We've never had a year like this one, and that's a fact. People are unmistakably scared; you see it everywhere. Shelters and psych facilities are overflowing, and people are resorting to ED transports just to get warm. They're not system-abusers; many of them, especially in cold-weather areas, simply have nowhere else to turn.

Chances are, no matter where you're reading this, you know somebody who's lost their job, their home, their health insurance or worse yet, their sense of joy. Everybody seems to know someone like that. And chances are, if you're reading this on a computer, you're just a tad better off than they are. This is a terrible time. Things are happening to people all around us that should never happen to anybody.

Sad thing is, those kinds of things are bound to be happening to our people, too. Think about it: in most countries, EMTs live right there at the very bottom of the food chain. It stands to reason, some of us are probably struggling just as desperately as the ones we serve.

What do you think? Is it happening to one of your own colleagues?

You're a trained observer, and you have precisely the kind of instinct it takes to recognize people in crisis. Look around you, up close. Is there somebody who's just a little quieter than usual, or who's just a little more difficult to get along with than they normally are? Are you hearing rumors about somebody having a real bad time right now? If so, come right out and ask them about it, point-blank and in private. Don't take anything for granted. As an EMS provider, you know that even in a normal economy, for some folks, the holidays are the worst time of the year.

If you identify somebody like that, what can you do?

Think about all the presents you've received in your life that you really didn't need. Remember, this is a different kind of holiday season. You could do without presents this year, and so could all of us. This year more than ever, we need to be taking care of our own. Short-term, we can help them with cash. Longer-term, maybe we could be donating our banked vacation hours.

Remember, we're coming to the end of a year. If there's a maximum number of hours a person can claim as cash in any year, they could collect their hours for 2008 in one pay period and then some more hours for 2009 in the next. That only happens once a year, so this is the time to act.

Chances are, the money won't mean nearly as much to them as the support of their coworkers. But make no mistake: dollar by dollar, this year, money's the issue -- especially if people have kids.

And make no mistake, if we do discover somebody in distress, we need to give like we mean it. We're it. There are no reinforcements.

Thom Dick has been involved in EMS for 38 years, 23 of them as a full-time EMT and paramedic in San Diego County. He is the quality care coordinator for Platte Valley Ambulance Service, a community-owned, hospital-based 9-1-1 provider in Brighton, CO. Thom is also a member of EMS Magazine's editorial advisory board. Reach him at boxcar_414@yahoo.com.