10/28/2025
What is EMS?
EMS is a 3 AM lift assist at the nursing home, the knee pain at midnight that has been going on for over a week, the sniffly nose that keeps getting worse. It’s also the difficulty breathing that turns into a cardiac arrest, the elderly patient who has fallen and broken their hip, the MVA with several critical patients and figuring out staff to either pick up flight crews or transport the patient to a hospital ATLEAST a hour and a half away. It’s working along side the police department, sheriff’s office, fire departments, KHP, and even staying at the hospital to work beside some of the best nurses and providers during a critical call because the more hands, the better. EMS isn’t for the faint of heart. Some days you run calls all day long and just when you fall asleep, the hospital calls at 2 AM for a transfer to Wichita. Some days it’s completing truck checks, washing units, and doing chores while you wait for a call to come in. The thing about EMS, especially in rural places is…you never know what the day will bring, but you best believe we are ALWAYS prepared for whatever call that might come in. It’s long hours, overtime shifts due to being short staffed, lost time with our families, missed holidays and birthdays, calls in uncontrolled environments where anything could happen, images you will never be able to unsee, sounds you will never be able to unhear, and smells that you will never be able to unsmell. You know what it also is? It’s helping someone on possibly their worst day, being the calm in their chaos, a soothing voice when needed most, the satisfaction of knowing we provided the absolute best care for that patient whatever the outcome may be, coworkers who turn into family, and a bond between fellow first responders that you have to experience to understand. You don’t get into EMS for the money or glory. It truly is a calling. As Rainn Wilson says in the movie Code 3, “yeah the system is still broken, but what am I supposed to do? Stop trying?” We show up every single day for our community and we take pride in what we do. Our community is blessed with some of the best first responders and hospital staff. To our fellow first responders, Happy National First Responder’s Day. We appreciate all that you do! See yall on the next call! Norton Kansas Police Department Norton County Sheriff's Office City of Norton Fire Department Norton Rural Fire Department Norton County Hospital and Clinics
