Emergency medical work a passion for would-be firefighter
Damon Schilling had wanted to be a firefighter.
“I went to get my EMT certification and fell in love with the (emergency medical) side of it,” said the government-affairs manager for American Medical Response. The Las Vegas native since has been in the emergency medical services field for 14 years.
Schilling, 33, was an emergency medical technician rescue squad member for four years and has been a paramedic for 10. He joined American Medical in 2006 as a field training officer and later was promoted to public information officer.
It takes 12 to 16 weeks to become an EMT, Schilling said. They check vital signs, assess patients and conduct minimal interventions, such as helping patients with medications for cardiac or respiratory problems.
It takes 12 to 20 weeks to become certified as an advanced EMT. They are certified to start IVs and administer certain medications to help patients in respiratory distress due to asthma.
It takes about a year for paramedics to become certified, Schilling said. Paramedics have advanced knowledge of cardiac diseases and respiratory disease, he said. EMTs’ and paramedics’ hours vary.
“They work 12-hour shifts, but their schedules vary by the number of days they work per week,” Schilling said. “One week, they’ll work four days and the next week work three days, in rotation.”
The field of paramedicine has changed over the years, Schilling said. As technology and medicine change, the duties of the responder change, too.
“Technological advances have extended the life span of the paramedic,” said Brandon Hunter, operations manager at American Medical Response. “For example, gurneys are now electronic. Before, paramedics had to physically carry people.”
The Critical Incident Stress Management team is a form of peer counseling offered to employees to help them cope with stress, Schilling said.
“At the end of the day, (events) will stick with you,” he said. “We all play the ‘what-if’ game, but the answer is always the same: We did our best.”
Contact Raven Jackson at rjackson@viewnews.com or 702-383-0283. Follow @ravenmjackson on Twitter.
