fifi’s graffiti

Who knew working for a large corporation could be a matter of life and death? Who knew the bureaucracy and fear of liability might stand in the way of someone getting help in a medical emergency?

My co-workers and I found out the hard way this week when one of our own began having severe chest pains a few days ago. Someone called 911, but no one realized the company phone system was programmed to connect to the building’s “loss prevention” department instead of the local emergency hotline. Apparently “loss prevention” only has to do with theft of merchandise, not loss of life. While someone waited at the front of the building, expecting paramedics to arrive at any moment, loss prevention was busy NOT calling them. “No,” they said, “we need to assess the situation ourselves to determine if there’s really an emergency.” In the meantime, our coworker was cold and clammy, lying on his side, writhing in pain. Five to seven minutes later, after loss prevention had walked across a warehouse, up two flights of stairs, and down a long hallway, the ok was given to call 911. By the time the paramedics arrived, the spasms of pain had subsided, and our co-worker just wanted to go home, even though the medics advised he go to the hospital. Someone offered to drive him home, but they hadn’t gone more than a mile or two before he vomited blood in the vehicle and passed out. It was rush hour in Dallas. It was raining. Traffic was clogged for miles on the freeway, so who knows how long it took for the person to get him to a hospital. It’s been 3 days and no one knows if he’s going to live.

Now word has come down that no one is to speak about this co-worker, not even to ask how he’s doing. He is not a human being, he is not our friend; he is a lawsuit waiting to happen.

So make a pact with your co-workers, those of you who work for these things called corporations, these entities who think they’re more important than the folks who work for them: If someone’s in distress grab a cell phone immediately and punch 911. Don’t use a company phone. Don’t believe the company will take care of you. They won’t. They don’t understand. They can’t have heart attacks because they have no heart.