WACO, TX — National EMS Week is celebrating 45 years of honoring those who dedicate their time to save others.
Jonathon Davis has worked for AMR as an EMT Paramedic for 20 years. A career he never thought of pursuing as it was just a hobby when he was younger.
It was a way to bond with his brother, volunteering his time to help others while going to school for something completely different.
"I actually went to school for computer stuff, but this always kept pulling me back," Davis said.
With two decades under his belt, he wouldn't trade this career for the world. His day usually starting at 4:30 in the morning, he preps is ambulance and heads out on the road, waiting for someone in need to call for help.
"We run as many calls as we're needed and stay as late as we need to and when we're finally allowed to go home we go home," Davis said.
Days lasting up to 12 hours or more, it can be exhausting but for Davis, it's worth it when you have that one person who is grateful for the work he's done even if he feels he could have done more.
"It can be one of those calls where we don't think we actually did everything perfect that we could have but they think we did everything above and beyond," Davis said.
Davis is also a field training officer, he works with others training and preparing them for the career ahead.
"John's natural leadership absolutely shined the first time that I met him. He was apart of the previous EMS system so he's very well versed in the area," Operations Manager Heather Schmidt said.
Often times they are the first to arrive in a crisis and having that leadership quality is critical, with so much unknown that comes with the job, they have to be able to take charge when necessary.
For people like Davis, National EMS week is just another week but Schmidt says they can't get enough recognition for their hard work.
"Just to honor them, it's unprecedented. That exposure is paramount for us," Schmidt said.
For people like Davis they don't work for the thanks but to know who they helped is saved, is thanks enough.
"That's better than any EMS week thing that can be done for us talking to those patients that we actually made a difference with," Davis said.
For National EMS week, make sure to thank your local EMS personnel. To learn more about EMS week and how you can thank your local EMS personnel visit the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians website.
