麻豆区

Rising to the challenge. That's exactly what an emergency medical technician does each and every day.

This week is National Emergency Medical Services Week, and 麻豆区 is taking a look at the everyday commitment of those serving on the front lines.

It's a fast-paced, 24/7 operation that never stops.

"You get to be there at somebody's worst moments and help them and support them in their best. There's no greater feeling," said Jean Humphrey, an EMT/Paramedic with Huntsville Emergency Medical Services Inc.

But, it also comes with its set of challenges.

"It's physically demanding, but it's also emotionally taxing, especially if you're running a lot of hard calls or pediatric calls. You have to be good at compartmentalizing," said Humphrey.

For Humphrey, even on the hardest days, she walks away saying these words: "It's the best job in the world."

It's a life-changing role she didn't embark on until four years ago.

"I was an Army wife," said Humphrey.

Her husband served in the United States Army for nearly 22 years, previously deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

When he retired, she decided it was her turn to work on the front lines.

"It's kind of weird, because now I'm in that stressful job and he's in that supportive role," said Humphrey.

She took on work, school and clinical studies to get to this point.

"When we retired, I felt like it was something I could do locally to give back to my community," said Humphrey.

The job has taken twists and turns since she started.

"We saw the people in our field dwindle, and then we were running short," said Humphrey.

The pandemic and a shortage of workers added to the heat of the job.

"You really had to mentally prepare for what we were going to come into, because some nights, we would come in and only have a select few trucks, and we knew we were going to be busy," said Humphrey.

She said the profession has changed a lot since then.

"Absolutely, we're coming out of it," said Humphrey. "As you can see, we don't have masks on, and I love that."

Humphrey said it's important for people to see her face, because a smile is often very reassuring.

"Sometimes, that's what people need to feel better," said Humphrey.

Don Webster, spokesperson for HEMSI, said "there's light at the end of the tunnel."

"We're working really hard to recruit people," Webster said. "We started our own EMS Academy."

This National Emergency Medical Services Week, HEMSI is hosting a barbecue to celebrate its employees and other front-line workers.

"The employees are the ones that make it up and make a difference in lives every day here in Madison County," said Webster. "It takes a lot of people to make it all happen, and this is a time we want to recognize the EMS providers."

"It's a very unselfish profession," said Humphrey. "Have to make sure you're doing it looking for nothing in return."

Our previous story on the EMS/EMT Academy can be found聽here.

Job opportunities at HEMSI can be found聽