When you are in elementary school you get asked this question every year: "What do you want to be when you grow up?" As you get older your answer gets more and more realistic as you start to gain skills and life experience. So instead of saying "I want to be a pirate!" or "I want to be a ninja!" you then start to say: "I want to be a doctor!" or "I want to be a lawyer!" Flash forward to high school and college and ask that same question again. Students' lives will flash before their eyes and they will give the answer they have been practicing for awhile to ease the pain of the unknown.
When I was in elementary school I wanted to be firefighter. Why firefighter? Well, I had a great role model close to me that was a firefighter. My grandfather Richard Harris. He reached the level of Lieutenant in the greatest city in the world, New York City. He retired from the service about a year before I was born. I envisioned a man that walked into the face of danger and lead others through pain, tears, fire, and blood. That vision still continues with me to this day. As a kid having that vision in my head sculpted me into the person I wanted to be and the job that I would find fulfilling. As I got older and heard more stories, the kid in me perked up and listened intently.
The man, the myth, the legend
So with that in mind I had an impassioned reserve to become...a Biomedical Engineer! Ok, so I was not that fearless to walk into fiery buildings but I made a compromise with myself to do some of the things that my grandfather did. Like most professions in the civil service circuit, firefighters, the police, and EMS are the first responders to a scene. In any case of emergency in which any of these services are called there might be a need for medical aid. So being the proactive firefighter he was, my grandfather was trained for to deliver emergency medical services. So, that's the part that I incorporated in my life.
When I heard that there was an EMS squad here at WPI, I jumped at the opportunity to join the squad. I became a certified First Responder and put on my WPI EMS shirt prepared to to help my fellow students. I have fulfilled my childhood dream...partially. That it explains why I joined.
Why I am still on the squad is because of the squad itself, my love of the WPI community, and the collaboration with the WPI Campus Police. The squad is dedicated to furthering our skills both medically and as leaders. They have a lot of heart, passion, and hutzpah to fly headfirst to help others. We also have to have a weird dark sense of humor to keep us afloat and it is beautiful and terrifying. The same motivation I have to be a first responder can be felt in many different ways and speaks volumes about who we are.
I am also privileged to be working with the men and women of the WPI Campus Police that have made a commitment to the squad and the WPI community. There is always a spot in my heart for police officers, firefighters, and other EMS professional. You all do what I and others can't do, everyday. It is also better to be working with you then me to be fearing you law enforcement officers. I feel nothing but love, support, and kindness from the WPI Campus Police.
So, I joined because of my grandfather, the firefighter. Stayed because I care about my community, the WPI EMS squad is fantastic, and I love supporting those who support all of us day in and day out. I hope to continue EMS in some way as I go into the real world. I find it really fulfilling. Also I hear that ladies love I guy in uniform ;)
WPI EMS Bike Squad (Not a real thing)
