System Failure is a paramedic short story based on true events. It is intense, suspenseful, and written in first person. It is the fourth short story in my paramedic short story series. Be sure to read my first three: Downgrade, Dog Days of Dying, and A Bad Choice. These are the memoirs of my career told in short story form. Paramedics suffer PTSD in greater numbers than the average adult. The job is intense, grueling, and requires mental, emotional, and physical resilience. Most paramedics quit within the first few years. We leave EMS because of low pay, high stress, and bad work-life balance. So why do the job? Because we love it. All the struggles, finding a balance, the highs and lows, ultimately, it's all worth it until you experience that one call. The one call that changes everything: your balance, your perspective, your career.