ROGERS CITY – Stephanie Lumsden and Lain Veihl have a passion for saving lives, and they have both put that passion to work serving as EMTs for the Rogers City area.

Veihl first began his passion for compassionate care when he was a young child going through an auto-immune disorder while at DeVos Children’s Hospital. The impression his nurses and doctors made on him at the hospital when he was young stuck with him after some not-so-great previous encounters at different facilities. Since that time, he wanted to be that person who delivered excellent care while giving people a positive medical experience.

“I wanted to show people that there’s someone that cares and genuinely wants to help,” Veihl said. “I wanted to give back to others that same feeling I had when I was treated with such care when I was younger.”

Veihl had looked into other medical fields, but when he was exposed to the life of an EMT and tried it out, he was hooked. That was a little over a year ago, and he has enjoyed his job ever since he started.

“I like that it’s something different everyday and someone different everyday that needs our help,” he said. “I don’t think I could do nursing or be a doctor because it’s more routine. I like the excitement and adrenaline and being there to help people first.”

Stephanie Lumsden has been an EMT for 12 years while she has worked toward her goal of becoming a physicians assistant. She began her EMT training straight out of high school at 18 years old, and had in mind to work the job through nursing school, then after clinicals, she decided her focus would be toward a physicians assistant program, which she is currently working toward.

“I started on a volunteer service, then the community awareness of the needs of others and helping people became a passion for me,” she said. “My education took a backseat for a while and I let the career take me where it wanted.”

Lumsden said she likes the service aspect of the job most.

“I like that we’re usually the first person there. I appreciate that we are that calming, soothing person to help or just comfort someone who is in pain or suffering,” she said. “Sometimes, just being there to hold someone’s hand and help them through a scary situation can make all the difference. There’s also an education portion to our jobs where we can help people learn how to take better fair of themselves. Sometimes we’re the only medically trained people our patients see and we can help make a difference for them,” she said.

Lumsden said she enjoys always doing her absolute best with each person in need of help. She also is an instructor coordinator and CPR instructor for the EMS, and teaches CPR classes to the public.

“I enjoy interacting with the public and putting an emphasis on public safety and awareness,” Lumsden said. “Sometimes, by a person doing chest compressions and calling for help, that person can make all the difference when it comes to saving a life.”

One of Lumsden’s hardest parts of the job is the hours, and between work and school, she has a hard schedule to keep.

“We have to be ready in a moment’s time when we get a call,” Lumsden said. “We have a high level of training so we can give people immediate care in the ambulance. With us all being this far from the hospital, sometimes people don’t remember that we’re trained and they can call us to come and provide help and work to get them to a hospital safely.”

Another hard rule involved HIPPA laws, because of the small community, people want to know what happened with their friends or neighbors, but EMTs are legally bound not to talk about it. Some runs are also hard on the EMTs emotionally and physically, which can bring back memories of the incident and make it hard to leave work at work.

“You can’t erase the memories you have with this job,” she said. “That’s probably the hardest part on us and our families, because when we get home, we can’t talk about it, but those close to you can recognize when something is wrong. It’s hard to deal with sometimes, especially when it’s someone you know or are close to.”

Veihl said he believes in his work and believes that the response and care given by EMTs makes a difference in so many lives in the community, whether its a lesser emergency or something extreme.

“We’re that person in the middle that helps and gets those who need care to the hospital for more than we can do,” Veihl said. “It’s not like on TV where people get hurt and you just use a defibrillator to resuscitate them, it’s usually more complicated than that, and that’s what we’re here for.”

The most rewarding aspect of the job for Veihl is when someone who needed EMS service comes back or shakes their hand and thanks them for what they’ve done.

“That makes it worth it all when you see that person who was maybe in a bad situation doing better and they thank you for your help,” Veihl said. “You can see that you made a difference in their lives and that in maybe one of their worst times, you helped make it a better experience, and I want to be that person who makes it a better experience.”

Lumsden said she most likes seeing those people who have been brought back continue on with their lives.

“Seeing someone who almost passed or who was brought back living their life is more rewarding than anything,” she said. “Someone now gets to enjoy their lives as a grandparent, parent, spouse or friend that much longer because you helped make a difference.”

Because EMT workers are patient advocates, privacy and the well-being of the patient is very forward on their minds.

“The ambulance is a safe zone,” Veihl said. “We make sure those people who travel in it get the best medical treatment we can give them.”

Lumsden has worked in different areas as an EMT paramedic IC, and said she wouldn’t trade that good feeling of helping someone for anything in the world.

“We see people at their worst, and the fact that we can do something to help them in any shape or form is rewarding,” she said.

Within the last year, some changes have taken effect with the services in Rogers City at a management level, but the same people are there to provide excellent care. Previously the service was managed by Allied EMS, but has now changed to Cheboygan Life Support Rogers City. This change has only happened on a management level, and does not affect the services provided.

“We’re all partners and work together to provide the best care we can,” Lumsden said. “My job isn’t for everyone, but I enjoy helping others, and I hope I can continue to do that as a PA after I finish school.”

Veihl said he hopes to continue being an EMT paramedic for as long as possible and that he enjoys the rewards and continued learning he requires.

Nicole Grulke can be reached via email at ngrulke@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5687. Follow Nicole on Twitter @ng_alpenanews.