk and the small talk's over? I'm starving here." Cap's eyebrows rose in amusement. "Don't let me stop ya.." Arff! barked Bonnie as she arrowed into the kitchen after the scent of bacon. Cap noticed her new hairdo. "Ohmyg*d. Gage.. Pigtails? She looks like one of the Dale Singers from Hee Haw.." "Well... I had to make my move while she was still out. I was rushing a little. Had to watch her and Roy, too. You can always try and cut em off while she's eating but I don't think you'll get anything by her now that she's conscious. Heh." "I didn't need watching.." Roy complained. "Yes you did.." Cap and Gage said together. They both eyeballed each other and Johnny cleared his throat uncomfortably, despite of the fact that Cap's and his thoughts about Roy's health status being identical. Right then, full response tones rippled out of the overhead speaker. "Saved by the bell.." Gage mumbled, heading for the door. He was jogging for the garage full tilt when Bonnie barked to remind him to pick up something he had forgotten. Johnny skidded back to his seat long enough to grab an armful of fruit to hand out to the guys and his bundled stethoscope. Cap's authoritative voice rang out. "Roy, if this is a fire call, you're on the engine pumps. Stoker'll take your place until you're needed with any medical emergencies." DeSoto sighed and just nodded. But his humor was intact. "Does this mean I'll get the engineer's rate of pay?" "Funny man.." Hank hollered back from the alcove as he wrote down the response call's address and type. "I'll see what I can swing for you.." The gang fell silent as they geared up into turncoats and piled into the engine and squad for the roll out as Sam outlined details of the current soon to be reality run. ## Station 14, Battalion 9, Station 8, Station 51. Foam Truck 127, Battalion 14. Truck overturn and structure collapse. Pacific Coast Highway and Ventura Freeway. PCH and Ventura Freeway. Mile Marker 16. FD on scene reports freon is involved. Timeout 09:23.## "Oh, great.." Cap groaned sarcastically when he heard what chemical had been spilled. The run would be a major nightmare. "Station 51, KMG 365.." Hank acknowledged on the radio before hanging it up again onto its spigot. "Ok, gang. You heard the man. Let's roll. Get ready to gear up full SCBA and chem suits. No doubt Haz Mat's gonna be meeting us there." He caught one of the oranges Gage threw at him to eat on the way and three more for Chet, Stoker and Lopez. He began peeling Mike's to give to him piece by piece while he drove so none of them would have to go tackle a major rescue while hungry. --------------------------------------------------------- |
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------------------------------------------------------ When Station 51 arrived on scene, their jaws literally slacked opened. They couldn't believe what their eyes were telling them. One look explained it all. A huge storage tower, toppled from a roadside construction site had landed on top of the freeway. One of the worst motorist reactions Cap and the gang could see had been from a semi driver, whose rig skidded forty five to the right angle and had impacted the concrete viaduct crossing over the PCH. That bridge was now partially collapsed on top of the tower and truck. Luckily, only three cars were involved, but many many construction personnel were either DOA or only slightly injured. It looked like a triage area was only just starting. Hank spied Batallion 14, set up a safe distance away from the chemical smoking collapse scene. He was uncharacteristically in full SCBA and suit gear carrying a plastic wrapped HT in one hand. He was issuing commands from his car's mic in the other over the loud horn and radio frequency to all the arriving units. ##Station 51. Approach upwind to the north side. Use the right most emergency lane. CHP reports it's been cleared of fatalities. A construction site manager is claiming they have one of their men missing. See if you can locate that victim, then assist Truck 127 in laying down a protective foam over that semitrailer. The driver reports it's carrying liquid freon. We're still determining what other chemicals were stored in the tower. Stay clear of all visible spills and keep your air masks on at all times. Move any effected victims one half mile clear before rendering aid. Think of yourselves first. This is a Hazardous Triage Priority Protocol Scene.## ##Station 51, 10-4, Battalion 14.## Hank replied. Captain Stanley issued secondary commands to his engine crew and squad paramedics. Soon, they were all masked and roped and hose geared, walking cautiously, deep into the frightening grip of a full fledged, highly dangerous disaster scene. Chet's face was devoid of any light hearted mischief and he was all working firefighter in a way that rivalled Stoker's usual quiet professionalism. Roy began to wish he had stayed at home with Joanne's late first trimester nausea. Soon something happened that got Roy and Johnny's and Marco's immediate attention. A man was........ ------------------------------------------------ |
