I'm a former (volunteer) EMT and, at
least in the state I was certified in, the training for volunteer and career
was the same (although the hours were, of course, far different). This was a
time of my life that I still take a lot of pride in, almost 30-years' worth of
pride. Actually, there were several members of my immediate family who either volunteered
or worked in the EMS field. I stopped riding several years before the COVID nightmare
and I can't even imagine the stress of the past year-and-a-half; still have
active EMS family who did see COVID and its devastation.
My "other" career, far
longer than my EMS involvement, has been that of a writer. In part a novelist
(spicy romantic suspense) and in part a journalist. I enjoy the times I get to
write about EMS and especially when I must learn something new about the field
in order to properly present it. I write a monthly column in an EMS trade paper
and occasionally get to cover, or report on, education and events in emergency
response. I enjoy those times I get to immerse myself in a class or discussion,
I love hearing about new techniques, protocols, findings and more. I guess
Emergency Medical Services has remained a part of me and something that I will
never emotionally leave.
Both by ZOOM (mostly due to the
pandemic), I had the wonderful opportunity to sit in on two different and
comprehensive EMS Conferences. It was thrilling for me to listen to the newest advancements
and to understand the EMS community a little bit more. I loved hearing about Community
Paramedicine, record keeping, stress of the job, and even newer equipment to
help make the job "easier". It's true that this time in my life has
completely changed me forever — I feel pride, accomplishment, understanding, what
it means to be a part of a team, and especially about human emotions from birth
to death, quite literally.
EMS was not the first community organization
that I ever volunteered for, as a young adult I devoted four-and-a-half years
with the Auxiliary Police in the city I grew up in. I felt a lot of pride there
too, and again I wasn't the only member of my family; I had followed my dad's
lead… and as a bonus, that's where my husband and I found each other! Although
in this case the training was nowhere as comprehensive and disciplined as the
employed law enforcement, it was still pretty thorough for the duties we were
trained to assume. It was a very rewarding experience to give back to the community
where I grew up.
While I certainly don't expect
everyone else to have had the same passions as I did, I do respect EVERYONE who
have given, and possibly still do, of themselves and their time to better their
communities and help their neighbors. Can you imagine a world where everyone
took a part in making it better, safer, happier? Can you imagine the fulfillment
those people feel when they see a child that they tutored make Communion or
their Bat Mitzvah? Imagine the happiness of seeing a family hug each other after
a daring rescue? Or imagine seeing hope on an old woman's face as you take the
time to sit with her as she eats her very welcomed dinner?
Everything someone can do for their
neighbors, their country, and their world makes such a difference for both the recipients
of their kindness and for the giver himself or herself. If we all found
SOMETHING to do, to contribute and to feel pride in doing, it is worth more than
any dollar figure or bronze statue. Sometimes it doesn't take a whole lot of
effort, an extra grocery bag dropped off at a food pantry, a committee member
who makes sure that shut-ins know about useful programs, an interested adult
who coaches children in softball… so many things we can do for others and, in
the long run, for ourselves.
Kudos to ALL the
volunteers. THANK YOU!
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