All I Want For Christmas

The Christmas holiday is right around the corner.  Along with the joy of the season comes the tension of tragedy that is likely to occur.  Every emergency responder remembers that one call that rots at their gut, not only because of the circumstances, but because the time of the year makes it extraordinarily memorable. 

As a kid, I remember my father’s haunting was a double fatal house fire, while the parents were away and the kids were left in the care of a babysitter.  He never really talked about the emotions that plagued him and his colleagues.  Perhaps he thought I was too young. As the years wore on, and the stories continued, I began to understand the impact that call had on all the people who responded that tragic night.

The EMS veterans certainly have memories of the cardiac arrest call at a holiday dinner party, or the dreadful “unresponsive person” calls on Christmas morning that end up with a call for a coroner.  Surely, every cop remembers taking mommy or daddy away from crying kids during the holiday season, as well.  Bless them all for dealing so closely with the humanity of the holiday.   

One of my first bad memories was a crash with entrapment a week after Christmas.  Imagine my horror when I discovered the girl we were extricating was a friend of mine.  I think of her every year around this time when I hear a crash along that road, or whenever I see one of her friends during the holidays.  We really don’t talk about her any more, and I wonder if they remember her the way I do…battered and struggling for her life.  No matter how hard I try to remember her smiling face and her endless giggle, I can’t shake the image of her on that cold icy highway.

It seems like every year, there is some memorable fire in the days leading up to Christmas; fires that route people from their homes or apartments, destroying gifts, and memories and replacing them with nightmares that will last for decades.  In 32 years, I have seen more scorched Christmas decorations, and burned up Christmas trees than I care to see.  

So PLEASE, everybody, blow out your candles, check those old holiday lights, don’t overload your circuits, watch what you are cooking, be careful with your fireplace ashes, keep your tree watered daily.  Furthermore, celebrate wisely, and don’t drive if you have been drinking.  Keep your head cool, even if you don’t get the gift you wanted from Santa. 

All I want for Christmas is for every law enforcement officer, firefighter, and EMS provider to have a pleasant, quiet holiday.  I am hoping Christmas 2011 is the season that is remembered for having nothing notable happen.  A little snow would be nice, as well.