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Kudos to the heroes who had 90 seconds to save lives in the Key Bridge collapse

The loss of 6 lives is tragic, but the dispatch recording shows it could have been so much worse.

Representative image by Gustavo Fring/Pexels

The workers who responded to the Dali's mayday call saved lives with their quick response.

As more details of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore emerge, it's becoming more apparent how much worse this catastrophe could have been.

Just minutes before 1:30am on March 26, shortly after leaving port in Baltimore Harbor, a cargo ship named Dali lost power and control of its steering, sending it careening into a structural pillar on Key Bridge. The crew of the Dali issued a mayday call at 1:26am to alert authorities of the power failure, giving responders crucial moments to prepare for a potential collision. Just 90 seconds later, the ship hit a pylon, triggering a total collapse of the 1.6-mile bridge into the Patapsco River.

Dispatch audio of those moments shows the calm professionalism and quick actions that limited the loss of life in an unexpected situation where every second counted.

In the recording of the conversation, we can hear authorities and responders quickly putting out a call to stop traffic onto the bridge and assessing what construction crew might be working on the bridge. No one knew that the entire bridge was going to collapse into the harbor, only that a possibility for collision was present. As one officer plans to drive onto the bridge to alert the construction workers, a voice announces, "The whole bridge just fell down. Start, start whoever, everybody ... the whole bridge just collapsed."

Listen:

It had to have been surreal to witness the bridge collapsing in its entirety. In the initial news reports it was unclear how much warning had been received, and at first it was feared that passengers traveling across the bridge may have fallen into the water. But as we gained a clearer picture of the moments before the accident, it's clear that the everyday workers in the harbor and the first responders who were nearby to receive instruction did everything they could, and their calm professionalism and quick actions saved lives.

As we go about our daily lives, it's easy to forget that there are countless workers who are chugging away behind the scenes to keep things running smoothly. Our systems of transportation, our supply chains, the safety of our roads and bridges—all of these things require people to be on the job, doing what needs to be done, establishing, maintaining and following protocols that keep all the moving parts harmonized. When it's done well, we don't even notice it—their work becomes invisible.

But when something goes wrong, when a wrench gets thrown into the system—like a massive, unsteerable cargo ship about to crash into a bridge—we see how valuable those systems are and how regulation and oversight of such systems is so important.

As Charles Fishman pointed out on X, "A system worked—a government system. All those people just ordinary frontline workers in anonymous, sometimes invisible jobs. Maritime radio operators. Police/fire dispatchers. Bridge police & state police. All working 11p to 7a o’night shift."

"All day, every day—that happens & we don’t see it," he added.

Of course, the construction crew members who lost their lives, along with the two crew who were rescued from the water, will be remembered as biggest loss as the daunting bridge rebuilding process gets underway. The Key Bridge collapse is an unfathomable tragedy, but one that could have been even more tragic had it not been for the systems and people working as they're supposed to. Kudos to those life-saving heroes.

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In the heart of the opioid crisis, a compassionate approach to treatment is saving lives.

One West Virginia city has lost so much in the opioid epidemic — but the tide may be turning.

West Virginia suffers from the highest rate of fatal overdoses in America. And Huntington, West Virginia, is often referred to as the epicenter of the opioid epidemic. In December 2017, the state's governor called in the National Guard to help address the crisis, declaring, "We have to stop this terrible drug epidemic. We have to. If we don't, it will cannibalize us."

A new program is helping: In Huntington, city officials are finding success with the new Quick Response Team (QRT) program that follows up with overdose survivors within 72 hours of their ODs to help ensure they get the necessary help. The teams include a police officer, a paramedic, and — perhaps most importantly — a mental health specialist.

Advocates of the new approach say having these teams arrive to offer compassion, instead of just the punitive threat of law enforcement, is building trust and a solutions-based approach between officials and those struggling with addiction.

"For so many years, we didn't see the patients being receptive," said Connie Priddy, a coordinator with the program. "And now, because we're working on changing how we approach it, their way of accepting us has changed."

The numbers speak for themselves: Since the program started, Huntington has seen its repeat overdose statistics cut in half. It's such an impressive feat that other cities in the state are about to test out their own versions of the program.

A resident in a Huntington, West Virginia, halfway house who is receiving treatment after a heroin overdose, Photo by Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images.

Huntington's approach to drug overdoses is having a ripple effect.

The state government has taken notice of Huntington's success story. In December 2017, they approved a four-year pilot program with a grant of $10 million to expand the services to other cities in the state. $1 million of that has gone toward purchasing and distributing naloxone, which treats narcotic overdose, to first responders statewide.

"The ultimate priority of this legislation … is to engage individuals with treatment options at every opportunity thereby reducing future overdoses," said Department of Health and Human Resources Cabinet Secretary Bill J. Crouch.

It could expand to the federal level as well. In May, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams visited Huntington and praised the program. "I came to Huntington because it's one of the best stories in the United States in terms of recovery," he said. "If we can turn around overdose numbers here, we can do it anywhere."

Addiction is a complex challenge, but it's also a very human one.

There's no one solution to preventing and treating addiction. Education, mental health health care, and even exercise can all play vital roles.

The compassion shown by the quick response teams in Huntington is building trust between law enforcement officials and those at risk. West Virginia's health commission has acknowledged that preventing and treating addiction is challenging.

Getting people into treatment gives both sides a better chance to overcome the many aspects of addiction. It's more effective and less expensive than simply punishing people.

And until the opioid crisis is solved, cities across the country need all the help they can get.

