Most of us have had some type of an emergency.
A sprained ankle, broken knee, car accident, heart attack, etc. Besides saying thanks for the help after peril has run it’s course, first responders go back to work and wait for the next emergency.
The amount of people it takes to care of one person in an emergency can be staggering. I once did a photo shoot at Santa Rosa’s Memorial Hospital in the trauma ward. One afternoon, a child was brought in with a nail in the head. Not a small one to hang a photo with, but one of those big 16penny jobs. During this trauma, I counted 23 different people in the room at once. Every person had a specific job, putting together pieces of the puzzle that became a seamless tapestry of work. The child survived thanks to the people involved.
On Thursday evening, I had a chance to photograph first responders reuniting with those who had been saved after heart attacks, car accidents and other unfourtunate debilitating incidents. It was a moving experience for most during the Sonoma County Paramedic Association Survivors Reunion at Benziger Family Winery in Glen Ellen.
Tim Savatieff of the Spokane area, reacts to good wishes from his rescuers, from left clockwise Janet Doty of Sonoma Life Support, Brian Gude of Palm Drive Hospital, Travis Browne of Gold Ridge Hospital, Eric Stephens of Sonoma Life Support and Dr. Steven Crane of Palm Drive Hospital, Thursday May 20, 2010 during the Sonoma County Paramedic Association Survivors Reunion at Benziger Family Winery in Glen Ellen. Savatieff collapsed while visiting friends in Sebastopol and was given CPR by his wife and emergency personnel. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2010
Yessenia Cruz Pineda is greeted by one of her rescuers Ray Spradlin of the Santa Rosa Fire Department, Thursday May 20, 2010 during the Sonoma County Paramedic Association Survivors Reunion at Benziger Family Winery in Glen Ellen. Cruz was struck by a drunk driver while waiting for a bus with her family. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2010
Odds and ends:
It’s been raining. Everything seems to be pretty green. Some parts of Lake and Napa County have almost dried out. Hillsides in Sonoma County are starting to cure as are some of the flat areas. Fire season is not far off.
In Southern California near Corona yesterday, 800 acres burned. It’s the second large wildland fire in the past week in Riverside County.
Thanks to new blog readers:
Nancy, Audrey, Judy, Donna, Lori, Mary and Kimber
