HYANNIS, MASSACHUSETTS – [HN VIDEO NOTES] – We’re in very good hands when it comes to rapid responses to medical emergencies in the downtown Hyannis area…

… and last evening was no exception.

As you will see and hear in the following HN Video, police responded to a two-vehicle collision at the intersection of Center Street and Main Street late last evening. The first policeman on scene found one of the drivers unconscious and immediately requested additional help. Hyannis Firefighters, including a Hyannis FD ambulance, arrived within minutes. Additional BPD squad cars also arrived all at once, closing down the intersection and rerouting traffic.

When HN arrived moments after the crash, a middle-aged male driver was on the ground next to his car, being attended to by a Barnstable patrolman. EMTs soon were on scene to take over the patient. The male eventually was able to communicate with first responders prior to be placed onto a stretcher.

A member of the BPD traffic division arrived and marked off the position of the vehicles involved, just in case there needed to be an accident reconstruction.

A member of the Sheriff’s Crime Scene Unit responded to take photos of the scene.

Police are unsure if the driver became unconscious prior to or after the crash. At this time, it appears he will pull through.

The occupant(s) of the other vehicle were not injured. The Barnstable Police Department is investigating the cause of the collision. The following HN Video highlights police and firefighters quickly responding to help a man suffering a medically emergency…

[HN VIDEO – PRESS PLAY]

Origin of the term “Jake” for firefighters

“New England affectionate slang for Firefighter. This word was first used as a reference to firemen in the early 20th century in the Greater Boston area, and its origins are recognized as officially unknown by several authors. While it is now a widely accepted term in the fire service, it is almost exclusively used in New England, and almost exclusively used to bestow great praise and the highest levels of respect. To be called a “Good Jake” is the highest form of praise a Boston area firefighter can possibly receive from a peer.

The term “Jake” is most probably derived from the term “J-Key”. The first street-corner fire alarm box system was invented and constructed in the city of Boston, and was based on a telegraph system, novel in its day. Inside each box, next to the automatic alarm mechanism that tripped when someone pulled the hook, there was a small telegraph tapper, called a telegraph key that firemen could use to communicate back to headquarters once they arrived on scene. As time passed, many World War One veterans had become Boston firefighters, and the telegraphs that these men were familiar with were the U.S. Army issue J-3 portable telegraph key (known as the WWI “trench key”), as well as other military J-Series telegraph keys, which were all known commonly as “J-Keys”. These veterans probably used this as a common slang for the keys they used inside their fire alarm boxes.

Being a “Good J-Key” probably meant a fireman who was cool under the pressure and could send clear Morse code. “J-Key” was eventually shortened to “Jake”, and when spread to the public, “Jake” came to be a common term for firemen in general.” (From Laconianh.gov)

*  We are very fortunate to have both good cops and “good Jakes” in Hyannis. It’s about training, knowledge, desire, and hustle. Do you have a good head on your shoulders? A good heart? The desire and ability to selflessly hustle to help another when necessary? If so, you just might possibly be a very special kind of “Bodhisattva” in disguise… and our modern world desperately needs you now more than ever!

P.S. – Today’s Hytown Vignette is a brought to you by Steely Dan… [CLICK IT/CRANK IT! HEADPHONES ABSOLUTELY OBLIGATORY!]

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