Central Dispatch: "Company 60 medic unit,
medic 9-8 respond for cardiac arrest at 321 Boulevard Drive, 1424
hours." Medic 9-8: "Medic 9-8, 10-8" Central
Dispatch: "Medic 9-8, 10-8 for cardiac arrest at 321
Boulevard Drive, 1425 hours." Central Dispatch: "Medic
9-8 you are responding for a 16-month-old female, unconscious,
unresponsive, not breathing, no pulse. Respond to 321 Boulevard
Drive, 1426 hours." Medic 9-8: "9-8 copies patient
information."
The above lines briefly exemplify what is communicated
between a dispatch center and an EMS crew responding to an emergency.
Everything is repeated and/or acknowledged by both parties to
identify and eliminate any mistakes that are made. The codes are
used to reduce radio traffic among all emergency units.
Unfortunately, the above scenario is not fictional.
This same type of emergency occurred three times not long ago.
During one such occurrence, I was at the hospital, having just
delivered a patient, when my colleagues arrived with a 16-month-old
girl in cardiac arrest. I assisted in transferring her from the
ambulance to the emergency department where the staff assumed
resuscitative efforts. The parents arrived soon after. Although
the EMS crew and emergency department staff made a valiant effort,
the little girl died. The anguish that overtook the parents was
heart wrenching to see. Within a span of thirty minutes this mother
and father went from happiness to despair by the unexpected death
of their young daughter.
EMS providers see life's most horrible situations
every day, and each provider deals with these situations in his
or her own way. Emergencies occur without warning or prejudice
to the individuals involved. While the family and friends grieved
the loss of that beautiful little girl, I took comfort in knowing
her soul was already in paradise.
The Bible states in Matthew 18:3 that unless we
become as little children, we will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
This teaches us that children, not having the cognitive ability
to understand the responsibility of Christianity, will be given
a place in heaven if they die prior to reaching an age when they
will be held accountable for actions that they have committed.
Is that thought not comforting? Fortunately, the same reward is
offered to those of us who choose to live in Christ and are prepared
when our time to leave this earth comes. Those who hear the word
of God (Rom. 10:17; Matt. 7:24-27), believe the word of God (Heb.
11:6; Mark 16:16), repent of their sins (Acts 2:38; 17:30; Luke
13:3), confess Jesus Christ as the son of God (Matt. 10:32-33;
Acts 8:36-37), are baptized into Christ (Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom.
6:3-5), and remain faithful all their days (Rev. 2:10) will be
rewarded with eternal life. How wonderful it is to know we have
a God who loves us so much that he sent his only son to earth
to be a sacrifice for our sins. What an opportunity! If we all
would only choose to exercise the opportunity that God has given
to us!
Just as I took comfort in knowing where that little
girl's soul would spend eternity, we also can take comfort in
knowing where we will spend eternity if we obey God. God is willing
to give us the opportunity and the tools to be successful, if
we choose to use them. We all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God (Rom. 3:23). I have no doubt that anyone reading
this article would pick up a phone and call 911 to save his or
her physical life or that of a loved one. I encourage anyone who
has not already done so to pick up a Bible and follow God's plan
of salvation to save his or her spiritual life. We know not when
our time to leave this earth will come. Are you ready? -132 Carlton
Dr., Inwood, WV 25428.
(Editor's Note: Jason Taylor is an Emergency Medical
Service provider and a member of the Central Church of Christ,
Martinsburg, WV. He is married to our daughter, Elisabeth. His
love for and dedication to help those who are in great physical
and spiritual dangers are very commendable.)