I got my outfit tonight, including fireman helmet *lol*
It's not the association I was planning on working for when I went to medic school (I was hoping a paycheck would be involved), but I'm learning that the Red Cross offers the same medic training for free or reduced pricing.
I was heartbroken to have failed my EMT2 training, but I'm still an EMT1 and that's not nothing. Like in the OR, someone's gotta hand the surgeon the knives and pour iodine all over the patient *lol*
Now I'm getting a second (third, actually) chance to do this, for free, because I've been volunteering at blood drives since February.
In fact, I'm utterly grateful because I was able to get my 2 Corona vaccines (the 2nd today!) simply cuz I'm with DRK. It's totally unfair, my husband teaches school in person to a classroom of kids (last week they had some positives, he tests the kids in class), but he's not in the right line to get immunized. I got immunized .......for volunteering?
Anyway....
Tomorrow is day 1 of my required Red Cross training. Check out the name of this class:
Einsatzskraefteausbildung Einsatz.
I think I know what that means, after our 2 hour meeting tonight. It was our very first in-person meeting since Corona! I brought my famous chocolate chip cookies, which I'm delighted to introduce Germans to. I'm always afraid Germans are gonna say "How much sugar and butter are in these, are you trying to kill us?" but I was happily surprised when our leader took the cookie tin home tonight to share with his family.
I'll try to get a photo of myself in my entire reflective outfit soon. I had no idea the Red Cross issues special gloves! Check out my new enormous jacket:
I honestly have no idea why we have to wear our work clothes for a training class. It's gonna be 85 degrees every day and there's no AC. One interesting difference about the Red Cross is I'm allowed to have these clothes in my house, and am expected to care for them myself, even after duty. At the firestation, etc, those clothes do not leave the building unless you're on a call, because they are considered dangerously contaminated. In one of them we were not allowed to wear our boots back into the building, so there was a row of Crocs, etc, by the ambulances for changing into on return.
The work becomes tedious over time, but I hope with the Red Cross I'll remain as unjaded as possible.
6 comments:
How interesting! So, since Germany never has power outages, and seems to lack civilized landscaping features like volcanoes and tsunami, what kind of work will you be doing? LOL
I'm glad you get to use your training AND get more training. I want to see you in the complete outfit.
Yay for vax #2 (finally). I hope J gets his soon!!!!
Aarene, apparently sometimes the river gets too high. Also, snowstorms where people are trapped in their cars on the Autobahn.
Aarene, I guess I'l lbe able to answer that better after this weekend.
Glad to hear you’ll be able to continue training at a reasonable cost. Hope you enjoy your time with them. Stay safe!
So J hasn’t had any vaccine yet? I get my second on Tuesday. But I work in healthcare so was a bit ahead of the line for my age group.
Congratulations on getting the training. You must be excited. Here the Red Cross also helps families after a fire - finding them a plac3 to stay and getting supplies.
OK Aarene, I can finally answer your question. The Red Cross in Germany steps in on situations like
* Lichtenstein declares war on Germany (I almost fell from my chair laughig)
* Terrorist attacks (which do occur here, no joke, my embassy informs me of any risk
* Passenger train derailments
* Support of any country's floods, fires, blizzrds, any other natural disaster that might occur
* And I love this one the best:
* The case where Germany has a power outage.
I'm laughing because Germany does not have those. In my class today the teacher explained how other counties just suddenly lose electricity. And the implications that follow.
Germans in general do now know about this situation. The one with no electricity. It hasn't happened in their lifetimes.
Our teacher said, "In fact, people in other countries have back up, personal power stations to provide electricity to their homes, based on diesel fuel. (I laughed, "yup.") It's just unfathomable here.
Another thing that is not fathomable is the idea of stocking up on an item for an emergency (outside of a pandemic *LOL*)
I recently watched a video of a German dude going to an American Costco and there is something of a "survival package" you can buy at Costco! Um...???
Anyway, today our teacher did not have anything to offer about disaster prep, it's not his job. He just laughed at ppl who collected TP.
He said he took a class by an American who offered "Survival Rations" and they were dried foods that required boiling water to eat. It was surreal to hear someone talking about this to people who have never heard of it before.
Then again, I've been gone so long, I don't even know the general term for survival rations at Costco - I think they have a word for it now.
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