SEPTEMBER 2019 * REMINISCE.COM 29
One Good Turn
by
David Ackroyd • Fairport, NYalmSunday, 1972 :Mywife,
Barbara,ourthreechildren
andIwereonourway
homefromchurchwhen
wehappenedtopassbythe
baseforourlocalvolunteer
emergencyservice.
“Stopthecar!”Barbarasaid.“Iwantto
jointheambulancecorps.”
Iimmediatelyturnedintotheparking
lotandBarbarawentintopickupa
membershipapplication.Sobeganmywife’s
35 -yearcareerasavolunteerfirstresponder.
Shestartedwithtrainingtobea
dispatcher,whichincludedbasicfirstaid.
Tosaythattheemergencymedicalbug
A split-second decision on the ride home
set her life on a new course.P
bit her from that point would be putting
it mildly. She went from dispatcher to
first medic in a very short time. Her early
training included advanced first aid and
CPR. That was followed by an emergency
medical technician course.
Over the years, she became an expert at
teaching others emergency skills. She trained
dispatchers, medics and drivers; then she
became director of training. At one point,
she had trained more than 50 % of the active
ambulance corps membership as EMTs.
But she didn’t stop there. She went on to
become a critical care technician and then
a certified paramedic. This training, along
with her studies and her experiences in the
field, made her a valuable and
highly sought after instructor in
emergency medical techniques.
For many years, Barbara
taught courses throughout
New York’s Monroe County
and adjacent counties, including
a stint teaching critical care as
an adjunct professor at a local
community college.
Thirty-five years dedicated to
saving lives and teaching others
how to save lives. Not bad for
someone who was just driving
by a parking lot one long-ago
Sunday in March. •BARBARA ACKROYD
enjoys a coffee with
fellow ambulance
corps member Roger
Boas during a rare lull
between calls.