I first rode an ambulance as a N.J. “Five Points First Aider” in 1973, and I loved it. I also loved riding the apparatus and going to fires. Essentially, if it was going out the door because someone was jammed up or something was on fire, I wanted to be on the run. Not much has changed as far as my enthusiasm, but a lot has changed with EMS, some very good and some very bad.
Our emergencies, real and perceived
In my early days on the job, it seemed that when an ambulance was requested by someone, it was needed. Absolutely needed. I don’t ever remember going on an emergency run where someone was waiting at the doorstep. Some were lying near it, bleeding from being shot, but no one was standing there holding their suitcases. Calls from patients with repeated needs were rare. An emergency call was an actual emergency.
Things have changed, and for a variety of reasons, EMS is very much abused. EMS has become the stopgap for people trying to access some kind of healthcare, emergency or not. In so many cases, the “run” is the result of the “patient” having no other way of accessing the healthcare system, so 911 is called, the crews respond, and yada yada yada.
Unfortunately, we have no control over it. The tones go off and we respond, because in today’s world of unsure stuff, the community is absolutely sure that when they call us, we will be there — right now.
What happens politically with the government and our healthcare system is generally not within our control. Hopefully someone somewhere is making some attempt to MAKE EMS EMERGENCY AGAIN. But in the meantime, what we do from when the tones go off — arrive and treat the patient or patients — is within our control.
I get that it can be difficult to take care of someone who may not need emergency medical services, but we’re there to do a job, paid or volunteer, and you’re there for some reason, even if you don’t believe it’s a good reason.
Maybe the caller is someone crews know well from previous responses: Mikey the drunk is drunk again and the family has had enough, or maybe grandma can’t get her meds and has to go back to the hospital because that’s how she gets them.
It is very easy — and understandable in many cases — to judge. It’s a human nature thing. But we, as fire and EMS personnel, cannot. We are paid (or volunteer) to provide a certain standard of expected behavior — a behavior that benefits those who need us.
We have to look past the BS that (often justifiably) pisses us off, for a variety of reasons, but mostly because we are the people they count on. Not their family. Us. We are all they can count on.
When we arrive at 3 a.m., as tough as it is, a little compassion and a smile is often all that’s needed while we get that person taken care of. We are there anyway, so take care of them and move on.
When compassion fails
On the morning of Dec. 18, 2022, police responded to a call at Earl Moore Jr.'s residence in Springfield, Illinois. Upon arrival, police officers found Earl in medical distress after detoxing and, recognizing his need for assistance, they called for an ambulance.
EMT Peter Cadigan and Paramedic Peggy Finley subsequently arrive, and during their interaction, Finley is heard yelling at Moore to “sit up” and “quit acting stupid.”
[Video: Jump to 16:00]
Earl, who was unable to walk, was carried to the ambulance by police. Cadigan and Finley then placed him on a stretcher in a prone position and secured him with tightened straps before transport. Moore was taken to the hospital, where he later died.
An autopsy ruled Moore’s death a homicide, determining that it was caused by a “prone face‐down restraint on an ambulance cot/stretcher by tightened straps across the back.”
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The legal process
In January 2023, Cadigan and Finley were charged with first‑degree murder in connection with Moore’s death. A judge ruled that the defendants would be tried separately. (Separately, Moore’s family also filed a civil lawsuit against Cadigan, Finley and their employer, LifeStar Ambulance Service.)
Both Cadigan and Finley initially pleaded not guilty, but in April 2026, Cadigan pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter. After a sentencing hearing that lasted several hours on June 23, 2026, Cadigan was sentenced to 24 months of probation and 100 hours of community service.
Finley’s trial is expected to begin next month. The next court date in her case is scheduled for Aug. 24.
Just give a shit
There is no question that repeat calls and potentially unnecessary EMS responses take a measurable toll on fire and EMS personnel. In those cases, there are some limited solutions to help ease that at the local level, such as call-screening, rotating crews (busy to slow units) and ensuring that EMS resources meet the needs of the community (more units). But until changes occur, sometimes just taking a breath and taking care of the patient works best for the patient, and those who genuinely want to help — or at least did when they graduated EMT class.
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