When people ask First Responders 'What's the worst thing you've seen?'

We all know what we want to say to those people. I figure, tell them the worst call and then go from there!

[TheWindigomonster]

"Whats the worst thing you've ever seen on the job?"

"My paycheck"

[NoNo_Notlikethat]

My answer has been "Do you want to laugh, puke, or cry? Because I have stories for all 3".

[marymohr]

I had a Biology teacher who was also a paramedic. With the things he would just bring up casually, I don't think I would have dared to ask what the worst thing he ever saw was.

[irateastartes]

As a veteran I can relate to this, ask us the funniest thing we've seen, ask us the weirdest thing we've seen, ask us the coolest thing we've seen, but never ask us the worst thing we've seen you won't like the answer and we don't want to remember it.

[DoubleGoon]

He's being quite tame. It's the cases where children are involved that are usually the hardest to handle.

[barkobama]

Only time I saw my buddy an EMT breakdown and cry was after a shift where he got to a car wreck where the lady was crushed into the footwell, there were bits of her all over but he checked vitals and got nothing, so he started gathering her up and halfway out of the car she said his name, and he realized she was alive and turns out she was his highschool English teacher. She died immediately after. Really messed him up.

[street]

I read an article a few years back that suggested that—if you felt you needed to say anything at all about their jobs—you ask things like “what’s the best thing you’ve ever seen?” or “what was your favourite outcome?” That gives the person the opportunity to think about and share real answers and true feelings instead of once again having to take care of others instead of themselves.

[marypimm]

When I first started in my fire department, a gal that I started with asked this question to one of the guys. He immediately grew very quiet and uncomfortable. She kept asking him over and over, just wording it in different ways until I finally cut in and asked what the most INTERESTING call he had been on was. He seemed so relieved to not have to relive whatever horrible experience was coming to mind.

[BritKap]

"What's the worst thing you've seen?" aka "Please relive a traumatic memory for my entertainment." I'll be honest, I've wondered what the answer would be, but I'd never ask.

[pate_wolf]

That’s why I ask for funny stories.
As a daughter of an EMT, you want them to tell good stories. And funny is the best.
Works with Military as well.

[RuSosan]

I asked this question once from a friend who works in geriatric care.

_I have _*_never_*_ felt as hopelessly stupid, terribly inconsiderate, deeply ashamed and utterly disappointed with myself than I did after he answered, and I realized I just vividly reminded him of an event where an elderly woman died in his arms._

[lilybliblablubb]

The paramedic who did our mandatory first aid course said he retired from active service because he had a teen girl die in his arms after a car crash that killed her and her friends, and apparently her last words were "You got mad beautiful eyes" as she looked at him all wondering, not comprehending that she was dying

[CountDravda]

I just tell people, “Well, I’ve had a patient die before. Doesn’t get much worse than that.” It’s truthful, saves me having to dig through my memory, and gently brings the questioner back to reality.

[ste]

"where do you put the tourniquet when its just shoulders?"

simple, round the neck

[lmaoroflcopter]

As a teenager doing first aid (St Johns) at a fireworks show.

Saw a young girl where her "friends" had put a lit firework in the hood of her jacket and threw her hood up.

Quick thinking bystander put the fire out grabbing a fire extinguisher from a fairground ride.

But the damage was done and her jacket had melted into her scalp, neck and back. It was so bad there was little we could do but cut away the unburnt jacket and keep pouring saline on the burns while we waited for the ambulance to get through the crowd. It was horrific to the point we were offered counselling to talk through what we had seen.

That remains the worst thing I've seen.

[danielleboon]

My brother in law is a paramedic. We were at their house when he was getting home (they have a pool and it was a hot day). He told my sister he was going to be antisocial that day because he had a “dead-baby call” and wasn’t up to visiting.

Seriously, I can’t even imagine. Those people don’t make enough for what they need to do

[WiseOldBill]

I still remember a paramedic friend telling me about how he had to watch a man burn to death because trying to cut him out of the truck was too dangerous, I didn't even ask him anything he just needed to vent. Gave him a beer and let him carry on.

I will never understand why people ask these questions

[debkunkel]

Sad thing is we know that's hardly the worst he's ever seen. People forget it's not a TV show and that there are real people that we are dealing with.

[dfwprodriver]

Made the mistake of asking my Dad, who was a state patrolman for 27 years, what the worst accident he worked was. The story was hard but was even harder was watching him go back to the scene in his head. That was hard. I apologized for asking but he said that he appreciated me letting him talk about it because holding on to that stuff is bad for you.

I have nothing but love for all first responders and I pray for them everyday.

[ThesmartestTem]

My older brother used to be an EMT when I was in high school. This man has no emotions I swear. And the most grim, sardonic sense of humor I've ever seen on a person. He's the type where if you asked him that question, he'd dead-ass give you a straight answer and probably laugh while telling it. But even still, I remember a few times when he came home from work, sat down on the stairs and just cried for a while. I don't even wanna know what those cases were.