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******************************** From : "Cassidy Meyers" <killashandrarey@hotmail.com> Subject : In Deep Date : Mon, 30 Jun 2003 22:00:43 +0400 Tandem post with Leoseven@msn.com "John Allen" Acknowledgements to P. Keiper NREMT for the freon chemical consult in the Theater Files and Symptomology. --------------------------------------------------- .......staggering toward them, from about 50 yards away obviously dazed and confused. Just as Roy and Johnny started jogging over to the injured man, a call came over the HT. ##Engine 51 to HT 51. Marco, this is Cap. I need you with me.."## "10-4 Cap, I'm gum on your shoe." Marco replied. Lopez and the sunlit glow of his yellow bottle disappeared deeper into the tangle of fallen metal struts under the rising debris dust cloud surrounding them. Johnny looked at Roy, shaking his head, and gave him a look as if to say 'where does he get these expressions?' as they jogged over to the disoriented man. Roy and Johnny reached the stricken man just in time to each grab an arm to keep him from falling down backwards, as he blacked out. "Whoa there, we gotcha." Johnny reassured him, shouting through his SCBA and facemask. Roy and Johnny cradled his upper body and head deftly. The two fire fighters exchanged a look in mutual recognition that they had once again been in the right place at just the right time but as quickly, their expressions died away into those of fear. A nearby high pitched hissing made Gage and DeSoto break out into a sweat. "Let's get him outta here." Roy said urgently. Johnny gave a head nod of silent agreement and they began moving with the man to a far safer, upwind location. Other firemen joined them from the road in carrying him to a hastily erected triage location as they hurried out of the immediate area. They neared the squad and the engine and Cap came jogging over to them. "Johnny, Roy. Where'd you find this man?" Cap inquired with concern, shouting through his air mask. "He just appeared about a 150 yards back that way." Roy replied, motioning with his head over to the spot where they had seen him first. "I'll just bet he's our missing construction crewman. Let me know when and if he regains consciousness. He might be able to clear up matters faster than I can." Cap ordered. "Sure thing, Cap." Roy replied as they laid the man down on a tarp that had been placed on the dirt for them by Marco. Roy proceeded to check the limp man's vitals and breathing status while Johnny went to grab the gear. Cap clicked on his HT. "Engine 51 to L.A." ##Go ahead 51.## "On report of a missing construction worker, we have located one male, alive, but unconscious. Please advise construction foreman and get a description so we can verify that we have their man, over." Hank shouted through his SCBA. ## 10-4, Engine 51, we copy your advisement and will transmit description as soon as we have it.## "Copy L.A." Through somewhat squinted eyes, Captain Hank Stanley surveyed the scene and shook his head. Teams of firefighters waited at the edge of the accident scene while Hazmat crews and trucks swarmed over the tangle of twisted tower and truck, searching for other hot spots and freon sources. He saw one hazmat team gesture quickly for a hose team to wash down a pile of seagreen canisters that had tumbled out of the tipped over semi. Almost immediately he saw a curt double hand signal go out about two fatalities they had located by the truck and Hank felt a thrill of horror shoot through him even though he couldn't see anything from where he stood. "What a mess." he expressed with noted dismay and a hint of frustration.. Roy and Johnny were busy assessing the fallen man thought to be their missing worker. "Johnny, Roy? How is our mystery man doing?" Cap asked, looking away from the involved overpass and viaduct and back towards his men. Just then the man on the tarp began to regain consciousness where he lay on his side. "Sir, can you hear me?" Johnny asked as he caught the man's head in his gloves as he groggily rolled over onto his back. The man coughed and gasped for air as he awoke. "Y-" *cough* "Yes." replied the man. "Wh-?" he frowned at the sight of fully masked firemen kneeling over him. Roy spoke up. "Do you remember what happened to you? " "uhh-hg.." their victim moaned. "Sir, we need to know if anyone else was with you. Where were you? We've a site boss looking for a lost employee." Johnny said, leaning over into the man's face, holding his shoulders down so he couldn't rise. "And we have to find him A.S.A.P." DeSoto added. Something of Roy's urgency communicated to the man and he spoke again, but in a slow slur. "I-I was standing over by the water tower, over there." the man said confusedly in his half out state. Johnny grabbed an O2 mask from a resuscitator tank a backup fireman in a hazmat suit had left by them only moments ago. He strung it, and set it around the man's head. "Sir, this oxygen'll help you out a lot. Just try to breathe this in evenly. Not too fast." |
