An elderly gentleman fell down twice inside his home on a recent Sunday morning, the alarm on his medical alert necklace sending Glynn County firefighters Jacob Acosta and Chris Sloan to the rescue on both occasions.
But the real emergency was this: two eggs over easy on whole wheat toast, with cheese.
He had simply been trying to get to the kitchen to fix breakfast, the two firefighters learned on their return trip to the home where the elderly man lives all alone. He was hungry.
No problem. It turns out these public safety good guys are also handy in the kitchen when duty calls them to it.
The 6-foot-6 Acosta made his way to the gentleman’s kitchen and went to work. Meanwhile, Sloan took his vitals to make sure he was OK from a medical standpoint. He was.
“All he wanted was some food, and he was having a bad day,” Acosta said. “Everybody has a bad day. It happens. That’s why we’re here.”
While putting out our fires and rushing people to the hospital is the firefighters’ bread and butter, making a guy an egg sandwich now and then is also well within the job description, Acosta said.
“Here’s the thing: we do things like this often,” Acosta said. “What we did for this man was the tip of the iceberg. Our men and women have made meals lots of times. We’ve changed tires. I’ve taken out the trash a time a two. Some firefighters have been on scene and noticed the kids didn’t have a bed, so they went out and bought them air mattresses.”
Acosta, 39, had a long career working in restaurants before finding his calling with the Glynn County Fire Department in April 2019. His new job has given a whole new meaning to the term “service industry,” he said.
Like that morning on Oct. 12. When the gentleman fell the first time, fire engine partners Acosta and Sloan answered the call from Station No. 8 in the Glynn County Public Safety Complex.
“It was about 9 in the morning and he had fallen. Nothing big,” Acosta said. “We got him to his chair and talked to him for a few minutes and he was oriented. So, OK, we’re good, he’s good. We left.”
Ninety minutes later, they received a call to the same residence. This time the two were not leaving until they got to the bottom of what was really going on.
“He said he was trying to get to the kitchen to make him some breakfast,” Acosta said. “We talked a little more and he tells us he’s a diabetic. Yes, he needs to have a little bit of glucose in his system.”
Acosta is no slouch in a kitchen and he quickly learned his way around this one.
“I got out some pots and pans,” he said. “He said he wanted two eggs. I said, how do you want them? He said, fried. Over easy. He wanted two pieces of toasted whole wheat and some cheese.”
Just about the time Sloan got through checking his vitals, breakfast was served. “I found him a little tray and put some orange juice and salt and pepper on it and served it to him. I couldn’t find a flower, or else I would have added that. Absolutely. My wife has taught me well.”
In talking with him, they learned the man had been a widower for many years. And a close elderly female friend passed away more recently, he told them.
Of course, they washed the dishes and wiped down the kitchen before leaving.
“The whole time he was very oriented,” Acosta said. “He was a very pleasant gentleman. We fed him and his day got better.”
“But when somebody presses that button or dials 911, they’re in a vulnerable state,” he added. “We try to keep them calm and let them know we are there for them. We allow them to maintain their dignity.”
Putting out fires. Cooking breakfast. All in a day’s work.
“It’s just the little things that we do that don’t always get out there,” Acosta said. “People might think all we do is put out fires and take people to the hospital. Yes, we do that. But we do a lot more than the community thinks. We all get a joy out of helping and reaching out to our seniors. To me, it’s one of the best perks of the job.”
October 26, 2020 at 11:00AM
https://thebrunswicknews.com/news/local_news/firefighters-heroics-produce-eggs-over-easy-on-whole-wheat-toast/article_64ec3b9b-54d5-5096-8f67-9c7450e1f174.html
Firefighters' heroics produce eggs over easy on whole wheat toast - Brunswick News
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