Archive: Opinions

EditorialTwo weeks ago I was in an automobile accident.  It was a first-hand opportunity for me to see our emergency responders in action.  As people gathered someone called 911, and almost immediately emergency responders from the Lansing Volunteer Fire Department were on the scene.  Soon after, a deputy sheriff arrived, and they worked together to contain the scene and make sure everyone was OK.

Growing up in a big city I always viewed emergency responders as nameless authority figures, people you don’t know who come when something bad happens.  Here it was a relief to see familiar faces, neighbors who selflessly volunteer to fight fires and provide emergency medical services to the community.  Seeing people I know helped  me cope with the situation, bringing a smidgeon of everyday Lansing to this definitely-not-everyday event.  I was surprised by that, and grateful.

That is not to say that their response was any different from that of a big city department, or any other department.  The responders were concerned, polite, professional, and matter of fact about the duties they were there to perform.  While some immediately helped me and the other driver, others dealt with fluids leaking out of the vehicles.  The deputy was respectful, non-judgmental, and professional as she gathered information and controlled the scene.

It is too easy to take the people who help us in emergencies for granted.  We shouldn’t.  The people who responded to my accident did what they do every day.  In Lansing most of them are volunteers, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t held to the same standards other agencies are held to.  They spend countless hours in training, and more filling out paperwork.  It’s not the glamour stuff we see in the movies.  I often see them washing EMS and fire vehicles when I pass Central Station.

Accidents are never great experiences.  I know mine wasn’t, even though it could have been a lot worse.  Mercifully nobody was hurt.  That really hit home with me when I visited the tow yard to get my belongings out of my car.  On one side of my totalled vehicle was a car that looked like an elephant had landed on it.  I was told the driver was alive, but in critical condition.  On the other side was a smashed car and motorcycle.  The motorcycle driver is dead.

But if you take the accident out of it, it actually was a great experience because of the people who responded to the incident.  There is enough trauma -- mental if not physical -- in any accident.  That these responders dealt with the incident without adding more trauma to the experience is remarkable, and that is only one reason we are lucky to have them in our community.

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