By Sarah Roebuck
草莓影视
LOS ANGELES 鈥� In the Oct. 5 episode of 鈥淪aturday Night Live,鈥� one particular sketch stood out 鈥� especially for anyone in EMS who鈥檚 had to make tough (and sometimes darkly humorous) decisions under pressure.
The sketch in question, titled 鈥淲ater Park,鈥� starts off with a relatable scenario: a medical emergency at the top of a water slide. As EMS providers, you鈥檝e probably faced your fair share of situations in which your only options are bad, worse and 鈥� downright absurd.
In the episode, host and comedian Nate Bargatze plays an EMT, alongside his partner (Michael Longfellow) and two lifeguards (Devon Walker and Jane Wickline). The group finds themselves at the top of a towering water slide, debating how to handle an unusual situation: how to get a recently deceased park-goer back down. Should they carry him down all 255 steps, passing by horrified kids and exhausted parents? Or, as Bargatze seems to suggest, should they push him go down the water slide?
鈥淚 mean, he did wait in this long line, you know?鈥� Bargatze said. 鈥淪eems like he really wanted to go down it.鈥�
Meanwhile, Walker鈥檚 character is on board with the water slide idea, while Wickline plays the straight-laced lifeguard who鈥檚, understandably, a little horrified at the suggestion. Longfellow, however, nails the deadpan humor, and you can almost hear an EMS crew鈥檚 banter in a less-than-ideal situation.
The whole thing plays out like a sitcom episode we never knew we needed: EMTs and lifeguards facing the challenge of an emergency mixed with the ridiculous logistics of a water slide. It鈥檚 the kind of moment that EMS providers can appreciate 鈥� a lighthearted exaggeration of the 鈥渨hat now?鈥� scenarios you might occasionally encounter.
The sketch captures the sometimes bizarre nature of the job, where split-second decisions are necessary, and humor can be a coping mechanism. While sending a patient down a water slide isn鈥檛 going to make its way into any protocols anytime soon, the skit serves as a reminder that, in EMS, you鈥檝e got to find a little levity, even when faced with tough calls.
