PAX Centurion - Spring 2019

www.bppa.org PAX CENTURION • Spring 2019 • Page 27 W hen the perceived impossible collides with reality, like a ship meeting an iceberg on a clear frigid night in the North Atlantic, the impossible is possible and the consequences are reality. Larger than life doesn’t translate as immune to death or adverse to failure. At a whopping 882 feet long and 92 feet wide, this giant of the sea had no formidable opponent. Unreasonable expectations, a false sense of security and communication failures brought a titan in its class, an unsinkable ship, a model for all others to its final resting place at the bottom of theAtlantic, forever a shrine remembered not for its amazing accomplishments but judged by its last 37 seconds.....iceberg right ahead. The R.M.S. Titanic was a royal mail ship. Having this designation meant the titanic was officially responsible for delivering mail for the British postal service. By flying the British flag and having the designation RMS, the Titanic had the full backing of the Crown. Why is a flag so important?Aflag is an identity, a big brother of sorts, an equalizer and a protector. Our fellow public safety brothers and sisters fly the City of Boston flag, a symbol of pride since 1630 and have the metaphorical backing of the “crown.” The parent organization of Boston EMS, the Boston Public Health Commission, has neither a flag nor a public safety identity. It is neither our identity nor our protector – The motto “Where public health meets public safety” is as confusing as navigating a rotary for the rest of the country. Boston EMS is a “program” or “political sub-division” of the BPHC and is treated no differently than any initiative at the commission. With no flag, differing missions and unclear decision makers – the rank and file is often left wondering if they’re sailing through a clear night on a historic voyage or careening towards an iceberg looming in the night. If you’ve managed to make it this far you may be wondering why I’ve been referring to a ship that sailed theAtlantic over a century ago. When I sat down to write about my perception of our current state of affairs, this moment in history was the first thing that came to mind. Not that I believe we are sinking or even careening into an iceberg to certain destruction, but rather that there are lessons to be learned from catastrophic failures. Years ago, I joined this agency with the mentality of a first-class passenger – I was in awe of the vessel, mesmerized by the comradery but blind to the short-comings. The sensationalized Hollywood scene of Rose telling Jack I’ll never let go flies directly in the face of being “unsinkable.” Six warnings of ice fields nearby, lookouts without binoculars and a course adjusted too late. First Officer WilliamMcMaster-Murdoch was advised several times of icebergs in the area from passing ships but neglected to slow the speed of the ship. Avisualization of the iceberg all too late, “hard starboard” ordered the First Officer in an attempt to maneuver around the iceberg. Many believe that the last-minute altering of the course may have been the ship’s demise – if it had struck the iceberg head on, it, like others may have sustained damage but continued its course. Decisions to alter courses based on information from the crew are common here at Boston EMS, and disliked by the BPHC; until their hand is forced and an obstacle is directly in front of them. After striking the iceberg, the Titanic’s designer, Thomas Andrews was said to have exclaimed “I should have used the new iceberg resistant steel but chose to save a few pennies.” EMS partially funds itself through billing for services but in doing so unknowingly changed the “designers” outlook and drifted slightly from public safety and service to a mentality that mimics most for profit businesses. If we can get the job done without our modern-day iceberg resistant steel, we can instead reallocate that money towards other “programs.” The Titanic was a coal-powered ship that used an estimated 100 tons of coal per day which required a crew of 176 men to keep the fires burning. The hours were long, the conditions were difficult, but the reality was if they were doing their jobs, the fires were stoked, the ship kept moving and the lights stayed on, they, much as we are, were invisible. The modern-day version of an engineer in the underbelly of a coal burning cruise liner is known as “essential employees” here at the commission. As a laborer at the EMS program at BPHC you’re expected to keep up with the power demands of the ship and at times exceed the seemingly impossible. The Titanic was originally equipped with 64 lifeboats but downsized to 20 to maximize open space seeing as the ship was unsinkable. Although the uniformed leadership of BEMS has taken great steps to grow this agency and attempt to lessen the individual burden on our field providers, the impact on the member is equivalent to adding a 21 st lifeboat to a ship requiring three times that. Despite objections from members of the command staff and supervisors we continue forward into the night at a speed the metaphorical crew has repeatedly said is dangerous and too fast for the conditions. At peak hours, BEMS operates 21 BLS units and 5 ALS units and drastically downsizes to 12 BLS and 3 ALS at night. On April 14, 1912, just 12 hours before the Titanic reached its final resting place, a lifeboat safety drill was canceled, why? The reason for the cancellation was it wasn’t necessary, in the event of an emergency it wasn’t enough, we know it, they know it. The infrastructure had been so decimated in the interest of being cost effective and fast, that it had no ability to expand. If, the impossible became possible, the reality of the outcome was futile at best. Why have a safety drill that would illustrate to the first-class passengers what the ships designer, captain, crew, and “essential employees” already knew – they weren’t prepared. Clear communication to the membership is something that most are yearning for. If the goals, objectives and mission of the agency aren’t frequently and clearly communicated to the membership, they will stop believing in the mission. Keeping people engaged or “bought” in, can be as simple as telling them where we are going and when to expect to arrive there. The Titanic was a brand, a belief, a promise of something more. Everyone boarded that doomed ship for unique personal reasons, while the experiences and outcomes were different for each, each one of them received the “Atlantic Daily Bulletin,” the onboard newspaper that informed them of current events on the ship. During their short stay on board and for some, the final days of their lives, they were engaged and “bought” in to the mission of the crew, the fastest crossing, a luxurious social experiment and for some a new life. Communication is vital, from the engineers keeping the ship moving to the captain under time constraints to make the voyage from Southampton, England to NewYork in record time and everyone in between must not be discounted. Had all the communications been deemed important to the overall success of the voyage; this voyage may have been remembered as a historic crossing of theAtlantic and not the tragedy it is known as today. From cost cutting measures during construction, to unheeded warnings regarding ice fields in the water, to the speed of the vessel – conscious decisions were made to continue recklessly forward with an arrogance that everything would work out. Right or wrong, those decisions come from the top. The overall mission would be paralyzed by indecision if every action required the unanimous approval of all the crew. It’s incumbent upon our leaders to lead and equally important to be empowered to make informed decisions – it’s also important for members to believe in the mission, this can only be accomplished through honest, open communication which should not be confused with consensus. BPHC’s “Titanic?” By Lt. Patrick Calter, Boston EMS