AMR Springfield: AMR supervisor reflects on 21-year career on International Paramedics Day
SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) – International Paramedics Day is shining a light on the work of first responders and one Springfield paramedic is looking back on more than two decades on the job.
Mark LaPrade, a paramedic supervisor with American Medical Response, has spent 21 years in emergency medical services. He said his path into the field started early. He wanted to pursue emergency medicine in high school and became an EMT while in college.
LaPrade added his family background played a role in his career choice. “A lot of my relatives are firefighters and in law enforcement as well. I was just, like, ‘Well, I guess I like being in the field and staying with EMS,’” he explained.
He said what keeps people in the profession is the drive to make sure everyone is okay. “Just being with your partner, dealing with one patient with a set of protocols, and just having that autonomy to care for that one individual, drop them off, and then go to another scene,” LaPrade noted.
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