Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend - Medicine Is The Best Medicine

Episode Date: November 30, 2023

Conan chats with Chris from Chico, CA about life as a paramedic and why he refuses to dress up for Halloween. Wanna get a chance to talk to Conan? Submit here: TeamCoco.com/CallConan

Konan O'Brien needs a fan. Want to talk to Konan? Visit teamkoko.com slash callkonan. Okay, let's get started. And here's Chris. I'm Chris. I'm here. Hi Chris.

Welcome to Konan O'Brien. Hi guys. Hey Chris. How are you? I can't believe I'm here. I'm doing very well. Well tell us Chris, first of all nice to meet you and where are you right I can't believe I'm here. I'm doing very well. Well tell us Chris first of all nice to meet you And where are you right now pleasure? So I'm on I'm in Shiko California. Oh cool. All right, very good. That's all right

She go jiko California and oh look at your books behind you got World War two. Yeah the Civil War I we could be friends you and I we have similar interests We I can tell like you're you're always talking about like at the end of your show or like you know We're like we're friends in the podcast. We're not friends outside I got a gut feeling we'd be friends in real life without question or doubt well first of all I love you got some red in your hair. You got the cool stash a little bit cool must I like the most Yeah, right there. Um, and you got a good broadcaster voice. You got a very good. I appreciate that. Thank you coming Yeah, do you, what's your profession

or you, you a guy that like does that? I am a paramedic. Oh, you're a paramedic. Oh my God. Yeah, I have a, I'm very much like to be a broadcaster, but no, I'm a paramedic for now. Oh yeah, you're only saving lives right now. Yeah, you're really, you gotta tell more to come up.

I'm sure. Chris, let me assure you what you're doing is so much cooler than, than any broadcaster I know. That is very cool. Tell us what it's like to be, what's it like to be a paramedic? Tell us about it. It's very rewarding at times. It is the biggest compliment I've received in my life is being welcomed into stranger's

home during their time in need. Oh, wow. And the only way I can repay that is by doing my best. Okay. It is by doing my best. Okay. It is extremely rewarding at times and at times it is absolutely difficult, very difficult. Well, when you first show up, you go in the room, let's say you enter the house, you go in and I guess the first job is to try and ascertain what is wrong with this person, right?

Yeah, why did you call 911 today? Okay. I always introduce myself if it's available as a paramedic and I say, you know, how are you doing? What made you call 911 today? Are you going to be pain? What's going on? And we kind of have to go down the route of, is it a medical problem or is it a traumatic problem? And then from there, we treat diagnosed the best for ability and transfer them to the appropriate hospital. You are first of all, it sounds like you're very calm in these situations, right? It just you I am.

I'm more nervous about this than I have ever been. Like there will be like, there's blood everywhere on the radio. I'll just be calm as a cucumber. But they're like, Lee's was just telling me like, cone is on it too. And I'm sweating. Okay. All right. Well, listen, maybe you need a paramedic.

You should, you should call someone right now. Later, why did you call 911? I'm on the phone with Conan O'Brien. It may be kind of nervous. That's right. I won't be the first, I won't be the last. So, okay, you're a paramedic and you go, and you don't have to call me, sir.

Just call me Admiral. You go into their home and let's say you notice, okay, this person's got a real problem and you put them in the ambulance and then you take them to the emergency room. You just drop them off then or is there a handoff to the trauma surgeon? There's a handoff report. And the handoff report is one of the most valuable things I can provide in those calls.

I have access to like the patient's house, I have access to or the side of the road, I can see what happened to the patient, I can see they're living circumstances, and I can tell them to the nurse and doctor as well. So I'm usually as a paramedic, I work alongside an EMT, the EMT, generally speaking, is the one that drives and assists me while we're not driving, and I'm in the back, and I provide a higher level care. I provide, you know, IV therapy, cardiac monitor, and I have a list of medications I can give if appropriate. What? I didn't know the difference.

I didn't need it. We go to an appropriate hospital or a different destination as a hospital. And myself or sometimes I have to call a doctor and decide which appropriate hospital or which hospital is appropriate for this patient. Wow, do you ever give the guy driving attitude that you have all these other responsibilities?

Every day. Yeah. I would. I'd be like, hey, how's the city? Am I driving? I'm very fortunate. I'm back here, I have the giving medications and saving lives.

Hey, you might, nice left turn. The guy's bleeding out. You're just so bragging. I would spend a lot of time here. I'm very fortunate. My, my, my, I'm going to turn you up. I'm sorry. I have the greatest EMT partner in the world.

We work really well together. He constantly challenges me. And he's constantly asking me questions about this, that's the other thing. His name's Talon. He listens to the podcast too. OK, we'll talk about that. Hey, shout out.

