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BajaCactus
Senior Nomad
Posts: 663
Registered: 5-22-2004
Location: Km. 55, carretera transpenisular, El Rosario, B.C.
Member Is Offline
Mood: Helpful
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Close call for the Desert Hawks...
I would like to share something with you that has shocked me in several ways.
January 9th, 2014 / 8:02am... I am driving one of our ambulances code 3 northbound on highway 1, approximately 10km north of El Rosario, when suddenly
a semi-trailer truck invades my lane forcing me off the highway... now, how did I get here...
One hour earlier, at 7:12am, Desert Hawks received a call from the local health clinic, the ambulance is required for "transportation" of a patient to
a hospital in Col. Vicente Guerrero. Isela and myself are summon to assist and so we get ready and proceed to the local clinic.
We arrived at the clinic at 7:26am, where we found the "transport"... a 16 year old girl just had preterm birth to a 32 week old baby... the baby was
just over 1kg of weight, barely breathing ... this was no "transport", this was an emergency...
I immediately got worried, we have no neonatal incubator in neither of our ambulances. The baby required suction equipment and oxygen... we have no
tips or masks so small... we are simply not prepared for attending neonatal emergencies. The adolescent mother was not in good shape... she also
required medical attention in a hospital.
Well... with a lot of courage, we jumped into our ambulance and immediately headed to the nearest hospital in Col. Vicente Guerrero... 120 km away.
On the way I was worried for the baby and frustrated for not having the appropriate equipment... but then I began listening to the 16 year old girl
mom... She had no prenatal control, she did not know how long she had been pregnant, she had this preterm birth at home, where the baby was dropped
into a bucket of urine, the mom cut the umbilical cord with some scissors she found lying around and went to the clinic only because she was in
pain... Second child, she gave the first one away, saying she was sure this one was not going to make it but that it did not matter, she did not care
so much about it, the worst thing was that the mother of this 16 year old mom was also in the ambulance and did not seem to be concerned at all...
I was silently driving the ambulance feeling very angry, worried, disappointed, mad, frustrated... but most of all sad... very sad to to see all
this... how can this happen?... How is it possible a mother does not care for this wonderful gift God had just sent her.
Back to the beginning of my story... I was driving code 3 when this semi-trailer truck forced me off the highway... I was suddenly driving high speed
on dirt... but someone up there was watching over us and I rapidly got back control of the ambulance and on to the highway again.
Kept going North and 35 minutes later we arrived to the Hospital... the baby made it... he was immediately treated, cleaned and put into an
incubator... but his trip does not end there... he was being prepared to be taken to Ensenada by another ambulance, where the fully equipped hospitals
are and he could received the attention he required... our best sentiments and prays are with this wonderful baby.
A close call for the Desert Hawks this day...
Antonio M.
[Edited on 1-9-2014 by BajaCactus]
BajaCactus
"Where Baja is so much more than a dream..."
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64722
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Wow... Thank you BajaCactus/ Desert Hawks!
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DocRey
Nomad
Posts: 180
Registered: 2-27-2013
Location: SADM, Playas de T.J./Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Cautiously Optimistic
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Antonio in my book you are amazing. I'm a veteran (34 yrs.), firefighter/paramedic in Los Angeles and probably delivered a couple hundred babies in
just about every situation ( Good, bad & very ugly ). We have the most modern equiptment, supplies & vehicles a metropolitan city can have.
You my friend are to be applauded for your knowledge, skill & most of all empathy for your patients. And from prior posts, your community in
general. My hats off to you & your staff.
Just my dos centavos.
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Mula
Super Nomad
Posts: 1655
Registered: 8-16-2011
Location: San Nicolas y Lopez Mateos
Member Is Offline
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I sent Antonio $100 USD yesterday.
He immediately e mailed a thank you and said the money would be used to fill their oxygen tank today.
After reading this - I feel like sending him another $100.
I am not well off, but whoa!!!!
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Neal Johns
Super Nomad
Posts: 1687
Registered: 10-31-2002
Location: Lytle Creek, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: In love!
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I can vouch for how helpful and kind Antonio and his wife are.
A few years I broke a rear differential near the backcountry of Mission Santa Maria and limped into into Antonio's Baja Cactus motel after my (new)
friends towed me part way out and then drove out to a parts store and brought back steering parts.
Antonio scoured Tijuana for the differential parts I needed, offered me free rooms at the motel, and his future wife (Isela) was the efficient local
contact between us. He got a friend with a shipping company to deliver the parts to El Rosario and sent me to his local mechanic to have the ring and
pinion installed.
Kodos to a great couple.
Neal Johns
My motto:
Never let a Dragon pass by without pulling its tail!
