Fairfax County Police Department News

“He told me it was going to be OK; and it was.”

“When timing was crucial, they kept me calm.”

“I was a person; not just another job.”

Five former trauma patients met with members of the Fairfax County Helicopter Division this week and delivered words of appreciation and gratitude to the men and woman that helped save their lives.

In an effort to better connect to the community they serve, supervisors of the FCPD Helicopter Division reached out to Inova Trauma Center’s Trauma Survivors Network and invited them to their facility on West Ox Road.

 

The former patients shared their painful stories and memories of their life-changing events; a serious car crash on a snowy road; falling from a roof while doing chores; struck head-on by a vehicle in the wrong lane of traffic; an experienced biker in a BMX bike crash and a woman stabbed several times by her estranged husband after telling him she wanted a divorce. These are events that one reads and hears about, yet rarely hears about how the first responders; their words and reactions, impacted the severely wounded or injured victims.

All of the former patients expressed deepest gratitude to first responders for literally saving their lives. Details were sometimes fuzzy during the chaos of their incidents, but all remember that first responder who spoke to them; their demeanor, calling them by name, and a light touch to tell them that everything would be OK. One former patient described her EMT responder as “calm, confident and friendly. He comforted me, talked me through the whole event, to help prevent my panic, and he made me feel I wasn’t alone.” Another remembers listening to the paramedics as they made decisions on how to best transport him in a way that would cause the least amount of pain; knowing how excruciation his pain level was as he suffered from his broken neck and back. He thanked all those present for “being there for us on the most difficult day of our lives.”

The Trauma Survivors Network provides community presentations, such as these, in order to enhance the understanding of the trauma experience and increase the ability to address the emotional needs of trauma patients. They provide an opportunity to learn from one another. They also provide peer visiting, workshops, and a variety of education and support programs for family members and those impacted by trauma.

For more information on the Inova Trauma Survivors Network, http://www.traumasurvivorsnetwork.org/trauma_centers/6

For more information about the Fairfax County Helicopter Division, including upcoming events, recent missions, and a history of the Unit, check http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police/helicopter/.