Last Wednesday I was waiting for a red light in the City on my way to work in my car. As the light turned green, I noticed a woman trying to stand up from the bench at the bus stop on the corner. She began to falter, then lost consciousness and slumped into the gutter. I was already moving in traffic, and there was no place to pull over. I dialed 911 as I worked my way around the one-way streets back around Patterson Park. Five minutes or so elapsed before I was able to work my way back to that corner.
I began to check the woman visually for trauma or injury, when the Baltimore City Fire Department truck showed up. Talk about a quick response! They were on scene in less than six minutes. I briefly told the fireman what I had seen. The woman was still unconscious, and looked terribly ashen. The fireman bent down and said, “Hon, wake up. I need you to get up now Hon.”
Hon. Even the firemen say hon. Even during a medical emergency, hon. Welcome to Baltimore, where the Fire Department is the best – get there quick and do a great job — and they never forget to call you hon.
MWS
