All Clear - A Firefighter Health & Wellness Podcast
All Clear is a podcast that looks at the perils of modern firefighters, especially the physical and mental strains we face. Our goal is to help firefighters ignite The Fire Within and to build the best version of themselves as firefighters. Our conversations are real, sometimes raw but always honest. All Clear is presented by the NC Firefighter Cancer Alliance & First Responders Peer-Support Network.
All Clear - A Firefighter Health & Wellness Podcast
More Old Timey EMS with guest Ed McGaha
Have you ever wondered how the unsung heroes of emergency medical services adapt and evolve to save lives? Ed McGaha, a seasoned veteran of the EMS world, joins us to share a dual narrative that bridges the gap between past and present. He takes us on a journey that showcases the stark contrasts between the EMS he knew as a provider and the one he experiences now as a patient. Through his eyes, we see the trajectory of patient care, marked by leaps in training, equipment, and technology that have reshaped the landscape of emergency response. His stories serve not just as a testament to progress but as a heartfelt reminder of how these advances directly improve patient outcomes.
But it's not just the tech and tools that define EMS; it's also the fortitude and fellowship of those answering the call. Our conversation extends to the raw, often unspoken psychological toll taken on first responders. The episode peels back the veil on the deep bond between partners, the discipline honed from enduring back-to-back crisis calls, and the use of dark humor as a way to preserve sanity in the face of relentless trauma. While the narrative may be grim at times, it's punctuated with an undeniable spirit of camaraderie and an unwavering commitment to service.
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This time all clear more old timey EMS it's 2024 starts to crank up we wanted to start off our second season with a visit back with one of our most popular guests, Ed McGahat, as his son.
Speaker 2:I have the privilege of being able to enjoy his wisdom insight regularly, so I wanted you, our listeners, to have the same chance to sit down with him and listen to how times change from when he was a provider to now being a patient of the same system.
Speaker 1:Also, we get a chance to hear a few more old war stories that will definitely make you smile.
Speaker 2:Dad, it's good to sit down with you again. I'm sure you know this that you are our most popular episode, the old timey EMS episode that we did, where you were talking about how training wasn't necessarily a huge thing years ago. That has been gangbusters. I know it was really popular. I know that. I just want to take a few minutes just to sit down it's just me and you today, Eric's not with us Just to follow back up with what we were talking about. You were talking about how you've had your experiences as both a care provider, being an ambulance driver but you've also been a patient as you've gotten older. So, with that happening, what are the differences that you see from a patient standpoint at this point in your life compared to what kind of services you guys rendered? How would you say things are better now?
Speaker 3:You wouldn't believe. First of all, I think of the EMS here in Concord or the top of my list. I said they are great. They took care of me quickly. I had that episode Latin Pistale, I sick, dehydrated and all that. And my wife called the EMS to come out and check me. And they came out. When they come in they come through the door with a bag full of equipment, water, all kind of stuff, first aid and this and that. And I said they walked in there and I said the EMS.
Speaker 3:He walked over where I was at and when he walked up he had a stethoscope. He took my blood pressure, put some on my finger on it Probably blood oxygen yeah, it could have been. And he asked me a bunch of questions and we talked and so they decided to transport me. I said I was the first for me to ride in one, but anyway, I said I agree. So we started out with them out in front door and I looked and about four or five more standing in the yard. I think I love to have them back in the days and still be there and buy my things, just as you and Joe were the only two at the time.
Speaker 3:Later, yeah, yeah, I said they were there for backup. I said that was never heard of.
Speaker 2:In all fairness, we live right near the local fire station and everybody knows where I live and they know where you guys live and they've been out a few times. But honestly, things are different now and you brought up a good point when we were talking. You said last time you guys didn't have radio until a little bit later in your career. And now I think a lot of folks take it for granted that when they get in the truck or they get in the ambulance they've got the computer screen there that tells you where you're going, tells you how to get there, it's got GPS, shows you all that the information from the call, all that's right there on that cad so that you can see and you know exactly what you're walking into. Yeah, and do you think that would probably made your job a little easier years ago?
