Eran Moshe is one of United Hatzalah’s dedicated volunteers in the city of Sderot who provides emergency medical services to people both in the city and the surrounding region in the troubled Gaza periphery. Like all United Hatzalah volunteers, all of Eran’s work is done on a volunteer basis and is completely free of charge.
One recent afternoon, Eran was at his home in Sderot when he received an alert to a road accident at the entrance to the city. The devoted medic immediately dashed out of his house, jumped on his ambucycle and sped over to the location, arriving first on the scene.
Two cars had collided and both drivers were injured. Eran performed a rapid assessment and turned to the more seriously injured victim, a man in his sixties. He was in severe neck pain from the harsh impact and had sustained possible spinal injuries as well. The experienced medic worked quickly as he provided initial treatment, securing the man’s neck in a brace and stabilizing his condition. He then treated the other driver, a 40-year-old man who had also been injured in the collision. By the time an ambulance arrived ten minutes later, both patients were prepped and ready for transport to the hospital.
In another harrowing incident, a bus struck an 80-year-old woman by a bus stop. The bus jolted sharply to a halt as the woman fell to the ground and lay on the asphalt, groaning with pain, bleeding profusely. The alarmed passersby urgently called for help and Eran received the alert that went out from United Hatzalah dispatch center. The devoted medic immediately sped over to the location.
Eran found the elderly woman suffering from numerous wounds to her head and upper body. Additional responders arrived to help Eran as he worked at a feverish pace, stemming the bleeding and bandaging the wounds. The medics affixed a neck brace, immobilized the patient, and took a complete set of vital signs. An intensive care ambulance arrived and Eran helped the crew to place the patient safely inside for emergency evacuation to the trauma center.
Eran then cared for the traumatized bus passengers. One woman had sustained light injuries in the abrupt stop and she too received treatment. Everyone else, while shocked and concerned, had escaped injury. Eran stayed some time to reassure the agitated people before leaving the scene to return to his schedule.
Eran spoke a bit about what it means to be a volunteer with United Hatzalah. “It is absolutely amazing to volunteer for an organization like United Hatzalah. The people who do this work are terrific and everyone works together. All of the volunteers get everything we need to be able to go out and save a life when the emergency call comes in. We receive training, gear, and support from the organization and the dispatch center. It helps us keep up our morale when we have to rush out to emergency calls no matter what time of day or night. Even in the early hours of the morning. I am truly happy to be there for my community and be able to make a difference and I am happy that I do it with United Hatzalah.”