Paramedic appeals to partiers with COVID-19 realities over anger

CALGARY (CityNews) – Working as a paramedic during the COVID-19 pandemic isn’t an easy job.

Nate Pike says he has attended multiple calls where attempts to resuscitate a patient fail.

“I think the most heartbreaking thing for me is where I’ve gone to calls where people have, either because they’re in denial or because they’re afraid, they haven’t tried to get medical care when they should have,” Pike says.

“And I go, and I pronounce them.”

The dark realities of the pandemic are strikingly clear to Pike every day, which is why he was filled with such a strong mix of emotions when he returned his ambulance to the EMS station Friday night and saw a party in a parking lot nearby.

“There were about 40 to 60 young adults who were just out in the middle of all the vehicles, music going, no social distancing, no masking,” Pike recalls.

“It provoked a very strong reaction in me because I see what COVID is doing to people every day.”

A huge part of me wanted to drive over and scream at them.

I spent my night in PPE trying to help COVID patients, and these people were literally having a party without a care in the world, like it’s just the #BestSummerEver.

I took a few breaths…

/3

— Nate Pike (@NatePike) May 1, 2021

Attempting to keep his anger under wraps, the Calgary-based paramedic approached the group to tell them a small portion of what he sees each shift.

Taken aback after confirming that the partiers knew that the building they were outside of was where paramedics would be ending their shifts, Pike explained the hurt he felt to see them there and headed inside.

Cleaning up his vehicle and preparing the supplies for the next shift, Pike succumbed to his curiosity and poked his head outside to see if his words had made any impact.

To his surprise, the entire group had left – a positive result Pike wasn’t sure he’d have gotten if he’d vented his anger instead.

So maybe what we really need is for everyone to just take a step back and remember that we’re all tired.

And we’re all scared. For a lot of reasons.

Because we really need to just take care of each other right now.

We really just do.

/fin

— Nate Pike (@NatePike) May 1, 2021

As a paramedic, Pike has found himself on the front lines of Albertan disasters including the Calgary floods and Fort McMurray wildfires.

“I get that this is a different kind of event because it is such a slow-moving crawl, but it’s the same thing,” Pike notes.

“The only way we are going to get through this as Albertans is if we meet it with the same character, integrity, and kindness.”

The first responder, who is also running for candidacy in Ward 3 in October’s election, says that the pandemic may be a different kind of emergency, but one that Albertans can still beat.