Speaker 3:Definitely we walked out. We looked, found the address where it was going on the wall there on the map and walked out the door. Again we didn't have any communications. We really didn't know what we were walking into. But when I was transported with the EMS here and where we live in our county, that one I got in the ambulance, the guy attending the back he popped the IV in me, started giving me fluids because he recognized that I was dehydrated.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 3:Then I looked over and there's another attendant sitting over with a computer typing in and I asked myself. I said why are you going there? He said I'm taking information. I said okay, really. And anyway we started off and we were going up the road and I looked at the attendant there attendant to me. I said I think I'm gonna be sick. I said I'm gonna, I think I'm gonna throw up and I said they don't like that. Yeah, I said that ain't gonna be pretty. I said you better get something for me to throw up in. You better get something big. I said I'm sick. He said I'll take care of that.
Speaker 3:I said he took something out of his bag, popped it in the IV within two or three minutes. I was a well person. He asked I can't believe that I need something out of myself. Anyway, we got to the hospital and went into the hospital. He has already diagnosed what was going on, started the IVs and everything. So he spoke to the nurse and they communicated and they put me back in a room. But back years ago and the old time, nothing like that was possible. That was unheard of. I said when you got to the hospital back then they don't know what was coming and a lot of times they had to get permission, start IVs and all that. I said this was already done when I walked in the door.
Speaker 2:That's one of the things that we talk about a lot is continuity of care. A lot of times a fire department and our trucks are the first folks we get there before EMS does we, whatever we do, we tell EMS immediately and typically we'll stay on site and help out a little bit. But from that point to when you're in the ambulance, information is being fed back and by the time you get to the ED man, they know you're coming, they know pretty much what's going on and the good part about that is it's almost seamless and hey, you're here, you're doing good and yeah, I have a lot of respect for our guys here. Oh God, we're not just fired for them, but EMS and EMS is taught, not.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I love the EMS and the video. After they put me in a room, I told the boy that brought me out. I said I'm a very good guy. I told him. I said I'm a well man. He done everything and I was feeling good. I was ready to go back home.
Speaker 2:These guys are good at what they do. Oh, they were the best and we hope we don't need them, but at least we know they're there. But it's funny you and I, when we were talking a little bit before we started recording we talk about how information's passed along and stuff like that. I know one of the things that's big now having the police department have PD on scene. They'll be there a lot of times, particularly if it's any type of violence or drugs or anything like that. They'll be ready to go. In your time did you ever walk in on something where you wish police had been there, or maybe they hadn't gotten there yet?
Speaker 3:I had to have a couple of times. We got to a call again, didn't know what was going on, going for it pulled up in the yard. We got out, got stretched out and his leg just had to end in the yard. She said my husband's in the house, he had too much to drink anyway. Anyway, I said okay, we're going to talk to him. He said oh, he's got a gun. Good information I have. I said I need to know that. I write myself out. And it was probably five minutes and police come up and they looked around and said I ain't going in. Yeah, you don't get paid to get shot at. I said you can get going in there, but anyway, they got it handled and everything and the two. We got another call. They called us one night. They only had five, two or three o'clock in the morning. Nothing good happens after dawn.
Speaker 3:Oh, anything after dawn and the operator got me off guard. I happened to answer the phone and she said talking about Little Texas and I thought all right. I said ma'am. I said this is a conch for North Carolina and I hung up on her and she called right back and said no, she said there's a call for an ambulance up on Little.
Speaker 2:Texas road and for context, that's in the next town over from where we are now and yeah, I can see how that can be confusing, particularly back then.
Speaker 3:But two or three o'clock and y'all got out. I wasn't prepared for that one, but anyway, there was another one who didn't know what was going on. We pulled up and it was like I call it out.
Speaker 2:Like a borrower and a bar or something like that.
Speaker 3:Play for two o'clock in the morning, you can figure. And we, well again. We walked in just how nobody there but me and him. And when we walked through the door, we're seeing the guy laying on the floor over there. And we started over to check him and there's another guy standing there that wanted with a pistol in his hand. He said y'all don't need to check. I said no, sir, we're good. I said we're good. So we backed out again and can. That's, the full East finally showed up. And how, in the situation.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:You don't watch coming up on me.
