Medical issues

Just your bog standard saturday night duty, twelve hours where anything can happen. When I used to drive into work I'd put on something uplifting to gear me up for these famously violent and busy nights - usually Muse did the trick.

Tonight though nothings going on. I have some tea and am not dragged out halfway through with a burnt throat - strange. My colleague and I do some targetted patrolling and decide to stop for a bite to eat while we can. We're sent a few non-urgent jobs that can wait til later and I scoff down my chicken nuggets.

"Can we have a unit please, 46 Letsby Avenue, stabbing at the location, victim is not conscious, not breathing"
A huge list of call signs 'put up' for it and we end up screaming down the main road with blue lights bouncing off the road signs in a very noisy convoy. We're second on scene along with about 5 other units, there's two ambulances outside the address and an FRU. The unit already in the address hasn't updated us - this is usually a bad sign because it means they're either too busy dealing with something major or they're in trouble. Anyway, we poke our heads in and everyone's looking rather relaxed - except the poor bloke who's missing half his face and swearing in Polish. At least he's conscious AND breathing - we're looking at slightly less than a murder here so we shoot off to an RTC.

Car vs Motorcycle - I try and go to these being a motorcyclist myself I like to help out. The man's not badly injured but the units on scene have ambulances and debris in the road and they need someone to direct traffic. Hi-Viz on and I'm there for a good half hour directing traffic with a colleague. Some people completely ignore me, some don't even see me despite the bright yellow reflective jacket. Turns out the rider was going along the main road when a car decided it didn't have to give way or look and took him out. It reminded me that no matter who's fault it is if you're on the bike - it's gonna hurt.

After this we grab some proper food and on the way past a youth club there's a large group standing outside. My colleague says to me "It's gonna kick off there tonight"

We sit down and dig in - half way through my kebab we get a call to said youth club - stabbing at the location so we drop our half eaten grub and race down there. We can't find the victim so my unit decide to do an area search while we leave another car at scene.

Beep-beep-beep the emergency button on someone else's radio is activated. I know the whole borough is all ears. We hear something garbled about a gunshot and race to our colleague. On approach we see them and the ambulances all blue lighting it away. They must be okay then. The armed response turn up in good time and find a teenager outside with a entry and exit wound in his shoulder. He gets taken to the local hospital while everyone looks for the gunman but the description could be anyone. I meet the victim at the hospital and to my surprise he hasn't lost consciousness. The paramedic who was with him has done a very good job and asked every question I would have and hands the information over to me. Well done that man. So I start a log noting everyone who visits him - I only allow family in.

I overhear the doctors speaking and they say the bullets missed every bone, every blood vessel and every nerve on its way in and out. This guy is truly lucky.

I sat there in the resus department and looked at the 5 beds. Three of the beds were occupied by people I had dealt with that evening. The Polish chap, the motorcyclist and now the wounded teenager. I don't think that's happened to me before!

It was a manic night - but I got off on time.... which was nice