Manti Ambulance

 Many have asked me why I don't run with the ambulance anymore. It's a long story......... 

But I thought I would share it on my blog.  

It's been 11 months since I was fired from being an EMT with Manti Ambulance. 11 months and I am still very angry about it.

 I know that holding in all this anger only hurts me. But I don't know how to let it go. Maybe by sharing my story, will help me let it go. If not, I still feel like my story should still be told. 

To share my story, I need to start back at the very beginning.  

*January 2021, I received a flyer in the mail, asking the community for volunteer EMT's and drivers. In February 2021 my sister Lindsey and I started going on ride alongs with the EMT's. We also started classes to become basic EMT's. A year later in 2022 I went back to continue training and I am now an advanced EMT. (Little side note, the head people in the association, didn't even congratulate me when I finished my training, like they had for the other EMT's)

*I really enjoyed being an EMT. I loved getting to know and helping my little city of Manti. But having to work with or under the direction of SM (That is what we will call the person I am referring to, as not to mention names) had me rethink why I am even on with the Ambulance.  I am not the first EMT to have issues with her. There were many who left Manti ambulance because they could not continue being with her. It's sad because Manti is hurting for EMT's, and SM runs them off. 

*I was harassed /bullied by SM, I was slandered by her over and over again. I have had many false accusations made about me, write ups, defamation of my character and abilities of being an EMT. She targeted me. 

*I confronted SM and went to the president of the association and the rest of the board. But nothing came of it, except for things got 10x worse for me.  I went to the mayor with my eyewitnesses and statements from others who have witnessed how I have been treated or those who have also been treated badly.  NOT a single thing came from that. I sent my complaint with proof to EMS bureau and was told that they couldn't do anything because Manti ambulance was its own governing association. 

*On September 15th 2022 My sister Lindsey and I got called in to have a meeting with the President who I will call JH, and other board members. both my sister and I were accused of breaking HIPPA. (Which we did not do and had proof that we did not break HIPPA) But we both got suspended for 1 month from running with Manti ambulance.   The very next day, we called back into the office with the board members, and they told us that they had made a mistake, and we didn't do anything wrong, and we that could continue running with the ambulance. We did stay on, but things with me and SM (who was the vice president, and buddy buddies with the President) did not get better.

*I ended up going again to the board to tell them that things with SM needed to stop or I was going to go higher up the ladder.  JH wasn't very nice to me at this point.  I had an even bigger target on my back, and I knew that at some point, they were going to fire me for something stupid. I was on thin ice, they wanted me gone, because I wasn't staying quiet about the things that went on within that association. 

*June 1st 2023 I went on a call to a drowning. There were quite a few EMTs that showed up, plus search and rescue. The place where the incident happened was full of people. Some who jumped in to help, and those who sat on the side, praying for the victim. The victim was in the water for hours, before he was found. Fox 13 news reported on the incident. I happened to see it posted on FB. Fox 13 news reported that the victim survived. In the comments, I told Fox news that he didn't survive.  Should I have said that? At the time, I didn't think I had said anything wrong. 

*The next day, I was called in to meet with JH, the President. She was irate with me. I was in shock, had no idea that what I said, was not ok. She told me to turn in all my equipment, and anything with the Manti ambulance logo on it, I was done. I was dumbfounded. I didn't know that what I said was bad enough to be fired over. I didn't break HIPAA, but she said it was unethical.  No warning, no giving second chance and telling me to not do that again. I didn't know that I did something wrong. But it didn't matter. It was a matter of time before I was going to get fired for something that could have been delt with in a different way. 

*what's even more upsetting is SM was terrible to me, and other EMTs, she has been terrible to patients, and patients' family members, but her actions got swept under the rug. Not even a slap on the wrist. She even did things that were big No Nos. 

They hired 4 EMTs that have done things that were really bad, but they were desperate for EMTs and let them work on the ambulance. 

*The others in the association were told that I was fired because I broke HIPAA, even though I recorded my conversation between me and the president the day I was fired, and in that conversation, she mentions at least 2 times that I didn't break HIPAA, and that is not why she is letting me go.  The other thing that was told to others was that I did a news interview, when I was told not to. That never happened! lies and more lies.

*I've seen SM around town (at my new job) and she still treats me bad. She mocks me. 

*I was a good EMT, I was reliable and did my best. I did good in my classes. I still had a lot to learn and would have loved to, if given the chance.

*I do not think I should have been fired; I think I was wronged in so many ways.  I was treated badly and there is nothing I can do about it. I did not get a fair trial. I didn't even meet with the board, I was fired by the president and in the Manti ambulance association constitution and bylaws, it should have been decided by the entire board with a vote. The mayor did nothing to help. The only thing he said to the association was to be nice.

*I am angry, and I don't know how not to be.