by Liv Stecker
Admit it. You’ve always wanted to step into a phone booth (for all you millennials, they’re small, glass boxes that people used to have to stand in to make phone calls if they weren’t at home) and emerge as a totally different person, endowed with superpowers, rippling biceps and of course, a cape. Or if red-briefed heroics aren’t your style, you’ve at least had fantasies of mind-control abilities that could trigger a small earthquake to avoid mundane responsibilities.
Don’t be ashamed, we’ve all wished at some point that we could do something that we just aren’t able to - even if it’s only opening a jar of pickles. But we’ve also all got our weak spots (like non-rippling biceps that require pickle-jar opening assistance) and thankfully, most of us have superheroes in our lives that help us get through things that would otherwise be hard, or impossible for us.
I became an EMT in 2004. My fourth daughter had been born a few months before, and as the oldest daughter from a large, homeschooled family, by the time I had four kids of my own I had established the strong statistical probability of being the “most responsible” person on the scene of any minor (or even major) emergency at home. When I was a teenager, taking care of younger siblings, I had a book from the 1970s that my mom had left for us called “A Sigh of Relief.” I consulted the worn paperback on more than one occasion, like when my sister sliced her knee open using a box knife to build a fort out of old appliance boxes. Or the time my brother slammed his fist through a glass door in hot pursuit of a villainous cousin. It was useful, and I stopped the bleeding, sort of, long before I knew what cell phones were or how much an ambulance bill cost.
I never really liked blood & guts, and to this day, seeing people in real, honest-to-gosh pain, makes my stomach turn in weird knots, but I realized that when I was faced with an emergency, knowing how to do something is a heckuva lot better than standing by, waiting for somebody who does. So I signed up for the EMT class up at Mount Carmel Hospital, never anticipating how much it would change my life.
I worked for Stevens County Sheriff’s Ambulance for nearly five years. Never once during that time did I regret my decision to become an EMT. Instead, I made lifelong friends with both my co-workers and patients, bonding over experiences that can’t be replicated artificially. I have held the hands, listened to the stories, and shared in the grief of strangers. Being an EMT, especially in the small community where I grew up, and my children have grown, has taught me things far beyond how to stop the bleeding and splint the break. It has taught me compassion, humility and patience.
I never would have imagined that being an EMT would lead me to the places that it has. It has opened doors for me to travel to places all over the country and even beyond, in both volunteer and paid capacities. It’s a training that will serve you over and over and over again. Every employer loves to have EMTs on staff for workplace emergencies or when something happens to a customer. When things go wrong at home with your family and friends, instead of digging for an old paperback and listening to your renegade cousin for first aid ideas, you’ll know what to do. You may not have a cape, but you’ll have something in your pocket whenever the need arises, and that ain’t nothing. Living in the small communities that we do here in Stevens County, trained EMTs are vital to the survival of patients in remote, rural areas.
Stevens County Sheriff’s Ambulance (SCSA) wants to help you realize your superhero dreams, just like they did for me. They are offering an EMT basic class that kicks off in January. They will have an informational meeting on November 26th at 6:30 PM. Class Schedule starting in January will be Monday and Wednesday nights from 5:00-9:00 (17:00-21:00) and Saturday 07:30-5:00 (07:30-17:00). The EMT class is about 3 months long. For any questions or to sign up please call 509-684-8261.
SCSA is a unique emergency medical response agency in that it is operated under the jurisdiction of the county sheriff. Most EMS agencies are facilitated through fire departments or private companies, many operated on tax-based funding or as profitable private undertakings. SCSA a fee-for-service company that does not receive any tax based monies. All operating expenses, supplies, payroll, vehicles and the new building have been paid for by company revenues. As one of the least expensive BLS transport agencies in the state, SCSA maintains operations without the help of EMS levies, state, county or city funds, and accepts almost all insurance plans. SCSA is driven by the community spirit of volunteers who have answered the call of the EMT's creed “To conserve life, alleviate suffering, promote health, do no harm, and encourage the quality and equal availability of emergency medical care…” Sign up. Step into the phone booth. We’ve got your cape waiting.