What's his name again? Shout out. Talon, like a claw. His name is Talon. Whoa. You're in the middle of the aisle. Now it's the EMT. Yeah, Now I like him better. I know why are I talking to talent? Yeah, Chris You got to step up. Let's get Chris and right now. I had to get my ship covered. Where's rapier? As in rapier with that's

Terrible really bad. That one was really bad. Oh, that's not like it's Something like about like his stash like we'll call him the broom. Oh God. You guys are so bad at this I think that Okay, you go you go nice. Okay, okay, I need Chris All better than my real nickname. What's your what's your real Nick? I call you rainman at work. They call you rainman Really? Yeah. Oh, yeah. I played trivia with my co-worker.

And when you're a good trivia. I'm really a car trivia. That's all right. Yeah, I'm good. Trivia and chess. If they're mocking you for being intelligent and having knowledge, that's okay. You know?

I'm sure you know the field. Yeah, I'm sorry. I mean, seriously. I've been mocked in the past. Yeah. So what? I can't throw baseball. Anyway, let's not dwell on that.

Let's throw baseball. I hit a colony empty. So you get to the hospital. You have the patient. Yes, sir. Do you have to say, like, okay, here's what I think it is. Does the surgeon ever have a real attitude? Like, I think I'll figure this out.

Do they ever do that? I think I got it from here. Do they ever do that? Like I got it from here. They went to seven years of school. I went to one. Yeah, there's a big difference. But I'm very fortunate again. The hospital I work in association with is we have some very fantastic doctors. I choose to work where I work because I work with a lot of really great people, including the doctors and nurses, other first responders in my area. Oh come on. Isn't anyone in your in my area. Oh, come on. Isn't anyone in your life a prick?

Come on. That's why he called here. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I have the emotional suspect for everyone I encounter. There's got to be one person at the hospital who's just the worst. We won't name them, but you know who I'm doctor Leno, isn't very... Oh, good lord. Anyway.

I just fixer given all denim scrubs. Do I hear you in a heart? That's the siren. Any hoots. I am very impressed by it. It's just a very impressive young man. Yes. You have you have I appreciate it.

and tell us a little bit about your life. What's going on? Family anything? No, no. As I am single, I have a great family. My mother is the beautiful and perfect every way I love my mom. That's pretty much the most the feeling I have. She's actually here this morning making me breakfast, which was very nice because she knew I was nervous for this.

Oh, that's so nice. You shouldn't have been nervous about this. We're easy to talk to, you know? We're just folks. I know, I know, but you're like, I've been watching you coming on and off for about 25 years. Oh wow, on and off. On and off.

On and off every day. Yeah. Yeah, you guys went on here. Why on? You guys went on here. I don't know you guys had a podcast. I know you guys had a podcast. I know you guys had a podcast until I bought my new car, which had serious XM.

Oh, okay. Well, I really knew you guys were not doing a good job marketing that. No, I'm telling everybody about that. We have all those ambulance ads on the side of ambulance. That's right. That's from my law firm. Do you feel less nervous now that it started?

No, I'm more nervous. I just, my heart rate is gradually rising. Okay. Okay. Well, you need three CCs of Diozoa's and stat. That's what I would say. Yes. You're going to give me blood poisoning.

Did I just make up a medication? I don't know what that is. I think so, yeah. Okay, good. I grew up in Berkeley, California. I've not been back since, but I went to school in San Los Angeles this year, and then I moved up to Lake Tahoe for a couple of years back since, but I went to school in San Jose-Bospo, and then I moved up to Lake Tahoe for a couple of years.

What'd you do there in the COVID-19? I didn't really know what to do with myself after college, so I actually worked for the California State Park. So my first job out of college was as a wedding planner, which is like one of the weirdest jobs. So I went from meeting people from the best days of the lives to the worst days of their lives, which is that you went from being a wedding planner to being someone who's going into homes where someone's face just blew up, you know. Yeah. Yeah. It's a it's

a weird swing, but I did some I used to work on a fuels crew. I went back to school and became an EMT and the EMT portion besides Haste Reclass was the only class, higher level education class actually enjoyed. And so I decided, I want to be a paramedic. And I did a paramedic and I'm doing it now on and off for about five years. Hey, do me a favor, Chris B. And be honest. Would I make a good paramedic? I think you'd give a great report. I do, and I've seen you calm under difficult situations.

If you can perform on stage, I think you can perform well and see. But what about the whole part? You hear it as you're smart. What about the whole part where I need to be professional? Yeah, be professional. And you know, you may make a joke unprofessionally, but you're editing team does a great job of cutting that out. You can't do that in real life.

