Public Safety Commissioner Michelle Lynch was invited to ride along with Fire Station 49, Wednesday October 11.
“This was my first ride-along. The ambulance ride was over seven hours. The Squad had to deal with two ambulance rides; one attempted suicide; a child hit by a car; a drug overdose; a cardiac arrest; one psych rescue; an elderly woman fell and an unconscious individual. I have so much respect for what they do. And my heart is hurting for people that are suffering.”
Lynch rode along with two Firefighter/EMT’s in the Squad vehicle; she stated that most of these calls were back to back with no down time or lunch.
“I was saddened to see how people responded on the road to an approaching emergency vehicle. Many people kept driving as they normally would as if no emergency was taking place,” added Lynch, “Some cars stopped in the middle of the road while others added hazard lights, but still stayed right where they were. The firefighters said this was a normal occurrence, that people often don’t follow the California driving laws that pertain to emergency vehicles and giving them right-of-way. I witnessed how this can affect response times.”
The Firefighters were kind and compassionate with all of their patients. “A homeless man who overdosed twice in two days was being aggressive with the firefighter,” stated Lynch,” he was treated with the same level of compassion as the elderly woman who fell.”
“Some things were hard for me to see,” Lynch commented, “I was emotionally drained by the end of the day and woke up the following day still processing some of the pain I experienced from people. We don’t give enough credit to our first responders for what they see, do and experience on a regular basis.”
Michelle Lynch has been a La Mirada resident for 22 years. She is a member of the National Association of Realtors and Pacific West Association of Realtors. She enjoys volunteering in the annual Love La Mirada service day event and the City’s Neighborhood Watch program and previously served for three years as a member of the La Mirada Community Foundation.
Fire protection and emergency medical services for the City of La Mirada are provided by the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD). The Department is the largest fire department in the nation with more than 2,500 uniformed and 400 civilian personnel. LACoFD firefighters and command personnel service two million citizens in a 3,177 square mile area. LACoFD Station 49 and Station 194 are capable of handling most fires and medical-related calls in the City.
Update: The ride-along was over seven hours, however Commissioner Lynch was not in the ambulance for the entire ride, which included two rides in an ambulance.
