The life of a first responder

Citizens hear the sirens throughout the day and life-saving stories on the news, but not many know the feeling the people behind them get.

First responders take on the responsibility of one of the toughest, most stressful and emotional jobs - especially in a college town.

Sgt. Chadd Springer of the Frisco Police Department said in today’s society, he never knows what is going to happen. He said every call they go on could be dangerous, and they have to pay close attention to everything.

“When you come into work, you never know what the day is gonna hold,” Springer said, “so it’s a new adventure every single day.”

As a police officer for 20 years, Springer said it is unfortunate to see minors drink alcohol because they think it makes them feel older. He said young adults feel they cannot have a good time without alcohol.

“Unfortunately,” Springer said, “there’s been a lot of deaths in colleges lately because kids don’t understand the impact alcohol can play on the body.”

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism website explained alcohol affects the way the brain works. The page stated alcohol could change mood, behavior, and make it harder to think clearly.

Kayla Behrle, a Frisco Police Department school resource officer from Houston, said it motivates her to be a police officer knowing not many people are willing to do what she does.

Behrle said the unknown scares her. As cops, she said, they never know what the extent of the crime they are responding to.

“If anyone said they don’t get scared,” she said, “they would be lying.”

Behrle said they put a lot of care and effort into the calls they get and even more effort into talking to the citizens and trying to help them.

“Basically the old school, getting the bad guys off the streets,” Behrle said. “That’s what I love about the job.”

Since Behrle has started to work as a school officer, she said she has seen the effect alcohol has on minors. Behrle said most medical calls they receive for alcohol poisoning are from college students.

The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence website reported about half of college students who drink consume alcohol through binge drinking.

Behrle said alcohol is everywhere, and it is socially acceptable. She said young adults believe they are indestructible and nothing can hurt them – not even alcohol.

“Because it’s legal,” Behrle said, “people think it’s not a drug.”

According to The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, alcohol is the most widely used substance of abuse among America’s youth. The website reported four out of five college students drink alcohol.

Behrle said drinking could cause a certain psychosis. She said people are literally not in their right mind. She said with the added stress of college, it could lead to negative results on their body and school life.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism revealed about 25 percent of college students report academic consequences of their drinking, which include missing class, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades.

Police officers are not the only first responders with stressful and emotional jobs.

Nick Powell, an equipment operator for the Lubbock Fire Department from Shallowater, Texas, said he is in charge of driving the fire truck.

He said there is a high probability of firefighters having heart attacks because of the stress put on their bodies.

Powell said he is part of the Critical Instance Stress management team that gives firefighters a chance to speak with someone about a traumatic event they witnessed. He said firefighters have post-traumatic stress disorder just as military personnel do.

According to the National Fire Protection Association Journal, as many as 37 percent of firefighters may exhibit symptoms of PTSD. The website described it is difficult for first responders to acknowledge behavioral problems like depression.

Powell said he was not very close with his family, so spending every third day with the firefighters gives him a sense of home and family. He said he has a passion to help people on and off the job.

“I just want to be put in a situation to make a difference,” Powell said.

He said a lot of responsibility comes when driving the fire truck because he has three other firefighters in the truck. He said he has to pay attention to where he is going and make sure other cars yield to the fire truck passing through intersections.

Once at the scene, Powell said when firefighters block the street they face a danger of being hit by distracted drivers.

The Brain Injury Society website reported young adults are more likely to engage in fatigued, distracted, or drunken driving.

Powell said an intoxicated person is less caring and less aware of their surroundings. He said when a person drinks alcohol while driving it affects their reflexes and attention.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reported 1,825 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die each year from alcohol-related injuries, including motor vehicle crashes.

Powell said college students are encouraged to drink because alcohol is easily accessible, they are away from any parental guidance, they give into peer pressure, and it gives them a feeling they have never had before.

Powell said the hardest part of the job is the ones he cannot save. He said it is tough knowing there is nothing he could do.

Dane Crocker, a 30-year veteran of the McKinney Fire Department as a driver from The Colony, Texas, said he has always wanted to be a firefighter. He said he likes the adrenaline rush. He said he is addicted to the feeling.

Crocker said speed plays a role in the amount of collisions that occur. He said there is sometimes no point for speed limits because people will always drive over the posted limit.

The National Cooperative Highway Research Program website revealed a 35 percent increase in fatalities in states with 70 mph speed limits.

Crocker said everyone is in such a hurry these days, which causes many accidents. He said people become oblivious while they drive at high speeds.

“If you see a bad accident,” Crocker said, “the way I look at it, is they were driving faster than a guardian angel could fly.”

He said alcohol is highly publicized and young adults grow up seeing their idols and television stars drinking.

Crocker said if the consequences for drunken driving were greater then there would not be as much of it.