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The distressed man nodded, gripping the mask eagerly in trembling fingers and he struggled to breathe calmly. Gage shook his head and mumbled to himself. "Come on, wake up." Johnny looked up at Roy and tried a different way to get their badly needed information. "Sir, we know you're still groggy but we have to find out more about what happened around you. Others' safety may depend on it. What were you doing when the accident happened?" Still lying on his back, the man pointed wearily toward the place where Johnny and Roy had first seen him appear. But he didn't speak. He began to sag into a stupor. Gage grabbed a fold of skin on the man's neck and pinched firmly. "Hey,...Sir, were there any other people near you when the tower fell?" asked Johnny loudly. The pain roused the man. "No. *Cough* I was alone. By a construction trailer?" he puzzled, his memory proving unclear. Roy set a glove on the man's shoulder. "Ok, just try to relax. We're paramedics with the Los Angeles County Fire Department. We're gonna check you out to make sure you're ok, all right?" The oxygen was doing its job and the man was into better color and mental clarity. This time, the nod of understanding came sooner. Roy began. "Sir, do you still feel light headed or dizzy?" Johnny asked. The bigger, heavily dusted man coughed. "Yeah, a little. It was hard to breathe for a few minutes there. That gas was really strong." "Freon gas?" Johnny asked. The gasping man nodded. "Don't know what it's called. Just, whatever they were hauling on that truck!" he said, getting slightly agitated. "Easy.." Johnny said through his mask. "It's ok, you're away from there. Just take it easy." The man visibly fought being body uncomfortable and with effort, began to quell his chemical induced anger. Soon, he cooperated with his two rescuers even though it remained difficult for him to focus. "Ugghh... smelled like ether. Nasty stuff." replied their victim and he began to shiver. Gage said. "Ok, we'll get you cleaned off and warmed up real soon. Just hang on. I'm gonna get a blood pressure off your arm here, all right?" The restless man nodded and stopped thrashing his limbs. "Fine. Just hurry up, mister. I feel like crap." Roy picked up the biophone and shouted loud enough to be heard through his breathing apparatus. "Rampart, this is Squad 51." ##This is Rampart. Go ahead 51.## replied Kelly Brackett. "Rampart, we have a conscious male, age 35-40. He's recently regained consciousness on his own after heavy exposure to confirmed freon gas. He's experiencing some light headedness and dizziness. ##What are his vitals, 51?## Dr. Brackett asked. A tinge of worry slipped into his voice when he recognized his paramedic speaking through full containment gear. Roy replied as Johnny called them out to him in relay. "Vitals are: BP 98 palpated. Respirations are 22 and shallow. Pulse is 100 and slightly irregular." Back at the base station, Dr. Brackett finished taking the information down into his notes. ##Okay, 51. Put him on 15 liters O2 as near to 100% as you can if you haven't already and remove any contaminated clothing for a thorough washdown. But before he gets wet, send us a strip. I want to be sure that those cardiac arrythmias are from the freon and not from a newly occuring M.I. Get a detailed medical history. Note any preexisting cardiac or pulmonary disease. Positive findings on those will change my treatment plan. Roy, under no circumstances, are you to use epinephrine on him or any other freon exposed victims at your scene no matter what the cardiac situation. Freon's a myocardial irritant and any adrenaline type compound entered into their tissues will have the ability to kill them in short order. If that kind of situation arises, I'll advise other parasympathetics for your use. Start an IV of normal saline, maintain a good airway and continue a close monitoring of his vital signs. Treat for that developing shock. Also, be sure to check him thoroughly for signs of frostbite. Treat any you find later en route, after you've prepared him for transport. ## |
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