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The world is celebrating: Thai rescuers have found missing youth soccer players alive.

After 12 boys and their soccer coach went missing inside Thailand's Tham Luang Nang Non, people feared the worst.

10 days later, they were celebrating.

"We found all 13 safe," said Chiang Rai province Gov. Narongsak Osatanakorn. "We will take care of them until they can move."

The group had disappeared after a flood trapped them inside the cave. Rescue workers searched around the clock, but as time went on, the odds of finding the boys alive seemed slim.

The desperate search began when a mother of one of the boys contacted authorities after her son failed to return from soccer practice.

The story quickly gained worldwide attention, and rescue workers descended on the area offering to help. A group of monks even took up residence outside the cave, holding a vigil. However, the heavy rains and flooding slowed recovery efforts.

According to Osatanakorn, the kids (ages 11-16) and their 25-year-old coach had managed to secure themselves on a narrow dirt mound sometimes used by cave explorers for safety when navigating rising water levels.

Photo by Linh Pham/Getty Images.

"We found them safe," Osatanakorn said. "But the operation isn’t over."

Finding the missing kids and their coach was the first step. Rescue workers say they will have to be careful in figuring out how to get them out of the cave. Not only do they have to work around any potential injuries, the kids presumably haven't eaten for days and may not be able to pull themselves out of the area.

Thai Navy SEALS posted a photo to their Facebook page showing divers as they continued to make attempts to reach the kids and their coach, with a translated caption saying they were bringing food and water to the stranded survivors.

พบหมูป่าแล้ว....แต่ภารกิจเรายังไม่จบมนุษย์กบ ยังคงดำน้ำเข้าพื้นที่พร้อมหมอเวชศาสตร์ใต้น้ำ ...

Posted by Thai NavySEAL on Monday, July 2, 2018

Though the challenge isn't over, it's a huge relief in what appeared to be a tragic story.

Rescue workers, religious communities, and ordinary people came from around the world to find and help these missing kids. And though the mission continues, finding of these boys alive despite such dangerous conditions gives families and onlookers plenty of reason to celebrate.

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The Rock's child was rushed to the ER. His gracious post says a lot.

Everyone loves Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.

The guy isn’t just an all-around superstar — he’s an inspiration, too. That’s why so many people flock to his Instagram every time he shares a photo or video.

Johnson’s posts are usually fun and motivational, but one he shared March 6 was much more somber in tone. In a touchingly open video, he shared that his daughter, Jasmine, had a medical emergency the Saturday before and was taken to the hospital.

"Something happened to me and my family that I would never want to happen to any of you guys out there," Johnson said right before letting viewers know that Jasmine spent all night in the emergency room.

Fortunately, his daughter was doing just fine shortly after, but Johnson knows that she may not have been without a lot of help.

He quickly shouted out the 911 operator who calmly walked him through what he needed to do next as well as the first responders from the Los Angeles Fire Department and the doctors and nurses at UCLA’s medical center.

"I just want to say thank you so much to everybody who was involved, so caring and compassionate and responsive," Johnson said, the gratitude and relief palpable in his voice.

And his gratitude is sending another message, too: We should all be more aware of the amazing work first responders do and the challenges they face on a daily basis.

911 operators are the first line of defense when it comes to emergencies. Though these jobs can be rewarding, they can also carry a heavy emotional weight.

As the people who are supposed to help you stay calm during some of the hardest moments of your life, they’re required to provide support to callers while dispatching emergency services. Sometimes they don’t even have time for breaks.

One 911 dispatcher told Cosmopolitan in a 2017 interview about not even having time to pee:

"We did have a quiet room where we could go if things got too overwhelming, but truthfully, we didn't really use it. Things got so crazy during the day that often times you couldn't even get up to pee for eight hours. You can't abandon your station just because you're uncomfortable or you're upset. You're still a public service."

Emergency service providers — those who are first to arrive on the scene — have an even more complex duty. They must not only assess the situation but decide on a course of action in situations that are often life or death. As Medstar paramedic Jason Hernandez told The Atlantic in 2016, "there’s not a whole lot of downtime."

"There are challenges all over the place," Hernandez added. "Everybody’s got a different thing going on. You have to worry about the dangers of a chaotic environment, from violent people to safety on the road."

[rebelmouse-image 19346206 dam="1" original_size="750x500" caption="Image via ER24 EMS/Flickr." expand=1]Image via ER24 EMS/Flickr.

Emergency service workers are trained to work in high-stress environments, but that doesn’t mean they’re not at risk for developing stress-related disorder from their jobs.

In a study done at Northern Illinois University, 911 operators were found to suffer from traumatic stress as a result of their jobs, with some meeting criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder. Paramedics, police officers, and firemen were also more likely to develop PTSD as well as experience symptoms of depression and anxiety.

But progress is being made. Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced in early March 2018 that he’d sign a measure to expand workers’ compensation benefits for first responders "who suffer job-related post-traumatic stress disorder," something that’s vital in the wake of events like the shootings at Pulse nightclub and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.This expansion won’t just help those who are first on the scene financially, it could also help reduce some of the stigma of mental illness and encourage first responders to seek help when they need it.

But gratitude is also important. And Johnson’s video is a reminder that we can’t take the work emergency service providers do for granted. Especially when they save the lives of our loved ones — like little Jasmine here, who her mom says is "unstoppable."

The munchkin is unstoppable! 😂🙏🏼❤️🎤@therock

A post shared by Lauren Hashian (@laurenhashianofficial) on

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