Even to veteran paramedics like Mike Barokas, who has been on the job 33 years, the scene on the Aurora Bridge was so overwhelming, it seemed unreal.
"It was somewhat eerie," said Medic One Lt. Mike Barokas. "It was so surreal it almost felt like a drill."
Barokas, along with dozens more firefighters and medics from across the area converged on the carnage September 24 after a Ride The Ducks tour boat crashed into a bus packed with exchange students.
First responder Dean Brook also said it was unlike anything he had experienced in his three decades on the job.
"That was by far the most horrific accident I have ever seen," he said.
The two Seattle paramedics are speaking out for the first time since the crash.
Five people died, more than a dozen were injured, but the loss of life was kept to a minimum for a few reasons.
Seattle Fire had two additional crews in the area that day because of the Chinese President's visit. A crew was also at a meeting at the nearby University of Washington. The speedy response allowed medics to get the wounded to hospitals in just 23 minutes.
"That's unheard of," Barokas said. "It was beyond even our greatest expectations."
The fact that the accident happened before rush hour, when Aurora Avenue was still relatively clear, helped as well.
The revelations come as the Medic One Foundation honored those first responders Thursday, and tried to raise money for the training that allows them to widely be considered the very best in the world.
Medic One paramedics receive twice the training as those in other parts of the country. Much of it is on the streets instead of in the classroom.
Medic One operations are funded by taxpayers. All the additional training comes largely through donations.
"We couldn't do what we do without all that training," Barokas said.
He points to the fact that your chances of surviving a heart attack when treated by Medic One are 62 percent, the highest in America.