From: Jenn
Sent: August 17, 2003
Subject: nyc blackout

hope you're all ok.
had a very rough experience during blackout (8/14-15) b/c my air filters were out, usually on 24-7.
had to open windows b/c of extreme heat,
was ok til later when there was a fire & smoke nearby, which first i didn't know about.
night-time so i was dozing.

when i had trouble breathing and was fading and feeling symptoms of toxic exposure relapse
(lungs hurting, nose & throat burning, sharp headache, disorientation, etc.),
i called 311 (new city services line), who said they would keep a check on me every few hours.
barely able to call again 2 hours later when symptoms got worse & they helped contact 911 to get me some oxygen.
had just heard about fire on battery-op radio & so struggled to close windows despite heat.

was asleep when ambulance came 4 hours later (4am) and then it was horrible--
they didn't understand my condition, opened doors and windows letting fumes in and cat out,
plus they had lots of scents and cologne on. i grabbed my filtering mask.
they got angry while i was trying slowly to explain my disability & asking to keep doors/windows closed,
they interrupted and yelled and cursed, slammed their equipment around,
were intolerant of my slowness & difficulty speaking, called me a freak, and a bubble-boy,
refused to read drs letters when i couldn't talk, refused to give treatment.
said i was crazy, no smoke around, then said none for 5 hrs,
which i tried to point out was when i called, but they got angrier.
insisted i go to hospital (which is extremely toxic env. for me & highly likely to cause more chemical exposures).
there were 2 at first, then they called everyone else to help make me go,
had 10-12 people crowded around my futon staring, pointing flashlights in my eyes,
yelling questions and orders at me, like a scene from ET.
i was in my mask lying there numb and in shock, shaking hard, couldn't speak.
tried to call friends to help explain to them but couldn't dial right,
tried to find letters that explain but fumbling & couldn't read or handle papers.

the lieutenant finally came & cleared them out & behaved more professionally--
gave some O2, skimmed one letter, closed windows/doors, took vitals, had me sign a no transport form.
still said crew probably acted that way b/c i must have been "freaking out".
they left & i rested as best i could afterwards, very shaken.

a friend kindly helped me prep food the next day & was going to help get me to an area with restored power with one of my air filters for the night if nec.
then my power came back in the evening, the next to last neighborhood in brooklyn, ~ last 10% of city.
been recuperating since.

i know the ems crews had a very long day with the blackout and fires
(& i used to work on an ambulance & know it's tough),
but i found their behavior insensitive and surprisingly unprofessional.
for me it was extremely traumatic and
i am still recovering from all levels of that awful experience.