It’s time to meet another of our talented Paramedics! Kevin joined CAAA in 2018, but has many more years of experience. He has worked at a number of local ambulance services including Springfield Ambulance, Upper Perkiomen and more. In his work at Upper Perkiomen he also sits on the County MAC Committee and operates as an ALS and BLS preceptor. He was also involved with PEHSC (The Pennsylvania Emergency Health Services Council) and helped lay the groundwork for the ACT 37 of 2009 (the New EMS Act).
Not only does he provide life-saving service, and weigh in on strategic needs of the EMS industry, he also happens to have an incredibly talented photographer, and has participated in events at the Mt Airy Art Garage. Here are some of Kevin’s pictures from around the area including Valley Green and Manayunk and his answers to our questions!
Why did you become an EMT / Paramedic?
I always wanted to work on the ambulance since being in my teens. While attending high school I worked in retail stores and that led to a 20-year retail management career. In the early 1990’s I found myself without a full-time job and decided to reboot and try something new that has fascinated me for over 20 years
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My 25-year EMS career started when I went to EMT school in 1993 and then paramedic school about 6 years later and have been working as a paramedic since about 2000.
We are not just ambulance drivers. A well trained two-person EMS team is capable of saving your life during a medical or traumatic event.
What do you do when you’re not working on the ambulance?
I enjoy walks in the woods, especially in my beloved Wissahickon, and pursuing my other career of nature photography. I have volunteered these talents for decades and done projects for Friends of the Wissahickon, The Philadelphia Zoo, The Nature Conservancy, the Wolf Sanctuary of Pennsylvania and others. I have been using digital cameras for about 20 years. About that time, I also discovered Pennsylvania’s beauty and diversity. Accordingly, I now focus all of my nature photography within Pennsylvania. I also discovered about 15 years ago that kayaking marries very well with nature photography; the kayak’s stealth makes an excellent blind that allows me to approach wildlife in a nonthreatening manner and photograph from a uniquely low perspective. I have won several regional awards for my photography and even had one iPhone photograph put on a billboard to advertise an art show that I was in. These two pursuits are what I use to ground my soul after long and sometimes hectic shifts on the ambulance. Lastly, and most importantly, I enjoy time with my significant other of 35 years, our two dogs and cat.
Is there anything cool about you we should know? Not really, I was a geek and never one of the cool kids… For instance, years ago our family was out at a restaurant and got bored while waiting for our food to arrive. So, my brother, father (both engineers) and myself calculated the size of the restaurant’s dining room in cubic milimeters; much to the dismay and embarrassment of our accompanying spouses.
Thanks Kevin for your dedication to the community and sharing your artistic talents!
