Double Take -- by Mark Sproxton

City paramedics have many opportunities to use their skills in Calgary.

The basic uniform he wears changes little, but the shade of hat he wears switches significantly from one job to the next. One time he may be back at headquarters fielding calls from local media, the next he may be serving as a flight medic on an airplane, the next time taking 911 calls in the dispatch room or be out riding a mountain bike serving as a first responder for medical incidents. Dallas Pierson is a paramedic for all occasions.

"I like to do as much as I can within EMS," the acting public education officer said in his downtown office. "EMS is something different each day. You never know what's going to happen. You could save a life. You could see somebody die." Obviously there are many opportunities within the Calgary Emergency Medical Services Department. And each area requires specialized training, most taught by the department, in addition to an ability to adapt.

Take the work as a flight medic. Not only do you require advanced medical training -- only some have this training -- to deal with injuries under the heightened air pressure on a plane, but you have to adjust to more motion, more medications and less space than in an ambulance. "We carry way more drugs on the plane than on the street," Pierson explained. "There's less room and you always have to deal with noise, vibration and general turbulence. It can really draw the energy out of you."

Other areas where emergency services workers may find themselves include a training section, in the police cells conducting basic medical assessments, or working with the police as part of a crowd control unit. "EMS is a career where the learning never ends," said Pierson, who has been with the Calgary service for six years. "I can remember being in grade school and not being interested. But once I got a taste of it (learning), it switched from having too much to can't get enough. Even now I take part in as much in-house training as I can."

Before moving into the career 10 years ago, Pierson's interest in EMS stemmed from a high school work experience at his ranching community's volunteer fire department. Starting by doing ride-alongs on ambulances, Pierson soon began volunteering at the local hospital before enrolling and completing a paramedic course in Lac La Biche.

As is typical for those just out of school, Pierson worked at rural EMS services around the province before being hired by Calgary. While the work in either setting can be challenging, sometimes there are benefits to anonymity in a big city Pierson said. "In a small town you get to know the community and you start to know the people you're picking up. It can be challenging to deal with calls when picking up friends and family." One time, Pierson responded to a call where his roommate was so disfigured in an accident, he didn't know it was her until she was treated at the hospital.

Regardless of location, some calls are always harder than others. "If anything, kids are the hardest to deal with," Pierson said. "If they get sick or injured, it's usually not because it's their fault." All EMS staff have to have good coping mechanisms. "Death is a part of life and you have to find your way to cope." Coping also means dealing with a schedule of two 10- hour day shifts, followed by two 14-hour night shifts. "Some of those 14 hour shifts can be pretty long, especially if you are not eating right or getting a lot of sleep. And some rural services have 24-hour shifts."

Despite the hard times, there are many up sides to the work as well. "It's an interesting and very rewarding job. It's challenging dealing with the variety of calls, but rewarding because you'll get to calls and you know if you weren't there that person would have died. You don't do that every day, but to be in a profession where you're (able) to make a difference, that's huge."

In Calgary, making that difference requires EMS staff to have the two highest levels of training, either EMT (also known as EMT-A), or paramedic (also known as EMT-P). A third level, which is required before taking the EMT level, is called EMR training. "A lot of services hire EMRs, but the city doesn't," Pierson said.

And with many of the service's members slated to retire in the next five to 10 years, Pierson said taking that advanced education will lead to many more career opportunities. "For people wanting to get into the career, the rural services are starting to realize the level of paramedic is what you need. More and more rural services are hiring paramedics now. (Here) there is a high demand with the aging workforce and our growth demands." With that certification, paramedics may then move to a city where many different career specialities exist, and the hats you wear can be as varied as every call that comes over the wires.