I have finally resigned myself to the fact that I will always be the little guy that they throw through the window. Alright I suppose that needs some explanation. I have been a firefighter for about 10 years now. So I have seen my share of car accidents. From the beginning I always wanted to be the guy that got to use the jaws of life. What are the jaws of life you ask? Well, it’s basically this tool we use for turning a car into a sardine can. If somebody wrecks there car real bad, that’s what use to get them out of it.
When we have to extricate a patient out of a badly damaged car, we pretty much always try to put a firefighter in the car with the patient(s). They can talk to them, reassure them, treat them, and so on. Well as you can imagine, if the car’s all trashed it can be a pretty tight squeeze for somebody to get inside. Since I’m not exactly the biggest guy on the department I am almost automatically selected for that job.
That used to really bother me. I mean let’s face it power tools are cool and the Jaws of Life are like a power tool on steroids. That’s the cool job man. I wanted to be the hero who cuts open the car. I didn’t want to be the contortionist who slithers into the back seat and sits sideways hunched over trying to hold the person’s head still in the front seat. Sometimes extrication can take a long time. It can be anywhere from uncomfortable to downright painful sitting inside the car. Or it doesn’t even have to be in the car. I remember one time lying face down in the dirt half away under the car to help a guy that was trapped underneath of a car. By the way don’t ever drink and drive…that’s how he got there. But I lied there face down in the dirt for about an hour as the crew above me worked on getting the car off of him.
It’s taken me a long time to accept the fact that I’m always going to be the guy they throw in the back of the car. I kind of felt like they were picking on me. But something occurred to me other day. We got to scene of a badly damaged car, and the driver was trapped inside. One of the guys said, we need to get somebody inside. Without even hesitating I shouted out that I would go in. I walked over to the car and another firefighter, without us even saying a word to each other, kneeled down with one knee up so I could step up on his leg to get onto the back of the car and then slip in through the back window and into the back seat.
I slid right into the position I needed to be in. Then I started talking to the patient explaining what they were doing, reassuring her, and finding out what was wrong with her. As they were popping the door and cutting the roof, it dawned on me. This is what I’m good at. If I were working the jaws of life…it would have taken much longer. But, Jim and Chris, who were outside the car, are really skilled with those tools. And if they were in the back seat where I was, they probably would not have done as good a job as I was doing to help that patient.
God has designed you for the job he has put in front of you. You have been uniquely created to be you. You don’t have to be anybody else but you.
Wow Don. Just browsing around on your site and came across this. That’s the real deal man. It’s too easy to get all vague and ambiguous and spiritual about our “gifts and callings” to the point where we’re really not doing anything at all. You’re story brings it home. Usually it’s during that “time in the dirt” that purpose and calling become most clear. Stay in the dirt man.