In real life when I go in there, and I start making jokes and we lose the patient, and we're all standing around a living room, and I'm like, hey, I smell someone's making a good wine. You didn't apply a tourniquet because you had to stall for a bit. He had to do coma stash. Yeah. And then the guy died.

Yeah. Yeah, that might not go well. Oh well. You went silently surprised. Yeah. Do you think you do okay? No. I think you've been pleasantly surprised. Yeah. Do you think you do okay? No, I think you do okay. How do you do?

Are you squeamish? I think I do okay. That's the big thing. That's the big thing. I guess there are people that just see blood and they have a problem. There's a difference between like seeing like a video and seeing it like in person. That's it. And it's also not just blood.

It's like every bodily substance besides blood to So that that it's not just like is this grow or is this violent or gross? It's like poopoo at You also a smell factor. Yeah, wait a minute. What? You know you can't be a Paramatic you're gonna say poo poo and pee pee. Well, we have a Major release of poo poo and pee pee We're heading in now. Is that how you talk to your kids?

We've got poo poo in PP tech. We've got two poo poo one PP. We need to administer diapers. Stat. People still say that stat. That was on shows when I was a kid. Like there was a show called emergency and they'd be like, get in here, stat.

Occasionally, I I hear in the hospital Occasionally when I'm like walking through it, but it is kind of in phase out to my understanding. How about you still say clear when you're using the paddles clear You still do absolutely every time. Yeah, we don't say gather around. Yes. No, okay You cannot be touching somebody when they get shot because I'll get shot too. Okay. Okay. Oh, I never thought about I want to try That's what I would I would like to use the paddles I'd like to say clear and then use the paddles on someone who doesn't need it and then they do need it after I try to have it. No, if you use it and they don't need it, they will need it immediately. Is that true?

Yes, if you shock somebody with a defibrillator, you can kill it. Let me ask you something. Not that I'm... Sometimes I just sort of think about like what's the perfect murder. But let me ask you something, and please anyone listening don't you know This is just theoretical and so I'm not gonna take responsibility for this But if you use paddles on someone and you give them a heart attack and you want them out of the picture Can't you then called the hospital and go like they had a heart attack? Oh now I inherit their money

I guess I mean I wouldn't say that in the form. I am, I'm pretty sure I get in trouble if I shock somebody that need to be shocked. I'm talking about secretly. I'm talking about secretly. I'm talking about secretly. And he's not talking about you. Yeah, let me just carry an AED around with me. No, listen to me.

I'm not talking about you, Chris. I'm talking about me. There's someone in my life, maybe, who I want out of the picture. And I use the paddles on them. Would a corner be able to detect that? We did look at you. Would a corner be able to detect that? I don look at you. Would a corner be able to... I don't know.

I think so. I think so. I think so. I think so. We don't really use like the pad, we don't use the paddles. We use like these really sticky pads that leave a pretty heavy residue.

So they would see the residue and they would see exactly at the very start. But you can say he was happy. It was just like $10,000. You mean he was, you can say he was having a heart attack and you did it and then he, oh, that's very good. That's very good. Maybe.

But like, I wanna make it clear, we don't usually shock people that have a pulse. That's very frowned upon in my industry. Consider it. Okay. Okay. Have you ever used the paddles on any kind of food item to heat it up?

Oh, no. No, no, no. No, if you use the paddles on and go, I think it's 200, 200 jewels for one second, I don't think it would be enough You don't think so if you kept if you use the paddles several times on ego waffles that were completely frozen would they be I think you make popcorn pop I think that Hey, hey, I'm gonna have some popcorn I'm gonna have to look it up later

Come on, but I'm gonna give it up. I'm gonna give it up. Oh, what is that the popcorn popping? Yeah, it's also an auctioneer later. Cupoom, have a bumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumb down this road. Yeah, yeah, I did. I'm sorry. You did. I saw your fault. To everyone listening, please don't use the D-Fab, the D-Fab pass on anybody. I'm glad you're here, Chris. And I agree with what Chris just said. Yeah, that's a very bad thing to do. But and don't try it on an ego, maybe popcorn. I think we cleared things up. No, not a popcorn either. Okay. Maybe they don't sell these things privately. Like you've got to like go through an agency. I know you're acting like it's a Costco. Hey, I'm here for the defibrillators.

