Steven Velásquez - Granting "Sirenity"

by Steven P. Velasquez January, 16, 2014 We responded for a report of an unconscious person and when we arrived, were updated this would be for a pronouncement of death. Pretty routine event, and with (it would appear) greater frequency during the holiday season. " Meah " we shrugged, " at least this will be an easy chart " and bring us about a half-hour closer to shift change. He laid in bed upright in the cold, dimly lit room. Without getting into grizzly detail, it was a safe assumption his passing was recent by his presentation. Unlike so many other DOA's we respond to, his home was impeccably clean, disturbingly clean even. I poked around looking for anything we could include in our patient care report like his medications etc... A police officer was at my side when we opened his cabinets (sometimes this requires more bravery than one might imagine). The sight in the cabinets now punctuated the pristine apartment we were scouring through. Like...

by Steven P. Velasquez January 25, 2013 Anyone who's been close to me knows I have no capacity for planning when it comes to my private or social life.  Work, I've had to get good at but it hasn't come easy.  People invite me places, want me to celebrate things with them,  want to catch up on old times and I just can't ever seem to get it right.  My pathetic excuse is always; "I'm too busy.  I had to work."  It's one of my biggest weaknesses. Franklin Planner   So as I mature, I've been taking active steps to improve my planning.  I use online calendars, sync them with my laptop, my smart-phone etc...  And, being a little retro, I still maintain a written calendar in a Franklin Planner out of part ritual and devout loyalty to Dr. Steven Covey and the Franklin system which has drastically improved my life since my early twenties.   This weeks plans were intricate, detailed and a complex mix of personal and profession...

By Ron Jacobs, MICP (Reprinted with permission) Remember when 10 years ago On a bright September morn; When planes did crash and fire raged And our patriotism was reborn Interfaith memorial - So. Amboy, NJ 2001 Terrorists had attacked us But could not keep us down; As Fire, Police, and EMS Rushed to New York town So many of us were working On that 9/11 day; And all had but a singular thought That help was on the way. With little thought of personal care Through the rubble they made their way Looking to help wherever they could And maybe save the day. Alas there was no saving The damage had been done But no retreat was sounded Into the battle we all would run So many lives were tragically lost We all know more than a few; And none of us will ever forget The sites, the sounds, the view. So take a moment on this Sunday To reflect and remember the past To all who didn’t make it Your memories will always last. ...

By Steven P. Velasquez, NREMTP, MICP 09-07-11 During paramedic school, I went through a level of economic hardship I've never known till or since then.  I was 830 miles from home, totally unprepared to live on my own, never learned how to balance a check book, manage a budget or pay anything larger than a car payment and my beeper bill (it was the 90s no cell phones yet).  Now, trying to juggle tuition, books, rent, utilities, the truck payment, insurance etc… etc…  I was overwhelmed.  I had been evicted from several apartments, had checks bouncing all over the place, couldn’t pay a traffic summons, then got caught driving on a suspended license which, of course cost my employment too.  My parents did not have the resources to pay my way and I squandered all nine of my years of high school partying instead of learning and perhaps qualifying for a scholarship. During that period, overwhelmed, depressed and nearly beaten, I had, at the invitation of a...

By Steven P. Velasquez, NREMTP September 1, 2011 This post was originally written in a Facebook group honoring the memory of a dear friend and leader in the emergency services field.  David, like so many others, exchanged his life on 11th September, 2001 so that others may live.  His legacy lives on in the collective memories of those of us who knew and loved him.  We keep David, and others, alive by telling and retelling his stories, by displaying his image and by granting access to his family. This year, on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Union City, NJ will honor David's memory by renaming the street where th e David P. Lemagne EMS building is located.  16th St. between New York Ave. and Palisade Ave. will now be known as "David Lemagne Way."  Additionally, the Union City Museum will be unveiling a section focusing on the 9/11 attacks and will now have personal memorabilia of David's proudly on display there.  All are invited by the Lemagn...

by Steven P. Velasquez, MICP, NREMTP Aug. 22, 2011 Sometimes the EMS calls we go on serve to remind us of how fortunate we are, if we're wise enough to understand the messages, hidden and not.   One sunny afternoon I was detailed to a critical care transport truck with Bob (Bro) Casey, an MICN or Mobile Intensive Care Nurse.   For those of you not in the EMS field, that is someone who is both a paramedic and a registered nurse.   Working with Bob was always great because he was so smart, so cool and so unshakable that you knew no matter what happened, things would be ok. We were dispatched to a home in New Brunswick, NJ for a child with difficulty breathing.   As we approached the scene, only a few short blocks from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, who also has a renowned children's hospital, we saw a single police car parked in front of the address.   We called on scene when the front door sprang open and a police officer darted out of the house wi...

