When I joined the rural ambulance culture in 1995, the whole trade / activity was in transition.  There was still a few local venders that worked in the village and would respond to a 911 page-out.  But the face of the service was rapidly changing.  People were commuting to Madison to work during the days.  Traditional "butcher-baker-candlestick-maker" shops were being replaced by antique and tourist nick-knack shops. Civic minded local volunteers - traditionally men - were being replaced by health care professionals and students. The new face of the ambulance service now was at least one half women volunteers. Most would have some kind of other medical background.  I and my usual partner, fit both the health care and student labels. 

    Also, our service had separated from the fire department.  We acted as two separate entities.  Another nuance that evolved was the fact that if an emergency call came in....say on a Tuesday morning at 10:00 a.m., it was quite possible neither the fire department or the ambulance would have a full compliment of people respond.  In contrast, if a call came in....say on Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m., dozens of people would show up.  As a result the ambulance at least, hired a person to sit in the building Monday through Friday during the day. They eventually ended up with two to three paid staff during my tenure volunteering and working there. And, I myself took paid weekend shifts for those couple years previously mentioned.  

    Because of my college classes it seemed that I ended up taking a lot of shifts on Thursday evening going into Friday morning - one year taking almost every Thursday night of the year.  But, by serendipity, I discovered an odd phenomena.  That night is about the time people stop calling the ambulance for the week.  They will suffer through an illness or injury throughout the weekend and then call on Monday mornings.  There used to be some statistics floating around on that trend.  It may not be relevant nowadays as the field continually changes.   But, one year our office person did a printout on our busiest days in a year's time - I had a total of four calls all year due to my notoriously quiet Thursday nights.

    To put a face on the strange "waiting behavior," an older classmate of mine in tech school suffered a stroke one Friday at his home in Madison.  Strokes can sometimes be affectively treated if special medication is given within an hour or so of the event.  When I saw him in class a few weeks later after his return to school, he had a slur in his speech and one side of his mouth and one eye drooped a bit.  He indicated he had got to the hospital, "Right away, first thing on Monday morning,....[after that fateful Friday]."

    "Why didn't you go in imediately on Friday," I asked. 

    He looked a bit stunned I would even ask such a question and then he said, "Well Bob, I sure did not want to bother any of those medical folks on their weekend." 
 
   Note: This blog "Jobs of Bob" Category does not list the jobs chronologically - I write about the experiences as they pop up in my memory and I often revisit an older job.  Go to the Cooldadiomedia Web site and the Jobs of Bob Page  for an ordered chronology.

                                  Wisconsin Military Service Person Special Mention of the Week
    (each week Cooldadiomedia mentions a Wisconsin service person killed in Iraq or Afghanistan)

    Army Specialist Kevin James Graham, 27, of Benton, Kentucky, and previously of Salem, Wisconsin, died on Saturday, September 26, 2009 in Kandahar, Afghanistan. He was killed in an insurgent attack on his vehicle using an improvised explosive device. Graham was assigned to 4th Platoon, Company Alpha, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division out of Fort Lewis, Washington. Specialist Graham was on his first overseas deployment when killed in action. 
    The Website afghanistan.pigstye.net noted quoting information from the Kenosha News that Kevin had always liked all things military and was a military history buff. The Graham family moved to Salem, Wisconsin in 1991. Kevin later moved with his parents to Kentucky in 2005. Kevin's father was a Vietnam War veteran. Aside from his military interests, Graham had a 1965 Pontiac LeMans he loved to work on; he also attended car shows and cruise-in car nights. Graham enlisted with the Army in September of 2007. His deployment to Afghanistan began in July of 2009. Kevin is remembered for his quiet nature, sense of humor, love of old cars, and trap shooting. The Website went on to say one of Specialist's duties was as a mortar carrier driver.
    In an obituary posting on the Website legacy.com using information from the Seattle Times notes Specialist Graham was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, A Purple Heart; the Army Good Conduct Medal and the Combat Infantry Badge. He had previously been awarded the National Defense Service Medal; the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Bronze Service Star; the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; the Army Service Ribbon; the Overseas Service Ribbon; the NATO Medal; and, the Expert Marksmanship Badge.
    The Website freedomremembered.com said Kevin was born on March 30, 1982. His civilian education was via Home Study Diploma which he received in 2000. He was remembered for taking in his stepson as his very own. The House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Kentucky read into official record a resolution honoring Specialist Graham. 
    At the time of his death Kevin Graham was survived by his wife Krystal Graham; his stepson Brian Graham; his parents Sandra and Daniel Graham; and, three brothers Scott, Sean and Daniel. Kevin Graham was laid to rest at Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Killeen, Texas. Army Specialist Kevin Graham was the 14th Wisconsin military service person killed in Afghanistan since October of 2001. 

         As of this blog entry's posting date:

   0 American/Coalition casualties in Libyan "Operation Odyssey Dawn" since March, 2011

    100,693 Iraqi civilians have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
    
    9,950 Iraqi Security Forces have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.

    4,455 Americans have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003. 

    1571 Americans have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.

    318 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.

    874 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001. 

    32,079 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Iraq since Spring, 2003. 

    11,191 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Afghanistan since October, 2001. 

    107 Wisconsin soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.

    31 Wisconsin soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.

    148 journalists (several nationalities) have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.

    21 journalists (various nationalities) have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.

    4 journalists (regional and independents) have been killed in Libya since March, 2011.

Wisconsin military service person special mention of the week, military casualty, and journalist casualty information sources: Committee to Protect Journalists; cnn.com; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; washingtonpost.com; thehighground.org;  Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs; iraqbodycount.org; www.defense.gov/news/casualty.pdf; and, icasualties.org.

 

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