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bajamedic
Nomad
Posts: 392
Registered: 12-5-2008
Location: Northern California
Member Is Offline
Mood: Just waitin for baja
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Antonio, I am still working on getting your ambulance gurneys. I have a lead on some high powered VHF Radios that may be available. In a previous
post, I believe you had requested 3 mobile radios, would you want one of them set up as a base station and do you want any hand held radios for your
staff? If you can ask around about what frequencies are used in your area, I will have the radios programed and ready to go when they get there.
These radios were used in the fire service stateside and most of them can be programed with marine and/or Ham frequencies. Also, if you can ask
around if the radio frequencies are narrow or wide band, it would be helpful in our programing. With some of the discussion on Repeaters, I may be
able to get one if you have a good place to utilize it. JH
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64722
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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See this post on Talk Baja, featuring an article on Antonio and Desert Hawks with his photo:
http://talkbaja.com/showthread.php?t=7819
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TMW
Select Nomad
Posts: 10659
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Member Is Offline
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For cheap handheld radios check this out. If they work for Antonio I'm willing to buy a few. Of course he needs a repeater up high for best results.
http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=71877
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64722
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Maybe Mexitron and friends can put one on top of Matomi Mountain? http://vivabaja.com/mexitron or San Juan de Dios mountain maybe better for reaching El Rosario?
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rts551
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6699
Registered: 9-5-2003
Member Is Offline
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TW
They are not going to have the range unless there is a repeater they can use.
We use ours in conjunction with a repeater if one is available through someone we know and/or a higher powered unit in the truck.
ralph
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DavidE
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3814
Registered: 12-1-2003
Location: Baja California México
Member Is Offline
Mood: 'At home we demand facts and get them. In Mexico one subsists on rumor and never demands anything.' Charles Flandrau,
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How feasible is a remote repeater -- financial wise?
A Lot To See And A Lot To Do
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bajaguy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9247
Registered: 9-16-2003
Location: Carson City, NV/Ensenada - Baja Country Club
Member Is Offline
Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
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Maybe a solar panel(s) and a deep cycle battery on one of the mountain tops??
Although it would be nice if they could directly communicate with the police/fire/hospital via the radio
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DavidE
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3814
Registered: 12-1-2003
Location: Baja California México
Member Is Offline
Mood: 'At home we demand facts and get them. In Mexico one subsists on rumor and never demands anything.' Charles Flandrau,
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Sadly, solar panels and batteries are like leaving peanut butter cookies in a mouse factory. Not all folks are Boy Scouts. A repeater would have to be
housed in a theft resistant steel box, the panel way the hell up out-of-climbing-reach and the site would need cyclone fence with concertina wire.
Hate to play the part of realist on this issue...
A Lot To See And A Lot To Do
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rts551
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6699
Registered: 9-5-2003
Member Is Offline
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ideal if there was a ranch where it could be placed. We use the one in Sierra San Francisco sometimes
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bajaguy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9247
Registered: 9-16-2003
Location: Carson City, NV/Ensenada - Baja Country Club
Member Is Offline
Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
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What about an install on an existing microwave tower??
| Quote: | Originally posted by DavidE
Sadly, solar panels and batteries are like leaving peanut butter cookies in a mouse factory. Not all folks are Boy Scouts. A repeater would have to be
housed in a theft resistant steel box, the panel way the hell up out-of-climbing-reach and the site would need cyclone fence with concertina wire.
Hate to play the part of realist on this issue... |
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64722
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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There are no microwave towers north of Guerrero Negro... are there? That system was limited to the southern territory/ state. A fiber-optic cable was
installed along Hwy. 1 in Baja (Norte) several years ago...
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DawnPatrol
Nomad
Posts: 357
Registered: 11-19-2013
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Ateo
Thank you Antonio. I will be putting those phone numbers in my phone in case of emergency and will make a donation soon. That stretch of highway is
remote. Thanks for making a difference!! |
Thanks I have also put in my phone and my sat-phone
Alan From San Diego
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rts551
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6699
Registered: 9-5-2003
Member Is Offline
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It would also be nice if everyone (everyone that can) would make a donation. You never know when you are going to need this service....as can be seen
by the latest accident.
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captkw
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3850
Registered: 10-19-2010
Location: el charro b.c.s.
Member Is Offline
Mood: new dog/missing the old 1
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Baja medic
Hola,,,, Please U2U me with a LL... Lets gets some info going about Radio TX or micro and SAT ....K&T
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Barry A.
Select Nomad
Posts: 10007
Registered: 11-30-2003
Location: Redding, Northern CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: optimistic
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Bump--------------this is an excellent post. Thanks, and Bravo, Cactus.
Barry
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