First In, Last Out

“First In, Last Out.” What exactly does that mean?  It means I know my family is safe.  It means when I need help of any kind, a first responder will be there.  It means men and women have dedicated their lives to serve and sacrificed far more than I ever have. After all, our armed forces, law enforcement officers, paramedics and firefighters are our country’s first line of defense.

First responders are the first people to arrive on a call for help.  In most cases they are the first to arrive on the scene of an accident or health emergency.  I know this from experience. Late one evening in 2004, I was injured in a motorcycle accident while coming home from my office in Sulphur Springs. I remember lying on a dark Highway 19, dressed in a black leather jacket, chaps, boots and helmet. I had a broken collarbone and three ribs and thought to myself, “I’m dressed completely in black and lying on a black road and I need to get off the road,” but found it difficult to stand, much less walk. Within a few seconds, a man had stopped his car and helped me off the highway. He was an off-duty EMS. Within another minute or two, another man had stopped and helped get my Harley off the road. He was another off-duty EMS.  A DPS Trooper and ambulance arrived and I was quickly taken to Tyler. Although my injuries weren’t life threatening, these quiet professionals were the first on the scene. My story isn’t unique and all of us have similar stories. Let us, the citizens of Van Zandt County, now step forward and demonstrate how much we care.

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