Uniform

My very first ambulance shift is on Sunday. I picked up my uniform at Schlesinger's & Sons today. To enter the uniform store you have to show your special New York State license which shows that you're either with the NYPD, FDNY or EMS. Or with the post office. I flashed my EMT card and proudly entered the exclusive uniform store.

Once you're in the store, you show some other guy your license, and he picks out the correct uniform for you. Turns out that my type of uniform pants are the exact same blue cargo pants that NYPD uses - I'll be wearing cop pants!

"Actually," said Mr. Schlesinger (or maybe this guy was one of the sons) "EMS wore these pants before NYPD did, so they're really EMS pants." How awesome. I couldn't believe I was picking up a real uniform, a real uniform, for me.

"How do I look?" I asked Schlesinger as I got out of the dressing room in my awesome blue cargo pants. Schlesinger looked up from behind his newspaper and said "Good." And I said: "Seriously though, they're not too big around my waist....? Look, I can pull them out like this."

Schlesinger put the paper down, sighed, and went to the back room and picked up a smaller size. The smaller size didn't fit me at all, I couldn't even button them. "I guess I'll have to go with the first ones... I have to wear a belt with them anyway, right?" and Schlesinger said "Right."

"Do you have anything more 'low rise' or just a little more hip hugging? I mean are they really supposed to be this bulky in the front?"
"Miss, they're uniform cargos. They were made for men initially. This is the model that you get."
"Ok..."

I also picked up big black boots (they make me look like I'm 5'10), and the black belt that goes with the pants, and a pair of EMT scissors to cut off injured people's clothing with, and a key to the oxygen tanks, and my official EMT badge-thingy that goes on the sleeve of the shirt.

I will get the medical unit's shirt when I show up at the Precinct on Sunday morning. And I get a radio too. How exciting. I want to wear this stuff all weekend.