Pandemic Portraits

Jackie’s Story

These days, everyone is trying to keep the fabric of society from unraveling, and many of our friends in the Oklahoma City community have agreed to talk about it. Their views expressed here do not reflect the views of their employers, nor the views of my employer. We are just working together to convey their experiences. 

Our first feature is a woman with a big heart who cares for people for a living. Here she is back when she cared for animals for a living, before she inexplicably chose to switch the the more vocal and demanding kind of patient:

That lovely lady is Jackie Gibson - we call her Red, for obvious reasons. She is an athlete, a purveyor of hilarious memes on social media, a full time student working to become a paramedic, and a medic and first responder in Shawnee. 

Jackie and her colleagues go to work every day knowing that “it isn’t ‘if’ we get COVID, it is a matter of ‘when.’”

If you know Jackie, you might assume that she became a first responder because she cares about people and shares the dark sense of humor that seems to be common to those on the front lines of medical care.  It turns out she was actually born to this life. Jackie’s dad is a complete badass, actually on the SWAT team and a sheriff’s deputy from 1988 to 2001. Her older brother is a firefighter paramedic, her sister-in-law is a police officer, and her younger brother is, like Jackie, studying full time to become an EMT-B.  If you are picturing “Blue Bloods” scenes when you read this, you are not alone. The Gibsons were obviously all raised to protect and serve, which is what Jackie credits with leading her to the EMT path. 

“In this line of work, you never have to worry about getting laid off, because people will always need healthcare,” Jackie said sagely.  

Jackie explained for those of us who were not raised on the set of “Blue Bloods” that first responders like her, or at least where she works, have twenty-four hour shifts. If you think a full calendar day is a long time to be on call, you are correct, and the company where Jackie works tries to provide first responders with the comforts of home. 

Jackie says a typical work day follows a general rhythm. 

“At the beginning of shift change the paramedics hand off the narcotic drugs and perform their inventory of those drugs. Next is truck inventory and cleaning to ensure we have every piece of equipment we may need for any kind of 911 call that may come through. Following that is daily chores and station duties. Sweeping, moping, and vacuuming the station, locker room, and bedrooms. Most people like to go ahead and make their beds as soon as they get to work so they don't have to in the middle of the night on busy shifts. Once all of that is done, it's time to relax until you have to run a call.”

The home base where she works is equipped with all the necessities - laundry, full kitchen, hangout room, office with computers, and bedrooms for each person on the shift.

“When we are not on calls, we can do anything from watching movies and cooking to sleeping and working on homework if you are a student.”

Obviously, first responders are not always (or even usually) watching movies at the station. 

“There is no guarantee you will get any rest while on a 24 hour shift. It is uncommon to be busy for the entire shift, but does happen every once in a while.”

Being a first responder, Jackie and her colleagues have been on the frontlines of the rapidly changing response to the coronavirus. She says that the protocols for precautions and treatment of patients have changed rapidly over the past weeks. 

“As the days go on, things are constantly changing. At first we were told to only use precaution if the patient was a potential COVID patient. We are now having to gown, glove, mask, and use eye protection on every call. In Texas, they are sending in a HAZMAT certified paramedic to the residence to triage the patient and determine the next steps for that patient following decontamination.”

Risk of catching something nasty is not new to Jackie and her colleagues. 

“We face exposure to an incredible amount of diseases on any given day on shift, but we do so with the expectation of having the appropriate protective equipment.” 

Jackie and her colleagues now, with every call, wear gowns, gloves, masks (N95 if they can get them), and eye protection. They also bring extra uniforms to work each day in case theirs get contaminated while on a call.  They do the best they can with the supplies they have, but they know that the appropriate and necessary medical supplies might not always be there.

“I don't know what the odds are of me contracting COVID at this point due to the fact that I never know what patients I will run on any given day. I can tell you that without the appropriate equipment, it is only a matter of time.”

Like everyone, Jackie knows that catching this virus will be seriously affect her and the people around her.  

“If I am diagnosed with COVID, then that will put me out of work, potentially hospitalized, and an unknown amount of people I could have infected during the incubation time of this virus.”

It is a sobering reality. Like many people, especially in the medical field, Jackie is taking difficult precautions to protect the people around her from potential exposure.

“I haven't been able to see my grandparents in weeks for fear that I may carry COVID and give it to them. I'm extra conscious around my parents so no one is eating or drinking after each other. I feel like my house has never been so clean just out of fear that I bring this virus home unknowingly.”

How We Can Help Jackie

Obviously, we are not all called to do what Jackie does. Some of us are incredibly squeamish. Others are completely allergic to working for twenty-four hours straight. That is fine. Here is the Number One tip from Jackie on how to help make life easier for her and her fellow first responders:

USE THE 911 SYSTEM PROPERLY

This should be obvious, but some people have not gotten the memo.

“If it is not a life threatening emergency, then call your primary care physician and refrain from going to the ER unnecessarily.” 

This is great advice. It isn’t just a matter of etiquette, either. This is a public health issue.

“If you inappropriately utilize the 911 system or ER, you are potentially endangering the first responders or providers, our families, you, your families, and potentially other patients and their families.”
 

What qualifies as a life threatening emergency?

“Things like shortness of breath, chest pain, altered mental status, and severe abdominal pain are just some of the few things that should be utilized by the 911 system.”

What does not qualify as a life threatening emergency? 

“Minor injuries or complaints that could be taken care of with your PCP are not appropriate for 911 use. If you call, we will respond. With that being said, every 911 call that we respond to prevents us from responding to another emergency, so please make sure you are appropriately utilizing the 911 system.”

Consider Donating to EMS

Many people who are able to make donations of medical supplies want to know where to send them. Consider the often-overlooked EMS needs. 

“EMS services are the last to receive funding from the government. The hospitals will get their money but very seldom does their 911 services receive any of that money.”

What do Emergency Medical Services need?  

“If you have masks to donate then please do so because we are going through an exorbitant amount with every passing day. Many schools have already been donating hand sanitizer and other materials and we welcome the assistance.”

What Jackie Wants You To Know About First Responders

“We are people and we are not immune. We got into this career to help people, but it does scare us knowing that we could make our families sick only because we do not have the equipment needed to care for a contagious patient. There are those of us that are immunocompromised or at higher risk if we or our families get sick. This virus could kill us just as it could kill anyone else. This nation is on a mass shortage of the materials needed to prevent and treat this virus.”

What Jackie Wants You To Know About Caring For Yourself

“Trust me, I don't want to stay home for days and days either, but until we get this virus contained, people will keep getting sicker and sicker. It's like timeout as a child. If you get up or ask how much longer, your time resets. If we all just stay home now, we can be done with our time sooner. Wash your hands with soap and water. Don’t just rely on hand sanitizer. If you are one for research, then make sure it is a credible and peer reviewed source.”

We thank Jackie for being willing to share her experience with us. She’s a delight and I hope we will all do what we can to help make her job easier. 

If you or someone you know would make a great feature, please email [email protected]. We will be featuring members of the Oklahoma City community daily for as long as we can.  Take care of each other, wash your hands, and shop local.