Original Article Published 5/13/18
Trent Reed / © The Paris News
Another chapter closes for city of Paris EMS Paramedic Supervisor Sam Martin as he hangs up his stethoscope after serving for more than 38 and a half years.
At 20 years old, Martin said his first weekend on the job involved a shots fired call, in which someone allegedly shot a family member.
“There was an elderly couple who had been shot by a family member in their home, and, at that time, it was a big white house across from where the post office is now on Clarksville Street,” Martin said. “We were in the front yard with a stretcher hiding behind trees, and the police were out there, also. Hearing shots fired, that was probably the scariest for me, being my first weekend on.”
When he began his career in the paramedic field, Martin said he never considered a career in the EMS field.
“I was working in sporting goods in Walmart, and the director then offered me a job,” Martin said. “I never thought about it, but when he asked me if I wanted to be like Johnny Gage [‘Emergency!’ actor], I said, ‘Sure.’”
Martin said, when he first started, EMTs were basic services.
“EMT Basics is just checking vital signs, oxygen, loading them up and going,” Martin said. “The time from the scene to the hospital was the most important, and you want to shorten that as much as
possible.”
Now, Martin said it’s much more advanced with paramedic systems.
“Now we have cardiac monitors, advanced airway skills, medications — we have stuff to actually do something for the patients instead of just get in the car, and go to the hospital,” Martin said.
Training for Martin more than 35 years ago was more on hand, he said.
“I wasn’t certified, at the time,” Martin said. “That’s the thing, you had one certified person per truck back then. I learned CPR, bandaging and splinting from the people who were there, initially and went to EMT school immediately.”
Now, Martin said EMT and paramedics have continuing education where they can learn more and receive updated information.
“Plus, we have advanced cardiac life support, advanced trauma life support and pre-hospital trauma life support,” Martin said.
First starting out, Martin said they worked 48 hour shifts.
“On 48 hours, off 48 hours, and on 24 hours, off 24 hours,” Martin said. “Now, it’s on 24 hours, off 48 hours, like the fire department.”
For those attending school or hope to one day become a paramedic or EMT, Martin said “it’s kind of a natural ability to want to do this, want to be able to do it.”
“Learn everything you can and realize that you will never know everything,” Martin said. “Keep trying to improve and go.”
Martin said one of the worse things for him is anything involving children.
“I’m sure you’ll find, like everyone else, when the time comes and a child is seriously injured or sick and you need to help them, you help them without even thinking about it, without worrying about it,” Martin said.
Working in the field for 38 and a half years, Martin said he is still learning.
“I learn stuff from students, because some stuff changes — mostly terminology and treatment methods change,” Martin said. “So, I can learn from a student right out of school about as much as they could learn from me.”
Martin suggests keeping an open mind and learn from one another — new and old.
“What I used to always tell students was to expect the worse and hope for the best, and you’ll be somewhere in between,” Martin said.
Original Article