12/25/2025
’Twas the night before Christmas, and all through WoCo
The pagers lay silent, a rare kind of slow.
No frost on the fields, no cold biting air,
Just warm, soupy fog hanging thick everywhere.
The crew dared to hope for a quiet reprieve,
A rare stretch of calm, on old Christmas Eve.
Reports nearly finished, coffee reheated twice,
Overtime paid… which felt oddly nice.
Jon paced the bay, gung-ho and primed,
Firehouse grit with a fresh medic’s mind.
New patch on his chest, full send in his eyes,
The kind who moves fast when troubles arise.
Laisen leaned easy, calm and at ease,
A mind always moving, when others might freeze.
Projects and problems filed neatly away.
A measured persona, unlikely to sway.
Hannah moved softly, local and kind,
Yates Center roots with a sharp medic’s mind.
Small in her boots but steady and true,
Treating each patient like family she knew.
Josh checked the bags, with methodical calm,
His gaming controller, clutched tight in his palm.
Years of experience and practice aligned,
Always teaching his craft, while working the line.
Megan moved lightly, eyes new to the scene,
First job as a tech, but fitting in clean.
Ink on her arms, future plans at the ready,
Creative and friendly, still learning but steady.
Cortney spoke softly, but sharp all the same,
Making sense of the signals most others can’t tame.
Radios humming, connections all sound,
When someone needs coverage, he’s quick to be found.
Brooke stood bundled tight, her Slanket drawn near,
Short on small talk, but steady and clear.
Years in the field teaching patience and place,
Reliable hands, no matter the case.
Vinnie stood steady, just taking it in,
Lawman and medic both living within.
Friendly but firm, reading scenes as they play,
Catching angles that others might miss on the way.
The station sat hazy, the streetlights a blur,
Visibility measured in “that’s close enough, sir.”
Hot fog pressing in, in December feels wrong,
This silence was borrowed, it couldn’t last long.
Then out in the fog came a terrible THUD,
A scrape, then a shudder, and a grinding of mud.
Headlights snapped on as the radios stirred,
Something had landed… unmistakably heard.
The crew rolled through the haze with their lights cutting low,
Following skid marks where nothing should go.
No call from Dispatch, no address to read,
Just instinct and training and EMS speed.
The fog peeled back slowly, yard upon yard,
Until shapes took form in the beams shining hard.
Skids deep in the gravel, through a pothole too deep,
On these Wonderful Roads, we know never sleep.
Then there in the potholes, tipped crooked and red,
Was something no protocol covered or said.
A sleigh sat sideways, bells twisted askew.
“This must be WoCo,” came a voice, ringing true.
The fog thinned enough for the headlights to find
A red-coated figure, both bearded and wide.
Then Santa stepped forward, brushing mud from his sleeve,
“That landing didn’t go quite as I’d conceived.”
Behind him the reindeer were tangled and still,
Saving this herd would take some serious skill.
One blinked slow and groggy, another lay flat,
While Rudolph looked stunned where he’d hit with a SPLAT.
No one cried out “Santa,” no one called “Saint Nick,”
Training took over, and decisions came quick.
Bags hit the gravel, the stretcher came free,
Because patients are patients, even reindeer, you see.
Hands went to work without fuss or delay,
Triage, stabilize, that’s the EMS way.
In the fog and warm night, near a small Kansas stream,
Woodson County EMS had control of the scene.
Santa looked nervous, adjusting his cap,
As he checked off a list that was somehow still flat.
“Neosho Falls, Piqua, Toronto, YC,
I’m already behind where I ought to be.”
There was no more debating, no time to delay,
“Santa, put down that list, and get out of our way.”
Santa took a deep breath as he stepped to the side,
“Do what you need… I swear I’ll comply.”
Jon knelt by Donner, quick hands, steady feel,
Checking pulses and breathing, could this even be real?
Laisen slid in a splint, straps coming around,
Getting Blitzen secured on the uneven ground.
Hannah steadied poor Cupid, his eyes glazed and wide,
Talking him through it, staying right by his side.
Josh fitted a collar around Comet’s neck,
“Even reindeer,” he said, “need their C-spine checked.”
Megan bandaged up Dancer, as neat as a bow,
Like presents she’d wrapped just hours ago.
Cortney radioed Dispatch, “Add Vixen to this CAD,”
The reply came back quick, “It’s been done… copy that.”
Brooke monitored Prancer and started O₂,
After noticing his hooves were a faint shade of blue.
Vinnie put the LUCAS on Dasher, calm and exact,
“AHA may not like it, but it’s a rural EMS fact.”
But Rudolph still lay quiet, his red nose gone dark,
That famous old glow showing not even a spark.
Then someone glanced over and said with a grin,
“We gotta get that thing to light up once again.”
The pads came out quickly, placed right on his face,
While Santa looked nervous, but trusting the pace.
A voice called out “Clear!” in the warm foggy night,
And Rudolph jumped back as his nose flashed to life.
After shaking it off, Rudolph sprang to his feet,
The rest followed suit, a little sore but complete.
Antlers were straightened and harnesses checked,
The team took a breath, as the scene reset.
Santa called out as the gold sleigh bells rang,
“I’ll be honest… that worked out much better than planned.”
He dusted his coat, as he stated out loud,
“You folks just saved Christmas! WoCo should be proud!”
The sleigh was set right and the path was made clear,
The fog lifted just enough for a takeoff from here.
With a wave to the crew and a grin ear to ear,
Santa climbed aboard and pulled the reins near.
As the sleigh lifted off into the Kansas night,
Red nose cutting fog with a steady bright light.
The bells faded softly as the sleigh climbed clear,
And calm slowly replaced the chaos and fear.
Back at the station, as the fog settled down,
The crew shared a glance as they gathered around.
One more odd call logged, one more long shift through,
Christmas saved quietly, like they always do.
Then the radio crackled, a voice steady and bright,
Heard across scannerland on that Christmas night.
Santa keyed up once again without raising a fuss,
“Woodson County EMS, thanks for rescuing us!”
From potholes to reindeer, you did what you do,
You showed up, you took charge, and you followed it through.
So from all of us flying, to you brave and bright,
Merry Christmas to all… and to all a good night!
Merry Christmas from Woodson County EMS
Serving our community, no matter the call.
