Sneezing Cow » EMS

Special Emergency Lingo

MikePerry — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 07:10:43 +0000

In Population 485 I wrote of the little lady who called the ambulance and was then ready and waiting on her porch with packed suitcase at her side. Fellow named Steve emailed me to say his buddy Rusty (EMS long-timer) calls that a “Positive Samsonite.”

In related news, I figured I’d heard of every rescue mnemonic under the sun, until a guy approached me at a reading this spring and asked me if I knew what “BSDS” stood for. He said it was reserved for those real nasty calls that are such a mess you just stand there a second, trying to figure your best move.

I thought it over. Couldn’t get it.

“BSDS,” he said, with a big grin. “Better Start Doin’ Somethin’!”

Yessir. Been there.

Fire and EMS for Real(ity)

MikePerry — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 12:27:30 +0000

Quite a bit of first responder training lately*, and even a call or two. With every year (20 of’em now, if my math is right), I grow more grateful that I wandered into the firefighting/EMS world. I cherish the camaraderie, I cherish the shared language, I cherish the action, I cherish the privilege of being able to get in there and do our best to help, and above all I love how carrying a pager keeps me centered on the idea that each and every one of us is a mortal vulnerable being, so breathe deep…

*Yes, I hear you, you blue-shirted wisenheimers chuckling about me showing up at the wrong class in the wrong place…(inside joke).

Big Gray Ship

MikePerry — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:02:21 +0000

I can see it from my hotel window. Can’t see all of it, or a name on it. But it’s one of ours. Flying out here to Virginia, especially during the layover in St. Louis, I was surrounded by servicepeople in cammies. A corporeal reminder of what others give while we are off shopping, as it were.

Will be shooting the breeze with paramedics, EMTs, first responders and firefighters tonight. Home, sweet home, no matter where yer at. Tip of the cap to my NAAFD crew, and to the Emergicare bunch. Home soon, pager back on.

Rescue Rhyme

MikePerry — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 12:13:14 +0000

Due to my schedule I don’t make as many calls with my local first responder group as I’d like, and with book tour now pretty much underway I won’t make many or any for a while. But I enjoyed going to training the other night. It’s just comfortable to hang out in a fire hall with people who speak the language of smoke and rescue.

Safety is always big concern, especially when we work on or near a roadway. Nowadays we are required to wear reflective vests. Our training officer sent us a reminder email about this recently, and used a rhyme to drill it into our heads: “If your feet are on the street, your vest is on your chest.”

Looking forward to tour…but also looking forward to being back on the street, vest on my chest.

Powell’s Books Interview

MikePerry — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 09:20:18 +0000

Talked on the telephone with former ‘Sconnie resident Megan Zabel recently. You can read the exchange here. Honest, I didn’t set that pager off myself.

WQOW Interview

alissa — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 17:23:55 +0000

WQOW Interview

This is the uncut version.

Bald-Headed Author on Video

MikePerry — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 05:34:54 +0000

Videographer (and author) Steve Betchkal came by the farm recently and asked me about writing, New Auburn, and why it’s funny when someone gets hit in the head with a wrench.

The piece includes footage of my beloved hometown, and Steve even tracked down two of my high school teachers. He also interviewed Jay Moore, the host of the Moose Country morning show. I’ve written about Jay and Moose Country radio in Population 485 and Truck: A Love Story.

The full length, uncut interview is also available. I yap about my dad’s first milk cow, more about why I love New Auburn, the emergency service I run with now that I’m in a new township, and what my childhood neighbor Ramona said about me using big words. You can see one of my most cherished possessions – the genuine “Population 485″ sign – in the background. At the end there is also footage of me performing two Long Beds songs, Unplugged style. By the end, the sound and image aren’t quite in sync, but you’ll get the idea. I myself am not in sync.

Are you still on the New Auburn fire department?

MikePerry — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 01:58:29 +0000

In 2007, my wife and I had the opportunity to take over my mother-in-law’s farmstead near Fall Creek, Wisconsin. I am no longer in the New Auburn fire district, but am pleased to say I am now allowed to carry a pager for the local volunteer rescue service in my township, and I still make it back to “Nobbern” regularly to see the Beagle, help out at Jamboree Days, and attend the annual banquet with all my NAAFD pals. In other words, we’re still neighbors.