Slip Sliding Away

Date:: November 2, 2023

I was called to respond to an incident at a restaurant where one of our patrons had sustained an injury. Upon arrival, security directed us to access the patient from the back of the restaurant, which was the closest way to him. As we parked our vehicle, we observed a significant amount of water flowing out from the kitchen area, but we initially paid little attention to it.

We proceeded to transport a stretcher through the water and located both a fire and the injured patron. The incident had occurred when a cook accidentally spilled a large pot of scalding hot grease on the floor, resulting in second and third-degree burns for the patron, who was in considerable pain. We carefully loaded the patient onto the stretcher and navigated through the slippery water once more.

However, as we attempted to load the stretcher into the vehicle, we encountered significant difficulty due to the presence of grease in the water. It was akin to walking on extremely slippery ice, and I even had a near-fall while entering the vehicle because of the grease on my boots. Furthermore, I faced constant challenges as I tried to retrieve necessary equipment for an intravenous procedure while sliding.

The situation worsened when my partner took the wheel, as her boots repeatedly slipped off the gas and brake pedals. Despite our usual practice of transporting such critical patients to the hospital on an emergency basis, I made the decision to opt for a non-emergency approach on this occasion. This choice was driven by my concern for our safety and the safety of the public, as the risk of sliding and losing control of the vehicle due to the slippery conditions—like a foot sliding off the brake—was substantial. Besides, we were close enough to the hospital as it was.

Arriving at the hospital, we sought assistance from the housekeeping department, who provided us with an effective grease-cleaning solution to clean out our vehicle. Slippery situation indeed.