Speaker 2:I never knew. Yeah, I think back to when I was doing my training for EMS the instructor we had. He told multiple stories about how they would show up on a scene and there would be some question that maybe somebody was on drugs or somebody had a weapon. And he talked about one day when I got turned around and had a baseball bat right between his forehead where he'd been hit, and he was still walking around. You don't know what you're gonna get into and it can be really complicated sometimes. And not only can you have problems not know what you're getting into, but what about when you have to figure out what to do when there's no instructions written for?
Speaker 3:it. Oh, that's a whole different story. Again, you say when you get a call you don't know what on what situation is. And we got a call to a plant and we pulled up and we thought maybe somebody passed out or got cut Like a meat packing plant.
Speaker 2:That's what she said.
Speaker 3:And we walked in and looked and the guy had an arm stuffed in a sausage, got his arm hung in a sausage grinder that don't even sound good.
Speaker 3:No, it wasn't pretty sight. And we looked at him and it was a big pan that sausage grinder was attached to and I said we're sitting there, what we're gonna do is we couldn't back, get his arm out. So we decided we got some tools and separated him and the pan from the machine and loaded him and the pan, both of enamelists, took both of them to the hospital.
Speaker 2:So you had a patient and part of the machine in there.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we loaded it all up cause we didn't know what else to do. Why there give us any kind of instruction? And then we went in the doctor looked at it and they were they stunned on that. So we took one up to the surgery and they still was trying to decide how to handle it and they decided to call the maintenance crew from the hospitals. They came up first with some tools, ranches, and separated the grinder from the pan and they finally could get his arm out.
Speaker 2:So it sounds like that everybody was lost, but you had to get the maintenance man involved to get him done.
Speaker 3:Yeah, everybody had to get involved.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's funny how that still happens today. Usually, the maintenance man that you don't think knows anything is the one that fixes the biggest problem.
Speaker 3:Yeah, he saved the day right there. Yeah, cool, yeah, but the lead, no, got to handle but been nice and old and what was going on, and that's hell.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know mom was showing me a scrapbook last night that she had that had stuff from her career your career and one of the things that I thought was funny and you mentioned this last night was the fact that when the ambulance company actually got a radio, it moved into newspaper.
Speaker 3:It made the newspaper. Yeah, they didn't say it was only one way communication hey, take what you can get. Yeah, well, it takes all we can get. Wow, yeah, so that helped a little bit, but it still been nice to have somebody there.
Speaker 2:We'd be to let you know what you're getting into. You know what you're getting into, so yeah, we. So you had pretty much the same partner the whole time you were riding didn't you Basically yeah, A man and another boy, yeah. Because I met Joe growing up, so I knew him.
Speaker 3:He was great and, like I said, he was only three or four of us and we'd get real busy. And sometimes I know that men my father and we'd be at the hospital with a patient and they'd get another call. They had to call the emergency room and let them know that they needed somebody else to help them. So I had to leave my buddy work off the road and stand on the side of the road and the ambulance come by and pick me up. We made the second call I had to keep swapping out.
Speaker 2:Yeah, keep swapping out.
Speaker 2:I bet that made for busy nights and quick nights. Yeah, it was a lot different. Yeah, I know that you did some time in the Marine Corps and you said that was about the same time that you were doing this and it all stacked up. Do you think, coming from the military Because that's a pretty common thing we see now Folks that come from the military wind up EMS, fire, police, different first responders Do you think any of the things that you experienced there helped to prepare you for what you were doing and deal with these crazy situations?
Speaker 3:Maybe that the training to get in the military is hard training, but anyway it prepares you for any situation and to not panic Right when you come up in a situation, how to not panic, just handle it. So I kind of helped with us that we come up on a situation and the big thing was not to panic, get excited or anything. It kind of worked.
Speaker 2:I know when I was learning to drive then you were teaching me. I know you were very patient and you never got upset, although I'm sure you were hanging on for dear life a few times, pumping an imaginary break.
