Dec 21, 2014
Saturday’s cold-blooded murder of two New York City police officers has rocked the public safety world. The best emotion that I can come up with for myself right now is I am angry. Extremely angry. If you connect with me on any form of social media you have probably already seen some of my thoughts about it either reposted in the words of some of those who I follow, or in my own original thoughts. I feel like many, many people have failed the NYPD. The media has failed them, the mayor of New York City has failed them, and society in general has failed them. They have not gotten nearly the support that they deserve for the incredibly difficult job that they do, and that is what i want to write about today: support, but not for who you might expect from the tone of this first paragraph.
It is currently 2:30 in the morning. I am at work, and I have been combing my Twitter feed for the last thirty minutes or so since I got back to the station from my most recent call. That is when I saw this tweet posted by the NYC EMS Website’s Twitter account: “. . . no one talks about it but all the EMS EMT’s & Paramedics who responded to the 2 NYPD Police Officers who were killed carry a heavy load.” Far too often, the involvement of EMS is so quickly forgotten. I know, because I have been there.
I briefly mentioned in a blog this Summer a call that I did back in 2012 for an officer who was shot and killed and it was by far one of the most difficult runs that I have ever been part of, and it is amazing the difference that two and a half years can make. Just because of the incidents in New York City and Ferguson, Missouri this Summer, the climate in this country when it comes to not only law enforcement but all branches of public safety is rapidly changing.
A call like this one can completely change someone. It can ruin a career, and it can ruin a life. If ever there was a time to make public the struggles that EMS providers have with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder it is now. We need to look out for our Public Safety family on the other side of the Thin Blue Line, but at the same time we need to look after the EMTs and paramedics that are tasked with caring for them in their times of need.
So let it be known that I proudly and loudly support the men and women of the New York City Police Department, and I also support the men and women in the EMS division of the Fire Department of New York. Don’t forget them. The days and weeks to come will be difficult ones.