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We Didn’t All Make It Out
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Dispatched & Dysfunctional – Because sometimes the worst calls make the best stories.
Welcome to Dispatched & Dysfunctional — where the darkest moments become stories of resilience. These aren’t polished hero tales. They’re the raw, unfiltered truths of EMS: the calls that scar, the ones that save, and the ones we carry forever.
🚑 The call came in like any other — a house fire with people trapped. By the time we arrived, flames were already chewing through the roof. Neighbors screamed, smoke poured into the street, and in the chaos a mother came running out barefoot, clutching two children against her chest. She was burned, bleeding, sobbing… but alive.
And then she collapsed in the yard. Because she had three children. And only two made it out.
That’s the kind of moment that doesn’t fade. The kind that claws its way into your memory and refuses to leave. Not because of what you did — but because of what you couldn’t.
We don’t talk enough about those calls. The ones where survival isn’t possible. The ones that leave you standing in turnout gear, smelling like smoke, staring at the family you couldn’t make whole. Those are the scars that don’t show up on skin, but they follow you through every shift after.
⚠️ CONTENT WARNING: Graphic EMS content, pediatric death, fire trauma, and mental health. Listener discretion advised.
Why It Matters:
Not every call ends in survival. And not every scar is visible. This one reminded us that grief doesn’t stay on scene — it follows us home. It lives in our boots, in the smell of our gear, in the silence after shift. It’s the kind of weight you don’t shake off — you carry it, sometimes forever. And it changes the way you walk into the next fire.
🧠 Need support?
Text or call 988 or visit 988lifeline.org
💬 “I’d rather hear your story than read your eulogy.”
📬 Want to share your story?
Visit critical-run.com or message us on Facebook: Dispatched and Dysfunctional
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🌐 Visit: www.critical-run.com to connect, share your story, or just vent
🎤 Got a call that changed you? Submit your story — we’ll carry it with care (and maybe a little dark humor).
⚠️ Disclaimer: This podcast contains graphic content, emotional storytelling, and dark humor based on real-life EMS and first responder experiences. Listener discretion is advised.
Any medical discussion is personal opinion, not medical advice. Always follow your local protocols, medical direction, and training guidelines.
This podcast isn’t about fairy tales. It’s about real calls, real chaos, and the medics who survive both.
Dispatched & Dysfunctional — because sometimes the worst calls… make the best stories.
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