As I sit down to dive into the world of "blogging", I wanted to start off by thanking Holly and the crew at Penobscot Bay Pilot. Writing is a somewhat secret passion of mine and I was offered a brief glimpse into the field a few years ago with Firehouse Magazine. Fast forward a couple of more years and here I am typing away for what I hope will be an informative and interesting blog for the PenBayPilot.com. This blog is intended to give the reader a different perspective on all things "Emergency Services." For those of us lucky enough to work within the profession, volunteer or career, we often forget that 90% of what we do is only seen by 10% of the population. This makes our jobs somewhat of a mystery to the average citizen and this blog will help articulate the ins and outs of emergency work.

I wanted to start off with the one question we all get asked that has countless right answers....."Why did you choose this line of work?" For me the answer has always come easy and been consistent over my entire career. My background in fire and EMS (Emergency Medical Services) comes with almost 20 years of service, 18 being career with Rockland Fire & EMS. Within those 20 years I have seen amazing things and been part of teams who have performed above and beyond to help others in their time of need. Being a part of something that is bigger than just one person is the reason I selected this career. There is nothing more amazing in this world than to be part of a team that can lessen the burden and heartache of someone during the darkest times of their life. That's my answer. We truly have the best job on earth and I wouldn't have choose any other profession.

Some of us will never admit it, but we all enjoy the adrenaline rush that accompanies the stressful situations we deal with. Whether it's entering a burning building, treating a patient with a life threatening injury, or rescuing a trapped victim from a vehicle, all these scenarios force us to walk the fine line of life and death. Others may have an overwhelming sense of community and will join the fire or EMS division to give back to their community. Providing help to neighbors and friends in need can bring with it a sense of accomplishment and pride.

Whatever the reason, they bring some of the most talented, selfless, dedicated, and hard working people a community could ever ask for. If you see one of the local emergency service members around town just ask them why they do the job, I bet you will get some pretty unique answers.

As I get ready to send this off to Holly and have her edit and fix my many mistakes, I remembered this is "EMS Week". One week out of the year is set aside within the medical field to show the support for the crews out in the streets proving top notch medical care. I want to thank all my fellow EMS workers and let them know that the hard work they put in doesn't go unnoticed or unappreciated. I am lucky to work with the highest quality providers that this state has to offer. Keep up the good work!

Be Safe Out There!