Three Students

Dim lights and PowerPoint slides hid his mustache.

A carefully arranged handlebar mustache enlivened his presentation.  Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was relevant and Mr. Mustache brought CPR dummies for scenarios, but his whiskers communicated as much as his words.

His fitness communicated that he was ready to run down an embankment to rescue a motorist from a burning car.  Super Mario's audience absorbed the weight of his 20-year firefighting career.  More than awe, what the instructor wanted was his class to be ready when needed.

His teaching style persuaded listeners that choking babies, bleeding victims and grateful bystanders have witnessed his heroics.  His students split into groups, and practiced chest compressions.  A quick look around the room confirmed that Mustachio was surrounded by rescuers.

A rescuer's ponytail bobbed over her dummy to the beat of "Staying Alive".  Two members of her group waited for a turn.

"Stayin' Alive" is used to train people to provide the correct rate of chest compressions per minute while performing CPR.  The song has around 103 beats per minute, and 100–120 chest compressions per minute are recommended for CPR. (reference)

She was just as serious as the 20-year firefighting instructor.  A police officer, she was saving the dummy's life with a firearm and shield on her belt.  She knew the drill was correctly done when both of the dummy's green lights synchronized.  Concentration kept her quiet.  When the green lights aligned, she made room for the next person.

During a break, she said, "I did CPR on a 9-year old."

She hadn't said much but her confession seemed to light a fire.

"Kids are tough," said a firefighter in her group.  "I did CPR on 4 children in 6 months.  They all died," he continued.

"That's messed up," shrugged the pony-tailed cop.  "The 9-year old lived.  I'm happy about that," she joylessly whispered.  While Mustachio's cleanshaven colleague talked to the petite, ponytailed cop, the third member of their group listened.     

Mustachio ended the break and resumed his PowerPoint but the break qbroke one of his learners.

One of his learners - the third member - was grateful the room was darkened.  Third member looked at the dozens of rescuers, and wondered how many children the trainees had saved; how many died in their care.  Seven firefighters times ten children per year equals seventy children.  Two dozen officers times ten children per year equals two hundred and forty children.  

Most attendees had more than one year of service.

Lights make gape-mouthed, wide-eyed realizations awkward.  Awareness, dawning on a civilian, best unfolds in darkness: fewer eyes; less embarrassment.

If you train with first responders, and they start telling war stories, you come to a fork in the road.  You can either throw onto the pile with a story of your own or shut up and listen.  After the choking lecture, the cop, civilian and firefighter practiced saving infant dummies before taking a break.

"What ever happened to the 9-year old?" asked third-member-civilian.

"No idea...we go from emergency to emergency.  We rarely know how things turn out," said the pony-tailed police officer.

"Yup," said the firefighter.  "When you arrive, there is no information.  There's a limp child and a family screaming for help.  Drowning... electrocution... poison... choking...You have no idea and they're too juiced to tell you.  Just get the chest compressions going and airways open.  When the kids die, it humbles you.  Admitting it messes you up takes you down a notch," said the firefighter.

Training with cops and firefighters took the civilian down a notch.  He was there for a recertification: a few lectures; a few drills; done by lunch.  Had he used the skills since the last class?  Embedded with first responders, he realized how naïve he was.  

Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. ~ Romans 12:3

Third guy was kneeling over a dummy with people who kneel over people.  Some people live and some die, but his training partners go home, shower and come back for more.  Firefighters and officers come back because they raised their hands and swore they would.  

They come back because they need the money; because they dislike everything else they've tried; because they want to help; because they're living their dreams; because they're still trying to figure out why they come back.  

They have their own 9-year old children running into their arms asking, "How was your day?!"  Talking to children about the children that live and die is one option.

Talking to a chaplain about the children who live and die is another option.  If a department offers chaplains, officer and firefighter can engage in talk therapy before they engage family and friends.  A Christ-centered confidant is a fit for some professionals and secular solutions are a fit for others. 

 CPR training took a turn toward vulnerability.

A cop spoke of the joy of lifesaving but forgot to smile.  A firefighter remembered his pain and shared openly.  Kneeling over a dummy, the third member of the group silently prayed for the remembering rescuers.  He prayed for Super Mario, his training team of firefighters and the officers they recertified.

A civilian joined the thousands of members of Adopt-A-Cop.org to lift rescuers to the Lord in prayer.

Maybe you want to pray for a rescuer, too. 

You can pray for Super Mario, Petite Ponytail or Cleanshaven Colleague.  The Lord knows their real names and keeps all the blessing in order.

Thank you for your prayer support and generosity to Christian outreach among first responders.

Together we're trusting Jesus to change lives.