I’ve been working on a truck in EMS for almost forty years and some of the adages I learned in the first few weeks from my grizzled partners should be etched in stone. “Never order a meal that comes on a plate, kid, the second you touch it with a fork you are gonna get a call.” An absolute truth. “Don’t tell your wife or kids you are gonna be home on time, that’s the best way to guarantee a late call.” We pretty much avoid the question-and-answer at this point. “Never say the shift is slow.” If you’ve been in EMS for any amount of time you never break that rule and for good reason.
The adage that came crashing down the other day was never really true in the first place. “Put two folks from EMS in a room to discuss anything and you will never get them to agree.” I had the opportunity to discuss the upcoming documentary, “Honorable But Broken: EMS in Crisis,” with its producer Bryony Gilbey and we agreed on several things. Bryony is the proud mother of three EMS providers and has become a strong voice for the EMS community.
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The documentary is the first to be produced on EMS following COVID-19 and is designed to educate the public and advocate for providers. It reaches the conclusion that of course, EMS is an essential service and as such, should be recognized, mandated, and sustainably funded in every state. This aligns perfectly with the mission of the National EMS Memorial, which is to establish a permanent memorial in the capitol dedicated to the commitment, service and sacrifice of the nation’s EMS providers.
“Honorable But Broken: EMS in Crisis” centers on the tragic story of a young EMT who committed suicide, largely due to job-related PTSD, and how his experiences are far from unique. The film looks at the history of EMS and how it created today’s reimbursement model which doesn’t reflect reality. Interviews with EMTs and paramedics highlight the pros and cons of working in EMS today. Interviews with NAEMT board members, hospital physicians and politicians describe the problems associated with coordinating a siloed industry, the devastating staffing shortages across the country, and some ideas for solving this crisis.
Like the National EMS Memorial Foundation, the film recognizes a community that was acknowledged as essential in the first days of the pandemic, so much so that the leaders of this nation (and others across the world) took it as fact. EMS providers in every corner of the country rose to unprecedented and unknown challenges. Their families and loved ones endured the illness brought home from the workplace, the absence caused by endless quarantining, and the constant worry of an unpredictable profession. So many endured the pain and suffering of a loved one in critical care or their loss in a line of duty death. In other words, the commitment, service, and sacrifice of the entire EMS community, including providers’ families, is essential to this nation’s well-being. To say otherwise is an unsupportable position.
Everyone on the call was a member of that EMS community. Along with Bryony and myself were an EMS captain and the wives of two providers who have dedicated years of their lives to advocating for EMS and are essential to the memorial project. For one, the reality of working in EMS has meant the loss of a brother from injuries on the job and a sister who is permanently disabled. The group was a perfect representation of today’s EMS community. We concluded, without so much as a second thought, that we need to scrap the adage that the EMS community cannot agree on anything and replace it with a much more accurate and valuable truism: the commitment, service, and sacrifice of the nation’s EMS community is essential.
We are looking forward to the release of a film with such a strong message and positive perspective on EMS.
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James Orsino is the vice president of the National EMS Memorial Foundation and an EMT in Boston, Massachusetts.
