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Jul 29, 2008 9:27 am US/Central
Paramedic Recalls Public's Help At Bridge Collapse
(WCCO)
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Chavez was one of the first responders to the collapse site, he and his partner were in the middle of a normal day and actually grabbing ice cream to bring back to the fire house when the calls started coming up.
CBS
This Friday marks one year since the
unthinkable happened -- a bridge many Minnesotans drove each day collapsed into
the Mississippi River.
The
response to the collapse was unprecedented, many workers, like all of us, found
it hard to believe the first reports.
"It was an overwhelming feeling
of helplessness -- what are we going to do? How are we going to manage this?"
said paramedic Ross Chavez.
Chavez was one of the first responders
to the collapse site, he and his partner were in the middle of a normal day and
actually grabbing ice cream to bring back to the fire house when the calls
started coming up.
He said help from the regular
citizens who came to help really made a difference.
"Initially it was a great help
to have those extra hands to get patients out of the collapse zone," said
Chavez. "There was also the concern for their own safety. Some were in
shorts and flip flops ... once the situation was at a manageable state we asked
them to leave, but their help was much, much appreciated it was amazing that
they jumped to do ... not their job to do that. (It was) pretty amazing to see
a citizen response like that."
Ross worked as a paramedic in Chicago before coming to Minneapolis.
He'd only been on the job in the
Twin Cities for about two months before the collapse.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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