Speaker 3:Oh, yeah, so bored.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but yeah, being calm does go a long way, and I know one of the calls that you had talked about before. You had people that wanted to come up and help, maybe people that were around. How did that ever work out?
Speaker 3:Yeah, back then it's not like now. Where did you got help? And every once in a while somebody would run can we help you? Can we help you? And that's true, we didn't want them to because we've done our job. But we had an accident and the guy had his head through the windshield and he bled out right there before we even got there. Anyway, we was getting him out, these two boys coming running over, can we help you? Can we help you? And he took one look and he passed out there on the ground and we finally got the situation under control and loaded up. I told the buddy, I said you better get him out of the road, he can get right over. And we drove off. Yeah, this is another time that you just don't never know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and people have good intentions, but when they encounter the realities of what can be, if you're not prepared for it, you're not going to do well with it. And that's a lot of what me and Eric talk about through our podcast. I know you've listened to some of them. Sometimes you carry this stuff with you for years and you might not think about it for 30, 40 years and then all of a sudden you think about somebody with their head through a windshield and, yeah, it's interesting.
Speaker 3:Yeah, because when you face a situation you really have to act. And I know one occasion was taking a patient had been in a house fire or he was pretty well burnt and we had him in our rubber bag and we got to the hospital and they told us just take him on down to the morgue. So we got on the elevator and going down to the morgue and then I remember this one.
Speaker 3:Yeah, there's an instructor there. She had four students with her and she asked me. I said what are you all got? And I said, yeah, we got a patient that's in a house fire. We take them down to the morgue. She says can we see it? You're my student, see it. I said yes, ma'am. Yes, if you want to unzip it. By halfway they all started hollering and turned pale, scared them to death, but it just yeah, when you're not used to it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I remember in training that I've done they've shown videos and films and pictures and you start out with a room of 40 people at the beginning of the semester at school but when you get down to the end it's down to 10, 15, because people just can't deal with it. And yeah, I could just imagine those kids not being ready to see that. But, yeah, like I say, being calm and being focused and prepared, it helps, but it doesn't fix everything and that's. I can't talk a whole lot about it, but we had a fatality fire a while back that I was the investigator on, and when you realize that there are people that have lost their lives, or you realize that somebody's not gonna have their kids or their mom coming home, there's some reality that sets in on that. But when we laugh about things like we talk about in these stories, a lot of people that maybe haven't dealt with stuff like that before might think it's grim or dark. But dark humor is really an honest way that we deal with these problems. And, yeah, I appreciate you taking time to talk about it a little bit more.
Speaker 2:I was listening to a podcast, another one that was talking about Driver's Ed films and you remember back in the 50s and 60s. Driver's Ed films are really bloody and gory. There were people like photographers and cameramen that would sit around the police department waiting on an accident. They wouldn't get out there before AMS or whoever and they'd be filming the people laid out on the ground. And they did it because it was a financial gain for them. And I've heard stories that there were other unscrupulous people. I don't think that was necessarily the case.
Speaker 3:Sometimes somebody had an accident or whatever. You were at with cameras. Did I do something that?
Speaker 2:Nowadays, everybody's got a cell phone with a camera built in, everybody's got security cameras around their house and it's not uncommon now for, when there's an accident, to have 10 different video angles of what happens. Yeah, things have changed, for the good and for the bad, but, like I said, you and your wisdom and experience with this stuff definitely comes into play, and I just want to give folks another chance to get wisdom from you. Yet and done. I appreciate you taking time to talk to us.
Speaker 1:You have been listening to Paul Clear all clear as presented by the North Carolina Firefighter Cancer Alliance and the first responders Peer Support Network. This program is hosted and produced by Travis McGeach and Eric Stevenson. Visit our website, allclearpodcastcom, where you can contact us and leave feedback. If you like what you hear, please share this podcast with someone. The opinions of guests do not necessarily represent the views of the podcast. This podcast is recorded with these scripts and with technology that is provided by Cortec and Futures. We'll see you soon and, as always, light your fire within.
