Looking Back

A lot has happened over the last two years during this first week of June.  I was thinking back and reflecting on it the other day, and I realized how much I have been through during this time, as well as my career.

June 1, 2011 was quite the day.  I have written about it a lot since the days that followed it, but the Springfield Tornado was one of the craziest days of my EMS career.  Two years later, Springfield still looks different.  All one needs to do is just take a drive down Island Pond Road and look at the lack of trees to realize how much the landscape has changed.  The rebuilding that has taken place over the entire region has been remarkable though, and people deserve to be commended for the work that they have done.

Taking a break on Island Pond Road. Photo credit – Dan Boissoneault

This picture is from the evening of June 1^st, and I think it might be the first time I actually got to sit down and take a break that night.  We were holed up a convenience store on Island Pond Road just blocks from one of the most severely damaged stretches of streets in the city.  Our dinner that consisted of whatever we could get off the shelves of the store, most of which was bought for us by now retired Springfield Fire Department Captain Stan Skarzynski.

Looking back at our choice of where we set up, it probably was not the smartest place to park our 15 ambulances.  At one point during our time there, we received a “take cover” order over the air.  We looked around and realized we really had nowhere to go except for maybe the back cooler in this glass front convenience store.  We got lucky though, and moved on to our next staging location unscathed.

June 2, 2012 was the day that I was motivated to aggressively start looking for a new job.  A couple of days later, I posted this post talking about the intersection in my life that I found myself at.  What followed was a very long six months of testing, classes, and worst of all sitting and waiting.  The end result one year later though is a happier and more content MedicSBK.

A few days after was a very difficult one for everyone working in Public Safety in Springfield, MA.  The loss of Officer Kevin Ambrose on June 4, 2012 was one that affected everyone whether they were there that day or not.  There was a lot of healing that went on for the next couple of weeks which continues today.  RIP, Kevin.  You were a great officer and a fantastic guy.

It has been one heck of a year, but I feel good about where I have landed.  Do I miss Springfield, and do I miss what I was doing there?  Absolutely, however there comes a time when each of us must do what is best for ourselves, and put those personal needs first.  That is what I did, and I am thrilled with how it all turned out.