The Department of Motor Vehicles website explained a DWI for a minor might result in a fine of up to $500 and a license suspension not exceeding a year.

The site stated a DWI for an adult receives a fine up to $2,000, with jail time as high as 180 days, and a license suspension up to two years.

Crocker said young adults get a slap on the wrist with possibly a night in jail, and before the next day they are probably bailed out to go back and make the same mistake.

“The punishment needs to be a lot harsher than it is,” Crocker said.

During the class interview, Chris Teague, a registered nurse with UMC Health System from Abilene, Texas, said each first responder has one common goal – safety. He said they have to protect the scene, know their surrounding, and get people to safety.

Teague said everyone is a first responder. He said people need to call 911, know where they are, and be able to give good instructions.

Teague said first response is not for everybody. He said it does cause some stress, and they need to know how to handle it. He said first responders are a team and support one another.

Teague said drunken driving was more prevalent in the 1980s, when he got his license as a paramedic, than it is now. He said education to young adults has lowered the number of intoxicated drivers.

However, Teague said since he was in college at Texas Tech in 1983, drinking has become more extreme. He said young adults are determined to drink an excessive amount.

Teague said he treats around 60 students per football game, mostly due to dehydration from alcohol.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism announced in 2013, 39 percent of college students between the ages of 18 and 22 engaged in binge drinking. The website explained thousands of students are transported to the emergency room each year for alcohol poisoning.

Teague said young adults drink alcohol while driving because they think they are being young, crazy, and fun.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention website described the risk of being involved in a car collision is greater at all levels of blood alcohol concentration for young adults.

The site revealed in 2014, 9,967 people were killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, accounting for nearly one-third of all traffic-related deaths in the United States.

Sgt. John Gonzalez, the Media Communication and Education spokesperson for the Department of Public Safety’s Lubbock division, said he would rather give young adults a citation than be put in the position of telling their family they will not come home again.

“If we can educate you now,” Gonzalez said during a class interview, “hopefully that will deter you from breaking the law or receiving a citation for a violation.”

Gonzalez, a driving instructor for the Department of Public Safety, said driving is a continued education - laws change, roads change, and cars change. He said young adults have the most injury and fatal crashes in Texas.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website stated motor vehicle collisions are the leading cause of death for all 15- to 20-year-old young adults.

Gonzalez said his job is to protect those who do harm to others and to make sure people get home safely every night.

With 30 years of experience, he said his biggest motivation is to be a role model to young adults.

“You are tomorrow’s future,” Gonzalez said.

On the web:

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism - https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/alcohols-effects-body

National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence - https://www.ncadd.org/about-addiction/underage-issues/underage-and-college-drinking

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism - https://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/statistics/default.aspx

National Fire Protection Association Journal - http://www.nfpa.org/news-and-research/publications/nfpa-journal/2014/may-june-2014/features/special-report-firefighter-behavioral-health

Brain Injury Society - http://www.bisociety.org/back-college-means-back-accidents/

National Cooperative Highway Research Program - http://www.ce.utexas.edu/prof/kockelman/public_html/NCHRPSpeedLimits17-23.pdf

Department for Motor Vehicles - http://www.dmv.org/tx-texas/automotive-law/dui.php

Center for Disease Control and Prevention - http://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/impaired_driving/impaired-drv_factsheet.html

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812019

Service Journalism

Alcohol Effects

· More than 150,000 students develop an alcohol-related health problem.

Source: College Parents of America

Driving Under the Influence

· An estimated 110,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are arrested on a college campus every year for an alcohol-related violation, such as public intoxication or driving under the influence.

· 2.1 million students between the ages of 18 and 24 drove under the influence of alcohol in 2013.

· Among drivers with blood alcohol levels of 0.08 or higher involved in fatal crashes in 2014, 30 percent were between 21 and 24 years of age.

Sources: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Sidebar

Dane Crocker, a McKinney Fire Department driver, has been a firefighter for 30 years.

In that time, he has saved multiple lives, but to him one stands out the most.

Crocker said he delivered a breech baby that was not breathing, and by the time he got to the hospital it was a thriving, breathing, healthy girl.

He said he saw her for the first time, since he signed her birth certificate, a year ago when she came to the station. Crocker said she was about to graduate high school, and her family had told her stories her whole life about the day Crocker saved her life.

Crocker said she brought a present saying that he was her hero.

He said his wife and he goes to her band concerts, swimming meets, and the family sends him pictures of her. Crocker said he feels part of her family and plans to stay connected in her life.

Crocker said to know she was not breathing and did not have a pulse, and then now she is a healthy, smart, young woman is one of the greatest feelings.

“That high right there,” Crocker said, “is just unbelievable. It outweighs the bad you see by tenfold.”

Photo retrieved from:https://openclipart.org/image/2400px/svg_to_png/232353/FirstRespondersThree.png