Stress Relief - A Weekly Article from the Fire & EMS Chaplain

"...Paul stood up before them and said: "Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss."

- Acts 27:21(b) (NIV)

A couple of weeks back, one of our crews went in on a "man down" call. Though the details are a bit sketchy to me, let me try to describe what happened.

Usually, on a "man down" call, we are given "staging" instructions. In other words, if it can't be determined why the person is down, we must assume the worst... perhaps they have been shot or stabbed and the assailant is still in the area.

Anyway, I'm not sure why, but this particular crew didn't stage on this call. They got on scene, before law enforcement, and find a man laying in a mud puddle. As the crew approached him, the man suddenly, and violently, attacked the duo. Both medics ended up injured at the end of the scuffle. The patient? A crackhead who apparently thought the medics were cops... or something... who knows?

The point is this; the medics knew better going in. They had failed to follow instructions and basic training. They knew what could happen. Now they are paying the price.

Just like our verse this week. The Apostle Paul is being transported to Rome by ship as a prisoner, for speaking boldly about our REAL CHIEF. Before the ship had left the island of Crete, GOD had spoken to him about the dangers of leaving that day and the perils ahead. The result? Their ship ended up being battered against the rocks. Paul was simply saying to them, "You didn't listen to GOD's advice... look what happens."

Listen when you are given good advice... like staging on a possibly violent scene. It can prevent you from getting you and/or your partner hurt.

Listen when our REAL CHIEF gives you counsel with HIS WORD - the BIBLE. HIS advice will save you lots of pain as you serve...

...On HIS Shift,

"Yeah, I Know"

July 20th, 2003

"Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil."

- James 4:14-16 (NIV)

Have you ever met a know-it-all on the job before? Not necessarily on the job, but anywhere? You know the type, right? Every time you mention anything about any topic, how do they answer? "Yeah, I know... I used to... or I once did..." You get the picture.

More often than not, they know only a very little about what they bragging about. I sure you have seen it out there on the streets. New hire (yep... probie) comes on board.

"Okay, probie," you say, "this is the hose that we use for interior attacks most of the time."

The probie answers, "Yeah, I know. I put out a fire by myself with one of those once."

Then, an hour later, you catch a working box and you watch as the probie grabs the wrong line off of the truck. Why? Because he was so busy trying to impress you with his knowledge, that he wasn't paying attention to a thing you were trying to teach him.

Now, it could very well be that this type of person is trying to cover up feelings of inadequacy and/or has a poor self-image.

The point is; bragging is wrong. Oh, and I'm not innocent, either. I admit that I have boasted. I hope I haven't been a know-it-all. But, to anyone I have ever offended by my boasting, I humbly apologize.

If you encounter a braggart on the job, listen to them. Then, with compassion, ask them to listen to you as you continue with your teaching. Gently steer them down the right path. THAT is how you can help others learn how to serve humbly,

...On HIS Shift,

"Giving Credit Where It Is Due"

July 13th, 2003

"Then Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and give him the praise."

- Joshua 7:19(a) (NIV)

HALLELUJAH! I Passed!

For those of you who have been following these articles every week, you might know that I have been in the Emergency Medical Technician - Intermediate course since March of this year and that I took my National Registry exams over a two day period a couple of weeks ago. Well, the results were posted on the Registry website Friday... Written exam: Passed, Practical Exam: Passed.

The State of Texas just switched to National Registry (National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians) testing this year and it is a tough exam...far tougher than any State exam I can remember. Ask anyone who has taken it... at any level.

And, I want to give credit where credit is due: THANK YOU, LORD! And, thank you to all who have prayed for this.

You see, you have to do your part: you have to study and to pray. The instructors have to do their part: impart knowledge.

But, ultimately, it is our REAL CHIEF who, by HIS grace, allows you to achieve things. Those "things" include your job, your wife, your kids, your house, your food, the air you breathe, the sun to light your day, the.... well, you get the idea. It is GOD who deserves your praise. It is GOD who deserves your thanks.

I thank HIM for good instructors. I thank HIM for giving me the desire to study. I thank HIM for recall when it came time to test. I thank HIM for the opportunity to serve...

...On HIS Shift,

"Emergency Dispatching"

July 6th, 2003

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

- Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV)

Dispatching has got to be a tough job. High call volume = high stress, I am sure. All of us have some good dispatchers. And, unfortunately, I think we all have some dispatchers who fall short of the mark.

The area of town in which I work has a very high likelihood of violence on many of the calls we answer. Most of our dispatchers seem to do a good job screening the call for potential violence. However, it seems we have to "pull it out of them" by asking a lot of questions of them while enroute. For example, dispatch might send us on an "unknown problem" call. All they will give us is the address. We will then have to ask, "Do you have any further information on the call?" or "Is law enforcement enroute?" I don't think we should be having to pull that information out... it should be automatic. The dispatcher should say, "Medic 91, an unknown problem, third-party caller stated your patient is threatening suicide and has a weapon. Law enforcement has been notified. Stage away from the scene."

A short while back, we were dispatched on a "man down" call. The scene? The relatives of a murder victim grieving. The scene was a homicide that another unit made earlier in the evening. The only reason WE knew that, is because we recognized the map page from the earlier shooting call. You see, dispatch didn't bother telling us it was the scene of a homicide and that law enforcement was already on scene. You can see, I hope, the potential of harm to a crew when we are NOT given all the important information.

Our REAL CHIEF gives us all of the information we need, as HE "dispatches" us with this week's verse... " __________ (fill in your name), you are to go spread the word about ME and My love to all of the nations. You are to baptize them, you are to teach them. I have given you all the instructions. By the way, I AM your 'partner' - because I AM with you always."

When your earthly dispatcher sends you out, you might need to ask some questions to get the real story. When CHRIST "dispatches" you, all you have to do is respond to HIS will. Answer the call on your life and respond with confidence....

...On HIS Shift,

It is my prayer that the verses we discuss help each of you as it has helped me deal with the amount of stress we are all faced to deal with.

If you are not yet saved, I have Good News for you. Jesus loves you very much and His Holy Spirit is drawing you to Him. To learn more, click here.

STRESS RELIEF is written every week, usually on Sunday afternoons.