Back in college when I was en EMT I kept gloves all over and a Laredel Pocket Mask in my book bag. The mask and a set of gloves made the transition with me to the working world and stayed exactly where I put them in my briefcase for years. I have no idea where they are now.

I recently joined my local volunteer EMS squad, and I guess I'm the exception that proves the rule, for the time being. My first call with the squad was last week. 60-something male with chest pains. All went well until we were about halfway to the ER, when he crashed big time. CPR and defib in a moving ambulance with lights and sirens blaring sure is exciting. The good news is that the patient was taken off the respirator this morning. He lived. (Very different from the traumatic arrests others have spoken of, where there is very little chance of successful resuscitation.) This is the first CPR I've been involved in, and the fact that it worked has me totally in awe.

I don't think I could watch someone go down without helping, so I feel I owe it to my family to get a mask back into my bag, which is with me almost all of the time when I'm out of the house.