With ongoing preparations for this weekend’s launch of the Magical Lights of Milton, David Geall will often be outside as a siren wails in the distance.
Each time brings a heightened sense of curiosity – an occupational hazard, no pun intended, for the recently retired paramedic.
“Every time you hear that siren it’s like ‘Geez, I wonder who’s going out on that call and what’s happening. Because it’s (retirement) so fresh,” said Geall, who late last month wrapped up a 33-year career serving Halton and Mississauga.
The longtime Miltonian had looked towards a future as an athletic therapist upon first entering York University. Part of the football team, he was en route to an away game when the bus came upon a nasty highway car wreck.
Around that time Geall had been intrigued by the TV show Emergency, but wasn’t initially drawn toward that field.
“Quite honestly, I wasn’t sure if I could handle what I was seeing,” he recalled.
A brief but impactful window into that question presented itself when the road trip carnage came into focus. With no first responders having arrived yet, Geall urged his coach to stop. And with much of his adolescence spent as a lifeguard, he and the team trainer leapt into action.
The incident was quickly discovered to be a double fatality, which would no doubt have frightened many onlookers away from the paramedic path.
Not Geall.
“I realized ‘You know, I think I can actually handle this, and that’s when I thought of looking into the paramedic program.”
More than three decades later, Geall looks back on a career filled with countless critical and memorable moments – as well as some significant changes all the way.
Among those was the 2000 switch from private company service to the provincial government downloading the responsibility onto municipalities.
“We literally walked in with different uniforms but at the same locations,” said Gaell, who spent his entire time in the Halton-Mississauga area.
Expanded paramedic duties were also seen, with the local first-responder starting out at a time when first aid and defibrillators were the only care administered during calls.
Then came more specific symptom relief treatment and ultimately the implementation of OPALS (Ontario PreHospital Advanced Life Support), which required six months of extensive training that Geall was selected for and completed.
While considering himself fortunate to not have suffered longterm emotional hardship from his three-plus decades in emergency response, Geall admits there were struggles.
“The hardest part was when my kids were small and we had a couple of bad calls where kids were involved, and there was nothing that could be done for those families. That hits home because these are my kids’ ages.”
A more recent fatality – where one person died on the way to the hospital – stayed with Geall for a while, prompting him to seek counselling.
“Sometimes you have the guilt of ‘Could something have been done to save them? The realization was… my attitude has always been whatever happened happened before 911 was called. There’s only so much you can do. It they were killed instantly, no matter what drugs or tools I have, you can’t bring them back.
“There’s a saying if you’re killed from a trauma and something’s torn inside, unless you’re at the OR table there, you’re not coming back.”
With that grim reality in mind, the now retired paramedic is encouraged by the steps taken to enhance mental health supports for first-responders in recent years – as well as the move to break down stigmas about those seeking help.
“It’s not OK to be quiet anymore,” he said. “It’s a complete 180 from what it used to be, but more is needed.”
Of course a 33-year career brought with it many uplifting moments as well – including seven or eight births, which Geall said all went smoothly. Initially butterflies aside.
“That first delivery (in Milton) I was nervous as hell… everything started too quick. You do all the training but you don’t have to do that too often.
“Unfortunately in this job you see more of the sad part than the good, so it (births) helps to rebalance your overall career.”
Then there were numerous follow-up visits to the hospital, many – thankfully – having positive outcomes.
“When you go back a week later and they can get out of bed and shake your hand and they say ‘I owe you my life to what you did’... Geall trailed off, not quite sure exactly how to describe that feeling.
Reflecting on the past three decades, the retired paramedic does so with a general sense of positivity, noting that “from a mental health point of view I think I did well.”
His farewell not only came with some fond memories of strong friendships forged, but the realization that he offered a welcoming intro to the new generation.
“It was very humbling to me because you always figure you’re one of the older guys and the service is getting younger and younger. But we had a retirement book on my last day and at the party and a lot of people wrote ‘You were one of my first partners and you treated me so fair because I was new.
“That felt good because I was green too once. You have to be patient with new people and give them a chance to learn the job. The last thing the need is someone who’s stern or rude, or not nice.”