ABSTRACT
Storytelling among emergency medical responders is a well-developed, yet little-studied, occupational tradition. The majority of emergency medical responders in the United States are trained as emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and work as ambulance personnel who respond to calls for assistance primarily through the national 911 emergency telephone system. Medics tell stories as part of their work. Sometimes their stories mimic the official report that they provide the emergency room staff. At other times their stories emerge during less formal interactions and concentrate on particular aspects of a problematic call. In many cases, however, their stories are elaborate personal experience narratives that focus on a particularly memorable call. In these stories, they present themselves as competent authorities able to handle crises so extraordinary that others around them blanch. At the same time, they provide a running commentary on the state of health care in the United States, the problems with urban decay and the breakdown of the family, the challenges of overcoming racism, the dangers of their work environment, the deficiencies in the dispatch system, the inability of field supervisors to provide meaningful leadership, the surprising incompetence of other emergency responders, and the remarkably random ways in which death can intrude into our daily lives.
