The New York Times has a great article about firefighters who are also emergency medical staff/paramedics - though dual certification is not the norm in the United States, many if not most paid companies now require at least EMT or even paramedic status for their firefighters.

Peeling off his latex gloves after treating a 4-year-old boy having a severe asthma attack, J. R. Muyleart sighed with a touch of frustration. It was 3 a.m. and in the past 24-hour shift, Mr. Muyleart, a firefighter, had responded to at least one emergency call per hour.

But only two of those calls were for fires; most of the others involved heart attacks, diabetic sores, epileptic seizures and people complaining of shortness of breath.

There’s also an excellent audio slideshow that accompanies the article.

Categories: EMS, Fighting Fire
Tags: emt, firefighters, medics, new york times