2020-04-01_Readers_Digest

FIRST RESPONDERS

The initial response of local medical

teams was as impressive as that of the

police, fire, and rescue units. Melissa

Webster, a manager at an ambu-

lance service, was at the scene with

an ambulance 90 seconds after the

blast. Fearing that her own trembling

building was about to collapse, she

had fled from her desk to the street

and had seen the black smoke rising

six blocks to the south. She and a col-

league leaped into an ambulance with

six other paramedics.

Within an hour, her paramedics—

only one team of dozens—had sent

Special Report

1

2

1. The building’s
   nine collapsed
   floors made
   the rescue
   treacherous.
   2. The explosion
   occurred 30 feet
   from a childcare
   center.

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