They're in building sometimes, like on the wall. No, they get it. Welcome to Costco. How can I help you? I'm looking for an MRI and defibrillator. Let's see. I want an iron loan too. What are you doing? I'm building a hospital. Let's see I want an iron loan too

What are you doing I'm building a hospital you should come on by to be a medical school Hey, do you sell licenses here? You should come on by Come on by if you ever any trouble my name's Conan. I got a hospital. It's right down. I'm on the third house on the left How are you going out on Halloween what are you gonna do for Halloween I have to work this Halloween are you like to dress up this past weekend no I want to sned flander oh Holy no Yeah, how do you hostroker Reno that

Glasses on an everybody thought I was Jeffrey Dahmer so I think the last time I'm gonna throw it in the corner. That's great. I heard the glasses on and everybody thought I was Jeffrey Dahmer. So I think it's the last time I'm doing the costume. Oh, man. Well Dahmer Flanders. I can't do that as a parapet. I do think that Ned Flanders would be a great paramedic. Ned and Marge would be my two votes. I would worry that Ned Flanders would just put it in God's hands to make it take you right.

Yeah. You know, he'd be like, pretty much. Yeah, he'd say like, well, it's the Good Lord called and then can't interfere with the good Lord's plan You know as opposed to no, no, he's just got a hang nail get in there help I'm very impressed by this gentlemen. Chris. Do you have a question for Conan? I have a quite a few but I Hope I was really hoping you guys bring back remote episodes because that was that was my absolute favorite thing to watch you guys

Oh cool, and even you guys just do the audio for the grand canning like that View hilarious you made for the TV show or are you saying do it for a podcast or do you ever mode of the as a podcast and release on YouTube? Okay, I mean like we're just I know you I don't know the the situation But like even just do local ones like go to parts of California. Let's just say There's some things in the works. There's some plans in the works. I come do a ride along, man. That can be your own. You and I on a ride along? Oh, man.

Oh, yeah. That's interesting. I'm a paramatic instructor as well. I can teach. I can do the crash course. Well, we all know how this is going to go. Lives will be lost. But laughs will be gained.

And fun and will commit man's lottery. I will lose my paramatic. No, no, no, no. You don't lose your license. But it will get some good laughs, I think. Yeah, it'll be a good bit. Hey, if all you lose is a career and we get some laughs. Yeah.

Right. Who's to say you didn't have you guys ever had? Like, I don't know, I hope you guys have only had positive interactions with us. Yes. I was just curious have you ever had an interaction with paramedic or EMT? I don't think so.

No, I mean, I have even, I've, a couple of times been around elder folk who have needed that kind of assistance and paramedics, EMTs have come and they're just always fantastic. Great. I mean, I can't imagine how you're gonna be. I really want my heart to hear.

Yeah, it's true. It's true. If people come in, they, they just have this body of knowledge and they're calm and immediately everything is better. Yeah. So I mean, I like hearing that. I really try to replicate that in my practice as well. Oh my God, yeah.

No, if I was having a problem, I would want you to come through the door. And that would spend like 10 minutes just talking about all the reasons episodes. And then I would flat line, you'd be in a lot of trouble. Well, Chris, very, very nice to meet you. You're an impressive young man and I appreciate you saying that. You're a better net flander than net flander in my opinion.

So thank you. Yeah, very cool to talk to you. And tell your mom we said, I'm a good one to talk to you guys. Oh, of course. Yeah, my mom's great. I know you guys were wrapping up, but I as well as tell you guys helped me so much in my personal life I'm on the peer support team here in my area and like I always say after we see something rough

You always have to laugh and then you have to sleep and you guys give me so much to look forward to In my daily commute watching you guys on YouTube and just thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much And you know, I'm an even 30 yet. That's still I say laughter is like the best medicine you guys provide a lot of it. I would agree. I think medicine as some comedians had actually medicines the best medicine. I don't know who said that, but they were. When the shit really hits the fan of my tight five and the back in the hands. I want.

Yeah, you guys when the shit really hits the fan. I want a I want someone who really knows the stuff that you know but that is very nice of you to say and it's it it does warm our hearts to know that that people like you who are doing really good work or out there listening it's very meaningful so thank you I appreciate you guys you guys help more people than I ever can I hope you guys keep doing what you're doing you can be in so many other people something to look forward to each day wow I really appreciate all you guys to and you guys are absolutely awesome. I'm gonna cry.

All right, well Chris, thank you so much. Honour to talk to you, really. Thank you. Have a great day. Honour's all mine. Thanks Chris. Have a great day Conan. Bye guys.

Conan O'Brien needs a friend with Conan O'Brien, Sonom of Sessian, and Matt Gourley. Produced by me, Matt Gourley. Executive produced by Adam Sachs, Nick Liao, and Jeff Ross at Team Coco, and Colin Anderson and Cody Fisher at Ear Wolf. Themesong by the White Stripes, Incidental Music by Jimmy Vivino. Take it away, Jimmy.

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