Editor’s note: Reporter Jason Morash recently spent a day with firefighters at the Seal Beach North station, located by Leisure World’s North Gate.
Upon arrival at the scene, Orange County Fire Authority paramedics Mike Yeun and Jaime Torres grab their gear and dart up the stairs without hesitation.
The situation is tense—A middle-aged woman lies unconscious on her back and isn’t breathing.
However, Yeun and Torres keep the room under control while the people in her house nervously wait. Immediately on cue, the rest of the A-shift team arrives in fire engine No. 48.
Each member of the six-person group plays a specific role, with Capt. Steven King directing operations.
The firefighter/paramedics work relentlessly to resuscitate the patient, keeping her alive through breathing assistance techniques. Swiftly and carefully she is brought down the stairs and into the back of the ambulance where she will be transported to the local emergency room.
Not once did the crew of Orange County Fire Authority Station 48 leave the woman’s side, displaying a family-like bravado as they move as one; brothers who treat the citizens of Seal Beach as their own. This family touch is what Capt. King requires from every member of his crew.
“Every patient we treat, we treat them as if they were my grandfather, grandmother, my brother, my sister, my wife, and my child,” King said. “You have to give them the respect and care because they want to know you truly care about taking care of them.”
Calls to Action
For two straight days A-shift at Station 48 is always ready to go. Once a medical call is received, the medics are required by procedure to be out of the station in one minute.
Blazing the sirens, Torres takes the wheel and commandeers the van through city traffic with agility.
Yeun analyzes the patient data he receives on the mobile computer and guides his partner with directions, keeping a close eye on the van’s safety.
The partners exit the van and analyze the scene, using clues to prepare for the job ahead.
There is no confusion as to roles when the partners make contact. Yeun approaches the patient with grace and confidence while Torres interviews family members to obtain patient history, which he will enter into his tablet.
Logistical communication between the two is kept to a minimum because they already know their roles. “We don’t need a game plan because him and I both know what we’re doing” Torres said. “This ensures a call goes smoother and it makes things go easier.”
If the patient needs to go to the hospital, the ambulance arrives. On a more serious call, the fire engine crew will come and assist. The team will help the patient into the ambulance and ride along with them to the hospital to assist emergency room doctors and to follow through on paperwork for the case.
Most of the station’s calls are in response to medical care, primarily from Leisure World. According to Yeun, 77 percent of the station’s medical calls come from the retirement community, with the busiest hours being from midnight to 6 a.m.
A second home
In between calls King, who has been at the Seal Beach station for 13 years, creates a fraternal community—a second family for the crew, which works for 48 consecutive hours and then has four days off.
They do everything together: exercising, cooking, cleaning, and training. A brotherhood that is critical to their success.
He also stresses the importance of relaxation and humorous banter during down time so they can help each other cope with the stress and not bring their jobs home with them.
Jokes and laughter are thrown back and forth at the dining table and lounging areas, especially at the younger members. One of them is Zachary Wesson, a 16-year-old from Cypress who participates in the Fire Explorer program with the hopes of one day being a firefighter.
He is cool and composed in the field under direct watch from the captain, who cares for and trains his crew with a paternal eye.
Except for Wesson and rookie Jonathan Lim, King is confident that any member of his team will be able to fill anyone else’s roles—from operating an engine to acting in the captain’s place.
“Everything we do is team; everything is bonding,” he said. “I have four sons here and I’m Dad.”
