This is a post that I knew I'd be writing at some point, but it is also the post that I didn't want to write.
Last night, after a long battle with illness, one of our station crew died. He was 43.
We came into work this morning to hear the news, and even though it has been expected it still shocked us, a few eyes filled with tears, and the normal jovial attitude that we have has been dampened. Thankfully the day has been very busy, so we haven't had any chance to sit down and think about it.
We all knew that the end was near, we had seen him become progressively more unwell, every day we heard from visitors how his health was getting worse.
To their credit, the firm had helped him out as much as possible, they kept him employed until the very end of his life, so that his wife will get a full pension payout, rather than the much smaller amount she would get if they had passed him 'unfit'. In the last few weeks, when he was in hospital, our Control would let crews run over to the hospital to visit him, even letting us go 'off the road', to do so.
A while ago we had a benefit night, which raised a couple of thousand pounds for him, and just before his final stay in hospital, he and his family had a holiday, thanks to the LAS benevolent society.
We deal with death regularly, but it is very different when it is one of your own. I would imagine that we will get back to normal after the funeral, but until then the mood on station is one of quiet reflection.
Hope you won't miss him too much. I found that when people have been ill for a long time you get this sense that if they have survived the illness this long then they are not going to die and the actual death comes as a shock despite being predictable.
My sympathies and condolences to you and your crew.–maddog
There's not much that can be said but know that you, your crew and the family of your colleague will be in many people's thoughts and prayers tonight.Rhea
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Sorry to hear about your loss.Many years ago, a lady/RN/EMT who had been with our service basically since it started 30-40 years ago died from cancer. It devistated the whole service, PD and FD included. We really do become family. From time to time I catch myself thinking, “What would she have done with this patient if she were still here?”
The loss of one diminishes all of us. Condolences to you and your colleagues.
The delicacy with which you write about sadness, the immediate feelings of you and your colleagues, moves and impresses me. It makes the difference, and helps illuminate far beyond the routine aggro of your work about which you write so often so very well. It's also very good to read about how accomodating the management and others in the LAS were able to be, which should feel sustaining and rewarding to you all. /DAB, a Londoner in Chicago.
for what it's worth…a pat on the back from dave spellcnut. sorry for your loss.
I'm so sorry to hear about your loss.
So sorry to hear that. Take heart that he is now at peace.
He must've been a great man. My thoughts are with you all.