"My name is Phil Salamone, I'm currently Director of Operations for Kutztown Ambulance and I work part time with Schuylkill Valley (now Northern Berks EMS) and Lower Alsace Ambulance. I've previously worked with western berks ambulance association, National Event Services, City of Allentown EMS and Bushkill Emergency Corps. I'm married to my gorgeous wife since 2012, and father to a 3 year old son and a daughter due just a few days from now."
1. How long have you been in EMS? How did you get started? 2. What made you decide you wanted to work in this field?
"I have been involved in EMS since 1999 While on vacation in Cozumel Mexico with my family as a young teenager, I witnessed CPR being preformed on a woman I had found while snorkeling in the water. I didn't like being the bystander. When I returned, I enrolled in EMS courses becoming an EMT in 2000 and a paramedic in 2007."
3. What do you love most about your career? "What I love most is the variety of different experiences I've encountered. I will never say I've seen it all, because every day, every call, is a new adventure. I've had rewarding experiences, worked with some of the best people, and enjoy meeting new people. Most don't like meeting me, but however I can give them a smile on their time of need, I've done a good job."
4. What was the most rewarding experience you’ve had? "I've had several CPR saves, with many being able to meet afterward. However one of my most rewarding experiences had nothing to do with an emergency at all. I was transporting a patient home to begin end of life care. A WW2 veteran dying of cancer, he only had a few weeks left. On the ride home, we got into conversation about my grandfather's military background fighting with the army in the Mediterranean campaign of WW2, and my patient told me of his service in the air force as a B29 bomber pilot. When we arrived home, I assisted him into his bed, and as I do with every veteran I encounter, I looked into his eyes, shook his hand, and said "thank you for your service to our country." I proceeded back to my unit to accept my next assignment when his daughter sprinted from the house attempting to flag me down before I left. My first thought, was that the gentleman was ill and needed my assistance. However when she came to the door, she handed me a book. She said, "he wouldn't let me help him until I gave you this book." It was his published personal memoirs of his life as an air force pilot. I choked back tears because I interpreted this as he enjoyed our 15 minute exchange knowing he may never get to tell such a story again, and simply didn't want our conversation to end. I read his obituary in the paper 1 week later."
5. What was the most challenging? "The most challenging moments in my career is generally children. Children remain stable and rapidly decelerate if you aren't too careful. My most challenging is also the most terrifying patient I've ever transported. The baby had a condition misdiagnosed by his pediatrician. While in the ambulance, I'm struggling to find out what is wrong so that I can treat it and fix it. He's not breathing adequately... And I don't know why. And then he stopped breathing on me entirely. So here I sit, seemingly helpless on the bench seat, father of the baby next to him, as I panic trying to maintain my composure and professionalism and provide only supportive measures. After some forceful stimulation and placement of an Intraosseous line, the baby begin crying and breathing again on his own. A quiet baby, is a sick baby, and those tears and screams was simply music to my ears! The father approached me afterwards and said, "thank you! I don't know what I would have done! You were so calm and composed..." I thought to myself, "buddy, you had no idea the thoughts that were going through my head...!"
6. How would you describe what you do to a child who is interested? "I would say to children that paramedicine is one of the most difficult fields of medicine to work in. Unlike a hospital, I need to rely on my training, my assessment, and my instincts, to perform treatment, all without most of the diagnostic tools a doctor would use like x-rays. It certainly isn't for the squeamish! You need to think on your feet, fast, and go with your gut!"
7. What is a typical work week like for you? "My typical work week is managing one organization 9-5 Monday through Friday, and then working on the ambulance nights and weekends. "
8. What do you think is the biggest misconception about your career? "The biggest misconception is that ambulances only treat the most sickest of the sick. However our society is getting older, and with that, our volume has increased drastically. You may work 50 calls and essentially just "give a ride" before that one call that puts your skills to the test. There is a lot of abuse by individuals calling for an ambulance when they don't need it, or can drive to the hospital themselves. The ambulance doesn't get you seen any quicker! But this abuse does make that ambulance unavailable for those that actually really do need it. "
9. How do you handle work/family balance? "My work family balance is really tough. I have missed parties, holidays, family get togethers, and have "watched from the wings" of my son growing up. It's certainly not easy. There really are no paramedics that only work for one organization. The demand on service is too high, the amount of qualified candidates is too low, the pay is much less than you can ever have thought. The balance is finding that time to put work aside and spend whatever time you can with your family."
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Ann Marie Kovalewski. "I work for Shenandoah Community Ambulance since 1999. I volunteer with Ringtown Ambulance since 1994. I live in Zion Grove, Pa, by myself in a farm house in the country with my dog Tasha.
1. How long have you been in EMS? How did you get started? "Since I was 16 , I started way back in 1994. I actually started because someone from our local ambulance asked if I wanted to join to help with fundraising."
2. What made you decide you wanted to work in this field? "I really didn't decide I wanted to work in this field. LOL I wanted to be a special education teacher, I just kinda fell into this."
3. What do you love most about your career? "I really love helping people. And I love that my job is different every day. It can be crazy, but sometimes crazy is good. It never gets boring."
4. What was the most rewarding experience you’ve had? "I've brought a few people "back" with CPR, the best feeling is knowing they walked out of the hospital and their family can spend another day with them. Delivering babies is amazing too. But , the absolute best feeling, is when you have a child with special medical needs and their family requests you, because they trust you and you alone with the care of their child. It is truly humbling."
5. What was the most challenging? "Every day is a challenge, but I will never understand people who choose to throw away their perfectly good life in a healthy body to do drugs"
6. How would you describe what you do to a child who is interested? "I help people, when they are having the worst day of their of life."
7. What is a typical work week like for you? "a typical work week for me is absolutely crazy. I work 24 hour shifts, which i love. I know it's crazy, but at this point, I wouldn't tolerate a "normal" work week. I put in between 60 and 80 hours a week. But when you like what you do, it doesnt feel like it."
8. What do you think is the biggest misconception about your career? "I think the biggest misconception, is that we come to work to just hang out and sleep. And that its all glory and everyone thinks you are a hero. The truth is, yes we can have some down time, but it can be very busy. and not everyone appreciates what you do."
9. How do you handle work/family balance? "work/ family balance....that's a tough one....since my brother is a police officer, it is very difficult for my family to get together for holidays, or pretty much anything. We generally celebrate on days we are off, not the true holiday, but its not the date that makes a holiday, it's spending time with the ones who matter. My friends have learned to schedule birthday parties on days I am off, and we just go with the flow. I have no husband or kids, but I do have a crazy dog that spends time at my parents house when I work."
10. What else would you like people to know about EMS? "Oh where to start.....EMS is for emergencies. We cant help people who truly need it, if we are busy on something that is not an emergency. It is truly a rewarding job, can be stressful at times, but in the end its worth it. One of the biggest misconceptions is that all we do is pick someone up and drive them to the hospital which is so far from the truth. We have a lot training, and are pretty much a mobile emergency room."
