Loving the Challenge of Providing EMS Care – and the Company of other EMTs
Meet South Branch Emergency Services Volunteer Shane Pierson
The patient was slurring his words. When South Branch Emergency Services Volunteer Shane Pierson asked him to smile, only the right side of his mouth moved. When Shane asked him to move his arms and legs, the patient could only control the right ones. Shane realized the patient had likely suffered a stroke.
“We assisted the patient into the ambulance, I put an oxygen mask on his face, and I called and gave my report to a hospital – we were taking him to the stroke center in Morristown,” Shane remembers of that call early in 2023, not long after he earned his EMT certification. “This was the first time that I used what I have learned, on my own, to understand what was happening to the person who needed help.”
Shane, who is 18, made that determination and then collected important information for the hospital using a stroke assessment protocol - training he had received at the SBES Training Center. A doctor later confirmed his conclusion.
A Glen Gardner resident who plans a career in construction, Shane realized his affinity for taking care of sick and injured people while learning first aid as a Boy Scout. That led him to join SBES as a cadet in January 2021. Cadets are SBES’ youngest members. Cadets train alongside full EMTs, help keep ambulances stocked and cleaned, and, after passing training milestones, can assist EMTs on calls.
Shane loves the challenge of being an EMT. “It’s challenging, because it’s always something different,” he said. He also enjoys learning, serving, and spending time with other SBES volunteers. “They’re good people,” he said. He encourages anyone who is interested in joining SBES to give it a try. “It’s a great way to help people, and it’s also really fun.”
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To learn more about SBES or sign up to volunteer, please visit www.SBES365.org
“We assisted the patient into the ambulance, I put an oxygen mask on his face, and I called and gave my report to a hospital – we were taking him to the stroke center in Morristown,” Shane remembers of that call early in 2023, not long after he earned his EMT certification. “This was the first time that I used what I have learned, on my own, to understand what was happening to the person who needed help.”
Shane, who is 18, made that determination and then collected important information for the hospital using a stroke assessment protocol - training he had received at the SBES Training Center. A doctor later confirmed his conclusion.
A Glen Gardner resident who plans a career in construction, Shane realized his affinity for taking care of sick and injured people while learning first aid as a Boy Scout. That led him to join SBES as a cadet in January 2021. Cadets are SBES’ youngest members. Cadets train alongside full EMTs, help keep ambulances stocked and cleaned, and, after passing training milestones, can assist EMTs on calls.
Shane loves the challenge of being an EMT. “It’s challenging, because it’s always something different,” he said. He also enjoys learning, serving, and spending time with other SBES volunteers. “They’re good people,” he said. He encourages anyone who is interested in joining SBES to give it a try. “It’s a great way to help people, and it’s also really fun.”
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To learn more about SBES or sign up to volunteer, please visit www.SBES365.org