![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Yesterday was a beautiful day, and I had some errands to take care of, so at lunch time I found myself out for a stroll in Old Town Alexandria. As I was heading back to the office, I could hear a siren in the distance, faintly at first, but steadily growing louder as it drew near. Soon, I could clearly distinguish between the louder, persistent wail of the mechanical siren and the underlying oscillation of the electronic siren. Suddenly, with a blast of its air horn, Engine 205 came around the corner and screamed past me on the way to its call. I found myself reveling in the noise: the growl of the big diesel engine, the screaming sirens and the occasional blast from the air horn. My entire body was covered with goose bumps.
Listening (and watching) emergency vehicles is such a guilty pleasure for me. Intellectually, I know that these sirens mean someone is in trouble, that bad things have happened. But the sound of it just thrills me to my very core. My pulse quickens and I become more alert, more observant. Its at moments like these that I get most nostalgic for my days as an EMT. I remember when I was the one driving the ambulance through the heavy suburban traffic, weaving my way through any opening I could find, blasting the air horn at the unyielding traffic. The challenge of balancing speed against safety, of constantly trying to anticipate the reactions of the other motorists, made each run an adventure. And the siren provided a constant soundtrack.
I've been out of the emergency services for almost eight years now, but sometimes when I hear a siren, I still find myself drawn to it. The pull isn't quite as strong as it used to be, but it is still there, and I often find myself searching for the source of the sound, trying to see what's happening, secretly wishing I still had a role to play in the unfolding drama. Maybe someday I'll be able to become active again, but in the meantime, I'll enjoy the thrill the sirens give me while remembering to say a prayer for those for whom the sirens sound.
Listening (and watching) emergency vehicles is such a guilty pleasure for me. Intellectually, I know that these sirens mean someone is in trouble, that bad things have happened. But the sound of it just thrills me to my very core. My pulse quickens and I become more alert, more observant. Its at moments like these that I get most nostalgic for my days as an EMT. I remember when I was the one driving the ambulance through the heavy suburban traffic, weaving my way through any opening I could find, blasting the air horn at the unyielding traffic. The challenge of balancing speed against safety, of constantly trying to anticipate the reactions of the other motorists, made each run an adventure. And the siren provided a constant soundtrack.
I've been out of the emergency services for almost eight years now, but sometimes when I hear a siren, I still find myself drawn to it. The pull isn't quite as strong as it used to be, but it is still there, and I often find myself searching for the source of the sound, trying to see what's happening, secretly wishing I still had a role to play in the unfolding drama. Maybe someday I'll be able to become active again, but in the meantime, I'll enjoy the thrill the sirens give me while remembering to say a prayer for those for whom the sirens sound.
Tags:
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
sirens
Date: 2005-09-29 11:59 am (UTC)It's in the blood, man.