In honor of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week, exploreClarion.com is recognizing local EMS professionals and volunteers.
Name: Nic Rawson
Hometown: My hometown will always be Strattanville, but I’ve been in Brookville for a year.
What stations do you work/volunteer for?
“I Currently work as a paramedic for Jefferson County EMS Brookville Fire Company (we run a Quick Response Service
What made you decide to become an EMT?
“The fire company was a family thing for me in Strattanville, and becoming an EMT was one of the best things to do to help out. I was premed at Clarion so it really helped out there too. I decided to become a paramedic (the next level up from EMT) after a pretty bad wreck where one of the patients died. It made me feel helpless and I really never wanted to feel that way again. So I signed up for paramedic school while still in college.”
What is the most difficult aspect of being an EMT?
“The parts when you aren’t in the truck with a patient are really tough. I had a hard enough time keeping my room clean when I was a kid, let alone a whole ambulance station.”
What is the most rewarding aspect of being an EMT?
“The best part is when you help someone out when it counts. We don’t make a lot of saves on cardiac arrests despite what TV has you believe, but when it does happen it’s an incredible experience. Though even being thanked every now and then makes it worth it.”
What advice do you have for anyone looking to become an EMT?
“Sign up for a class and get it done. Clarion Hospital had a class coming up and there’s almost always one out there. If you’re on Facebook, like your local volunteer fire company’s or ambulance’s page because that’s where you’ll get the information. Once you get a taste of blood you won’t want anything else.”
ABOUT EMS WEEK
The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) celebrates four decades of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week starting on May 18 with events in communities across the nation, as well as several national events organized around the theme “EMS: Dedicated. For Life.”
Thirty years of EMS for Children will be celebrated on Emergency Medical Services for Children Day, May 21st, focusing on EMS training, awareness and special events.
“EMS is your safety net 24-7, 365 days a year,” said ACEP’s president Alex Rosenau, DO, FACEP. “EMS professionals and volunteers carry specific medications, have specific skills and can take care of you at a moment’s notice. They can get you to the right hospital at the right time and in the right way.”
EMS providers include paramedics, emergency medical technicians, first responders, firefighters and police, some paid, some volunteer. National EMS Week will feature hundreds of local community activities coast-to-coast, including distribution of free bike helmets, blood pressure checks, first aid classes, fire station open houses and blood drives.
The National EMS Memorial Bike Ride and the CPR Worldwide Challenge Day are among the EMS Week events occurring at multiple locations across the country.
The National EMS Memorial Bike Ride honors EMS personnel through long-distance cycling events that memorialize and celebrate the lives of those who have become sick or injured or who have died in the line of duty. The “Muddy Angels” are organizing rides in different parts of the country between May and September.
The CPR Worldwide Challenge Day will take place in communities across the country and overseas on May 21st, in public parks, shopping malls and other public venues. Last year, 54,000 people were trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, during EMS Week. This year’s goal is to teach tens of thousands more people how to save lives and make their communities safer.
“Since President Gerald Ford proclaimed the first EMS Week in 1974, ACEP has been a proud supporter of National EMS Week,” said Dr. Rosenau. “Every member of the EMS family deserves our thanks and praise for what they provide their communities every day of the year.”
In honor of EMS Week, exploreClarion.com will be featuring local EMS professionals and volunteers.
If you know someone who would like to be featured, send an email to news@exploreClarion.com.
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