I had the opportunity to interview an EMT.
The person I chose to interview was my friend Matt from the Highland Lakes squad. I chose to interview him because it is easier for me to talk to someone I know than someone I don’t know, and also because I wanted to find out what it’s like being an E.M.
T. From a teenager’s point of view. Q: Why did you become an EMT?
I enjoy helping people and felt that I wanted to be able to do more than just basic first aid and CPR. What does it mean to be on call? If the pager goes off, you are the person that responds to the call. You can’t leave your area because you have to stay available if the pagers do go off. How does being an EMT?
How does your job affect your personal life? A: It doesn’t really affect my personal life too much. The only time it really does is if the pager goes off and I’m on call, then I have to stop what I am doing and respond to the call, or if I come across an accident, I have to stop and help.
Q: In Vernon, what kind of accidents do you usually see? A: The most common type of accident I see is people having trouble breathing, or people who can’t breathe, things like that.
Q: What is the worst accident you’ve ever seen? A: The worst accident I’ve ever seen was a car accident where there was a victim who couldn’t remember anything even after I told him the same thing over and over again. He couldn’t remember what I told him.
Q: What happens if the victim is someone you know? A: I try to treat the victim like any other victim, but I’m more nervous about messing up something or doing something wrong.
The victim will usually feel more comfortable when someone they know is there with them. Q: What do you do at the scene of an accident? A: We treat the victims and transport them to the hospital as fast as we can. Q: How do you feel on the way to a call? A: I usually have an adrenaline rush, and my body feels like it’s going 100 times faster than normal. That’s about it though. Q: Do you like being an E.M.
T. And why? A: Yes, I enjoy being an EMT. I like the feeling I get from helping others who are in need of help. Q: What happens if you are at a call and another call comes in? A: If a call comes in while you are at a call, you will be dispatched to the other call when you finish the one you are at. Otherwise, if it’s not possible for you to respond to the second call, they will dispatch another rig for the second call.
Q: Approximately how many calls per week do you get in Vernon?
A: I usually get about one or two per week when I’m on call, but the squad can get either a lot or a little amount of calls.
Q: How many days a week are you on call?
A: I’m usually on call one or two days during the week and sometimes one day on the weekends.
After doing this interview with my friend Matt, I realize it could be fun but hard work to be an E.M.T. People’s lives are depending on you, and if you make a mistake, someone could die.
I’m glad there are people like my friend Matt who want to be an E.M.T., but I sure wouldn’t want to be one.
