Brush Up On EMS with Bob

Growing up I always wondered what it would be like to be married. Who would I marry? What would she look like? What would she do? These questions and many more filled my mind whenever I would think about marriage. When the day came and I said, " I do", I no longer wondered what the answers to those questions were but now I had an even bigger question to answer. How does marriage work in a household where both parties work in the realm of Public Safety. At first thought to the question, we all agree it will work like any other marriage. You will have your ups and downs. There will be great days, and not so great days. There will be days you feel like your dying in bed and days where your hiking in the mountains. Your marriage will follow the vows that you took on your wedding day. However as many seasoned wise adults told me before I got married, marriage is a full time job and you have to treat it as such. But how do you juggle the responsibilities of marriage and you

Two weeks out from the day that I have been preparing myself for the last 24 years. It still has kinda a feeling to it that its not reality. Marriage can be a scary/ exciting word. Sometimes I cant believe its true. I glanced back over the photos that brought me to where I am today. Most people would say that my love for my future wife started a little over 2 years ago when I saw her walk through the door into my classroom . However it started way before that. My mentor Joe Hickert was an amazing influence on my life. I wouldnt be where I am today if it wasnt for him. I first met Joe , when I was 18 yrs old sitting in an office at Thomas County EMS in Colby, Kansas. I was there because I was about to take an EMT class from that EMS agenecy. They were conducting interviews for the program. I will remember it as clear as day . Joe asked me why I wanted to be in EMS. I told him I wanted to help people. I also told him that someday I wanted to become a Firefighter Paramedic.  H

I was thinking today as was sitting drinking my coffee, at the local coffee shop, about what it must of been like back in the early birth years of EMS. What the calls must have been like. How the equipment, we now have on display at departments, really felt like to use. Crouching in the back of a herse bumping down the road at 70mph.  Only those who were there, would know.  I soon realized though we can be in touch with the past through things we do, to this day. If you can just imagine with me , lets touch the past. How many of you still wash trucks, still were uniforms or educate those you work with? I know for a while I used to hate washing trucks because it takes work to make that spotless shine.  Or wearing that uniform when its 110 degrees outside and you would rather be in shorts. Think for just a second though , those before washed trucks back in the early days of EMS too. They took pride in their equipment and uniforms. They did what they could for their patients, even