by Steven P. Velasquez July 25, 2011 An instructor should maintain control of their class at all times!  Photo by S. Velasquez So read the pages of many instructor's texts.  They offer an instructor ways to identify when a student is being disruptive (jokes, war-stories, generalized digression and argument), when the others are being annoyed/cheated by it, and ways to constructively and politely re-direct a student's focus/attention to the lesson at hand.  The texts even explain the utter importance of classroom control with how it affects time and budget management (i.e.  In a class of 20 students, if 20% of the class is disruptive for only 15 minutes each, you've either tacked an hour onto the tail end of the day or you have to cut valuable information out of the program to stay on time/budget and accommodate the disruption).  The long and short of it being -- an instructor should maintain control of their class at all times! An instruct...

by Steven P. Velasquez August 31, 2010  This note was originally posted in a group of Jersey City Medical Center EMS employees.  Today, August 31 is the birthday of Robert Dominick Cirri of the Port Authority Police Department who was also a Mobile Intensive Care Paramedic here in NJ.  I offer this to Bob's family on his birthday to remind them of how loved he was/is and will continue to be.  Happy Birthday Bob!  May I look upon your countenance again some day. **************************************************************************** Bob was one of the first Paramedics I had ever encountered. I was 18 when I got in the game and volunteered in Union City, NJ. I used to remember him as "the guy who looked like Sly Stallone." Sounds goofy but hey, it was the 80's and I don't think that was an insult. Of course Rambo XII and Rocky XXV hadn't been released yet. I guess we all need to make money right? Bob struck me as very competent, but the...

by Steven P. Velasquez, NREMTP June 10, 2010 A four year-old boy in the 1970’s visits the Asbury Park boardwalk with his parents. A day of rides, games and salt-water taffy turns sour when the boy gets a splinter in his foot and is in terrible pain. The parents, not knowing where to go, take the crying tyke to a local firehouse and seek the help of the brave. Doing the best they can with what they have, which is what these people do daily, the firefighters remove the splinter, clean the wound and dry the boy’s tears. To speed the process, they let the little boy wear their turnout gear and helmet as he lives out a childhood fantasy and proudly rings the polished bell mounted upon the front bumper. Ten years later, on a cool October’s afternoon, the growing boy is on the phone with a friend. The cord (wired device used to connect the receiver to the telephone back then) wraps from the hallway to the living room where the boy is perched upon a chair when his best ...

By Steven P. Velasquez Jan. 3, 2010 A few years ago, we responded to a ninety something year old female that had become unresponsive during a Catholic mass. Upon our arrival, BLS had gotten the patient out to the ambulance and were treating her appropriately. We began our assessment and treatment when through the side door, there appeared a priest. He asked: "Would you mind if we pray for her? We'll stay out of your way." My partners and I took a collective glance around the ambulance and could find no objection. He wasn't hysterical or obstructing care, so we let the priest and his partner climb in. Silently but audibly, the two gave the patient "Last Rites" (the last of the Catholic sacraments, necessary for salvation, before moving into the hereafter) and began reciting the "Lord's Prayer." "Our father, who art in Heaven..." The prayer began with the ceremony of the silent priests. My partner's voice suddenly joined, so...

By Nikki's Dad July 20, 2009 Dear Nikki, Tonight is an important night for all of us. Your mother and I find ourselves in an awkward position as we've spent the past thirteen years trying to guide and raise you and to always be a good example for you. Tonight you've reversed the playing field as we believe you - have become a good example for us. Tonight our little girl is no longer little as you've made a conscious, adult decision to travel to a foreign land, without the security of your parents, without our influence either, for this you've come upon - "all by yourself (your famous line for every one of your accomplishments as a baby)." My mind goes back to when you were your little sister's age (2), how hurried you were to shed your youth. You wore Mommy's shoes, Daddy's helmet and anything else that you thought made you "a big girl." Here you are at 13 (just barely) and you're so filled with love and compassion fo...

By Steven P. Velasquez December 12, 2008 EMT Eric Rivera - Rest In Peace Brother When I first got my job at the MC, one of my regular partners was a guy named Eric Rivera. If the MC was a fraternity, Eric would be "legacy" as his older brother Eddie had gone before him.   Eric had a shining personality that would naturally accent a room. He was charming beyond words; just ask any of the ladies! A handsome Latino somewhere in his early 20's, we used to tease him because he had a striking resemblance to Eric Estrada, the actor who played "Ponch" on the hit TV show "CHIPS." That used to drive him crazy, but I digress.   My first Christmas Eve, he and I worked together and there wasn't much going on. Without a place to aim our energy and attention, they turned inward, and so began the sad conversation of where we'd rather be than here. We talked of our families, our traditions, the things we used to do and how much we'd rather be ...