First responders never forget their first patients

Ralph Errisuriz not only works fire/EMS for ExxonMobil, but also volunteers his services in neighboring communities.

“Coming from Brownsville and moving up here, we would run into accidents all the time and just feel helpless not being able to do anything. So I was like, I’ve got to learn some of that. I’ve got to learn how to help people. That’s where it started.

“I’ve been a firefighter now for 20 years and I’ve been doing EMS for 11 years. There are so many stories. One thing I can tell you is that as a first responder you never forget your very first patients, especially the hard ones. Those are the ones where you remember every detail of what happened. If you have somebody in need and you do everything you’ve trained for, and you’re still not able to help that person survive, it’s pretty devastating. That’s where a lot of medics and firefighters kind of stop and choose a different career.

“Communication is the key. Just talk with somebody. Don’t keep it in. I have a lot of medics that I train now. I always tell them, look, whenever you get to that point, come talk to me because that’s the hump that you have to go over. If you make it over that and you understand that you can’t blame yourself, you did everything that you could, you did everything right, then you’ll be able to help the next person. No doubt about it, it can take a huge toll on you. But if you get stuck in that place, you won’t be able to be there for that next person who needs you.”

— Ralph Errisuriz