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Two Car Head-On
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Late one Saturday afternoon I was on my way to the swimming pool when we were paged for this accident.  It was very hot (about 97 degrees) and humid, just perfect for wearing really warm fire gear.

Pattie heard the fire siren and grabbed a camera and followed one of the last trucks to the scene.  These are some very nice shots of how many emergency services people come together to help.  Click any picture for a larger view.

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This was some sort of Oldsmobile.  It did not fare well.  The dashboard was forced downward, trapping the driver's foot. This was a Mercedes.  I noticed it had a very nice sunroof until we cut the roof off and threw it over the fence.  You can see the driver through the hole in the windshield.
We had several departments respond to the call.  That's how it goes with volunteers.  You call, we run.  New Glarus' Fire, EMS and Police; Green County Sheriff; Brooklyn EMS; Monticello EMS; Belleville EMS; MedFlight. I believe this was one of the passengers from the Mercedes.  Be sure to wear your seat belt.  It keeps your face from making a hole in the windshield.
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There is always something of a fashion show at a fire call.  Everyone runs out and you never know what you're gonna get. There is always a firefighter standing by just in case a car decides to burst into flame.
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You can get stuck standing there for a long time. The blue board is a back board designed to keep your spine from twisting during transit.  We cut the top and doors off cars to be able to remove a victim with as little twisting as possible.
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Here we have two New Glarus EMS, one Brooklyn FF and a New Glarus FF loading a patient into Belleville's ambulance.  We don't play partisan politics, we just work together. The thing I like best about this picture is that the back of her shirt reads, "Danger, Explosives".
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Patients are given immediate attention at the scene and sent by ambulance or helicopter as needed. Everyone does what is needed.  Notice our police chief holding an IV for the patient.  There is almost no irrelevant conversation.
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This is one of my favorite pictures.  Not only is it cool to see Med-Flight just a couple feet off the ground, but there is so much to do no one even looks at it.  When is the last time a helicopter landed a hundred feet from you and you didn't even look?  Med-Flight landed and took off twice at this accident and I didn't see either of them. This shot is another beauty.  Everyone is running and you can see the blond EMS person's hair streaming out behind her.  We work fast.
Click for larger image This is the only shot you can see me in.  If you look carefully, you can make out the "er" on my coat.  

One of the strangest parts of this accident was cutting the roof off the Mercedes.  Mike and I were lifting it off the car to pitch it into the field when I first noticed there was another victim lying in the back seat.  It turns out it was my upstairs neighbor.

Everyone lived and I believe recovered nicely.  Eventually.