CAESARIA, Israel (Press Release) — Golan Shalhov, a volunteer EMS responder with United Hatzalah’s ambucycle corps in Caesaria, recently injured himself during one of his favorite pastimes – skydiving. He landed off balance and injured his back when he crashed after a rather unfortunate jump. In spite of his injuries, Shalhov recently responded to a medical emergency.
Last week, Shalhov was at home resting when he received an urgent call from United Hatzalah’s dispatch and command center informing him that a man had fallen from the roof of a building, just down the street from him. Although Shalhov was not really in shape to be responding to medical emergencies, he simply could not ignore his neighbor’s plea for help. Shalhov dragged his aching body outside, got into his car, and drove the 100 meters to the address where the accident occurred. He asked the injured man’s wife to carry his heavy medical kit from the car, which he had transferred out of his ambucycle due to his own injury.
The injured man lay on the ground, conscious but in agonizing pain. He had been cleaning leaves out of his roof’s gutter when he slipped and fell. He grabbed the gutter but could not hold on for long, eventually crashing to the ground. The experienced medic, despite his own pain, bandaged a 10-centimeter long gash in the man’s leg and immobilized the limb. The man’s hand was apparently broken and Shalhov immobilized it as well, reassuring the man and his wife as he worked. When the ambulance arrived, Shalhov briefed the crew as they prepared to transport him to the nearest trauma center.
The couple later expressed their deep gratitude to their dedicated neighborhood medic, who truly went beyond the call of duty to come to their aid.
Shalhov has been volunteering as an emergency first responder for almost three years. He is married and has five children, the oldest of which is entering the IDF this year, while the youngest is four-years-old. Shalhov usually goes out to three to four emergencies per week, but since he has been injured, he has been unable to go on calls – except this one.
Shalhov discussed the sheer joy he feels about being a part of United Hatzalah, and his frustration at being grounded until he heals. “This organization is one that comes from the soul. It is incredibly welcoming and giving and there is a feeling of camaraderie among the volunteers from all over the country. This job is done simply out of love. I cannot explain how frustrated I have been this past month that I have been unable to respond to emergency calls. It is even more frustrating as I am in the process or coaching two trainees, and that too has been put on hold. The trainees are now being coached by another medic in the neighborhood and they are getting to help people. Unfortunately, for now, I am unable to join them and help them train,” Shalhov said.
Shalhov added that in a way, he too was helped by the emergency. “As much as I helped treat my neighbor and gave of my time and effort, he too gave something back to me. His emergency allowed me to once again fulfill my calling of saving lives and helping others, which is something that I hope to continue to do with a lot of fervor after I finish healing from my own injury.”
The President and Founder of United Hatzalah Eli Beer said that the dedication and heart displayed by Shalhov is the engine that makes United Hatzalah run. “Our volunteers continually give of themselves to help others even when it comes at a great cost to themselves. Putting other people’s needs first and making an effort to make a difference in someone else’s life, is what United Hatzalah is all about. Whether it is helping someone from your own community or someone whom you have never met and will likely never meet again, the dedication and compassion shown by our 3,000 EMTs across Israel for their fellow man is what makes this organization run.”
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Preceding provided by United Hatzalah