It’s National EMS Week

Many medics volunteer over 200 hours annually - By Joanie Behrends, For The Cordova Times

May 21-27 is National Emergency Medical Services Week.  It is a good time to reflect upon how and why Cordova is able to provide quality ambulance services in such a small isolated community. What keeps the volunteers motivated and dedicated to the cause?  What is it that makes an Alaskan medic choose to BE a medic?

It’s not the money. Each medic on the Cordova Volunteer Fire Department donates all the time that it takes to train, to respond, to inventory, to restock, and to support one another. Each medic is expected to train every Thursday night, for at least two hours, in order to hone their response skills. Realistically, this does not happen. Cordova is a busy little community and has too many Thursday night conflicts that arise, but our medics do the best they can. Many other small communities only train monthly, so CVFD ranks well in training. Anyway, every hour is donated. Numerous medics give over 200 hours annually.

It’s not the comfortable conditions. Imagine trying to help a victim in the pouring rain, in the wind, in a vehicle filled with broken window glass. On a slope. Or imagine trying to help save a life amidst the stares of bystanders, at three o’clock in the morning. Imagine trying to keep a young adult, under the influence of drugs and alcohol, from harming themselves by banging their head repeatedly on the cement. Imagine coming home and feeling as if you must shower for an hour to remove all the smells and the emotions. Each scene is different and surprising, sometimes dangerous, and always stress-filled.

It’s not the fame. Do you even KNOW who your current local ambulance crew and drivers have been this past few years?  Linda Brown. Joanie Behrends. Loyd Belgarde. Toni Bocci. Jim Fritsch. Mike Galumbush. Jayleene Garrett. Cody Handley. Kara Johnson. Taylor Kimbarow. Jerry LeMaster. Renee Lindow. Katherine Mead. Mark Meredith. Stephen Phillips. Micah Renfeldt.  Jeff Rice. Carolyn Roesbery. Becki Shipman. Ed Shipman. Emily Stolarcyk. James Thorne. Laurel Troudt. And Andrea Whitcomb. This crew does not expect or chase notoriety.

It’s definitely not the positive effects that running on an ambulance has on family life. If you are ON CALL, then you are seriously ON CALL. It is an extremely serious commitment. If you are called to a late night dangerous situation, your partner likely lays awake waiting for you to return safely home. If you are at the Christmas celebration, with all the extended family, of course, and have to run out the door just before dinner, that can be irritating. If your family wants to go on a picnic, but you are on call…you cannot go unless you find someone to “cover” you. If you want to drive out to meet your husband at the airport, you cannot go unless you make sure someone is covering for you. The medic can only do this job by mightily impacting the family.

So, it’s not money. It’s not the comfortable working conditions.  It’s not the fame. It’s not how great it is for family life. What is it?  This year’s national EMS theme partially explains it. “Always in Service.” These folks choose to SERVE …to help and care for others in their hour of need. It’s simply a…choice.

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