EMS Week: The Support We Need!

The theme for EMS Week for 2016 is “Called to Care”.

Betsy coordinating EMT Students for Active Shooter drill.

We are “Called to Care” for a variety of reasons, yet while many paths may lead to EMS, you won’t walk that road very far without the support of friends and family. Some may be lucky enough to have those close to them understand the quirks of emergency services. Others may have people who can only nod their heads along with the stories they hear,  not understanding all the terms and phrases, but knowing that it is as important for their EMS provider to do what they do as it is for them, from time to time, to talk about what they have done and what they have seen.

As a longtime EMS educator I believe that you are unlikely to even make it through class if you’re not some degree of EMS Strong,  however, the nature of the business can quickly sap the mightiest EMS provider they don’t have a good support network.

EMT Class Game Face On!

I’m lucky enough to have an excellent partner in EMS, in business, and in life, in the lovely Elizabeth Duckworth.  I dragged her into the world of fire and EMS back in the day, and over the years together we’ve taught classes, co-founded the New England Center for Rescue and Emergency Medicine, and most recently made a little dude we call “Danger”.

Gearing up for education!

 Today, at the beginning of EMS week I found out that she wrote an article about me on EMS1.com.  You can read it here if you’re so inclined.

Paramedic’s Passion Inspires Those Around Him

Of course I’m happy that my wife thinks I’m pretty cool. What husband wouldn’t be. I’m even happier to know that when I’m having a day that ISN’T as good as today, she’ll be there too. She’ll understand what I might not even be able to express and even what she doesn’t understand, she’ll empathize with anyway. She’s pretty cool all around and I love her.

Betsy accepting her Educator of the Year award.

But this has made something occur to me about #EMSSTRONG and that’s that the phrase EMS Strong doesn’t mean each one of us is EMS Strong. It means that together, though our support networks, and with each other, we are EMS Strong.

So when you take the time to snag some EMS swag and maybe free muffins and soda at the ED this week, take a look around at the people you work with. Maybe you have your own support network and they don’t. Maybe you could use some help yourself. Either way, take a minute to reach out to a brother or sister in EMS and make it so that together we are a little more EMS Strong.

Thank you.

 

-Rom Duckworth