Paramedics admit cases involving children can be the most stressful

One evening, Fremont Fire Department Lt. Dana Leland was part of a paramedic team that went on an emergency call.

An infant girl wasn't breathing.

“At times like that, we think ‘Oh my God, it's a kid,'” Leland said. “Little kids are the ones we worry about the most. I don't know that I would call it nervous, but everything's a little different with them than with adults. Anytime we get a little kid call it gets a little more stressful.”

In this instance a few weeks ago, the little girl's mother noticed she wasn't breathing and called 911.

“The girl had a cold for a while,” Leland continued. “Her mom became panicky. The mother didn't understand how children breathe. They breathe through their noses. They don't breathe through their mouths. They don't learn that until later.

“We were able to suck the mucus out of that little girl's nose and clear that restricted airway,” he said. “The girl turned out fine, but we went ahead and took her (to Fremont Area Medical Center) just to be safe.”

But calls to assist children needing emergency help are rare, said Fremont Fire Department training officer Earl Rudolph. Those are fewer than 10 percent of the calls. But even then, they take note when younger residents need their skills.

“We have to reduce the amount of stress we put on ourselves,” Rudolph said. “We talk to each other about it. The biggest thing you can do to alleviate the stress is to be good at this job and comfortable with it.

“That's where the training comes in,” he continued. “The more you know about what you're doing the better you can alleviate a lot of the stress right there.”

Leland said there are two major issues when trying to help children in an emergency.

“One of the biggest issues is that they're not able to communicate as much as adults,” he said. “It's not always easy to tell what's going on.”

Because their bodies are still in the development stages, injuries and illnesses can shift quickly.

“Things can change a lot different with them,” he said. “Everything is different with kids from the drug doses on down.”

Rudolph said he thinks it's just human nature to be more anxious when treating children in emergency situations.

“It's just part of being human,” he said. “Psychologically, it's more difficult to work on kids than adults.”

The little girl Leland discussed was fine, but Rudolph said the endings are not always as happy.

He started to tell about a young boy who was injured one afternoon after crawling out of his crib.

“We'd better not use that one,” he said.

Most emergencies involving children are trauma related, usually from an accident, he said.

“Trauma is the leading cause of death among children in the United States,” Rudolph said.

He said parents must take precautions with their children.

“The biggest things are car crashes and kids just being kids,” he said, adding parents can't protect their children from everything, but some common sense comes into play.

“When you have kids in a vehicle, make sure they are restrained,” he said. “Small kids should be in car seats. When they're put in properly, car seats are incredible for protecting children.”