02:30PM-  Ive started keeping a journal on here to document the Pandemic from an EMS point of view. There are 7 other entries prior to this but i dont feel comfortable sharing them yet. For now some of these will be public and some will not.

Yesterday we had a code. The call was for SOB and our new protocol is we knock on the door and ask if the patient can come out and we do our assessment from outside. We were first on scene before Fire and I did just that. The RP inside said she cannot lift them and they won’t get up. I asked if they were still breathing. She said “I think so, but he’s really sweaty.” I had all crew members take COVID precautions. I put on my mask, goggles, gown and gloves. I was the first one suited up so i went in first. Its broad daylight. The house has blackout curtains and 4 of the dimmest lightbulbs in the world. I pulled out my flashlight and they were gray but still warm. No pulse, not breathing. Told the lady to get into the kitchen and had to pull the patient from a narrow hallway into the living room. Once there, started compressions and partner came in with the monitor. Worked it. I feel like I took control of the call and did really well. Kept a BLS airway. Went over my H’s/T’s. If I had to guess this person prolly had a massive MI, likely a widow maker. Fairly young to middle aged so I was surprised. We didn’t get him back. I feel like quiet a few of us have been running codes lately.

Once quarantine hit the call volume did drop sharply. As did the number of people in the ER. But this week more and more I feel like were getting back to our usual schedule. Running more calls that are low acuity that dont really need an ambulance so call us for convenience. The knee pain and subbed toe calls are startin to come back. Newsom put out a Call To Arms for any student EMT’s are “retired” EMT’s. Im kind of excited about that. To see some of the OG’s back in the field. Were gunna need them. Its funny. In the midst of a Pandemic theres talk they might start to let some of us go! What a kick to the nads.

Were not the only ones taking a hit. Eden hospital is completely out of wipes and is using rags soaked in some cleaner. The rags get washed then reused. A lot of us are having cloth facemasks made by friends since were running low on them. Obviously not something we use for any possible COVID case but nice to have for universal precautions. Im starting to see more COVID cases now. Not that we know. Theres only a couple times i was like 90% sure our patient had COVID. Other than that they’re just a PUI and we use N95 and PPE pretty sparingly. Its not until recently they started to testing the general population. Until Hayward Fire opened their drive through test site, generally no one was getting tested for COVID unless you were going to be an admitted to the hospital. Test kits were very few and even if they were able to send it out, the test sites couldn’t process them fast enough and it would take days to get results! At least thats what I was told. Today is my Friday. I hope to go hiking and play with some Ham Radio on my days off. Got a deep cycle battery and want to see how long it will keep my Ham Radio on the air for. Also looking to brush up on my CW but well see.

09:00PM- Im trying to keep everything that happened in one day to a single entry. When I started typing earlier I was on our lunch break while on shift. When I came home a few updates happened. Haley had been training as a CCT nurse at a BLS company who also has been thinning their employee count! In my opinion she is kinda furloughed but unofficially. Theres just less shifts because theres been a significant drop in call volume for them as well. Which means for me, the layoffs are real. Its a scary thought. I really thought our jobs would be recession proof and although neither of us are really laid off the threat still remains.

On another side note, I got on the bike trainer in the garage and wanted to do an FTP test.    I thought that since I had not worked out in awhile I needed to see how bad my fitness was. I was training to do an Ironman in November. Due to the recent chaos, my training nearly halted completely. What I did not anticipate is this break was more like what happens when you taper before a race. Your at your peak physical shape while also at minimum fatigue resulting in..well.. being in ‘race shape’. In short, my workout was really good. If only there were races I could participate in. Im going to try and train more. Its just.. with everything going on I have had a bit of depression and anxiety, its hard to have the motivation to workout. I dont think I could train like i used to. It takes a lot of get up at 4 or 5 in the morning as it is. And working out any other time takes up so much time during the day, its time that I could be getting us and the house better prepared for the days to come. As I type this, Haley is watching The Voice. We miss going to the grandparents house every Monday and watching The Voice with them. I guess today the Shelter-In-Place got extended for another month. Talk about an economic nightmare. Wired times were living in, just wired times. Even if this dose pass, the world will be changed permanently because of this.