Starting the Year with Fire and Ambulance
Huron Valley Ambulance supervisor Terry Pappas, working on New Year's Eve. (Photos by the writer.)
The ball in Times Square has dropped a couple hours earlier.
Now, Terry Pappas, shift supervisor at Huron Valley Ambulance, is on the line with an elderly caller who’s lying on the floor, unable to get back into her chair.
“I know you’re miserable,” Pappas comforts the caller, as they wait together for the ambulance to arrive.
And then, still lying on her side on the floor of her apartment, still audibly in distress, the caller musters a surprising bit of cheer. She offers Pappas the salutation of the night: “Happy New Year!” Pappas responds in kind. The caller tells Pappas she didn’t watch the ball drop – you know what’s going to happen, she says … it drops every year.
A few minutes later, HVA staff can be heard in the background. They confirm for Pappas that they’re on the scene, and Pappas and her crew move on to fielding other calls.
It was not by accident that The Chronicle chose to spend part of New Year’s Eve with Huron Valley Ambulance. [Full Story]