Our Lives as Rescue Workers

On an average afternoon in Darien, Connecticut, you can find a group of teens at the local Emergency Medical Services building. They might be doing homework, watching TV, or eating snacks. But as soon as the alarm goes off, the teens drop everything and race out the door. Within seconds, they are in an ambulance on their way to possibly save a life.

In addition to being high school students, these teens are emergency medical technicians (EMTs) at Darien’s Post 53. In a typical 24-hour shift, Posties, as they’re called, might go from helping an elderly person who has fallen to assisting at the scene of a car crash. The work can be tough, but the Posties wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. “Once you put on the uniform and you’re giving someone care, they trust you with their life,” says junior Annika Mengwall, 16. “It’s intense, but it’s a cool feeling.” Want to know what life is like as a teen rescue worker? Read on.

An adult EMT supervisor always joins a crew on a call. The first thing the crew does when they arrive at a scene is look at what they’re dealing with. Are there stairs leading up to a house, which could require more equipment? Is it an accident with hazards to avoid? Does the fire department need to come? Once the team has assessed the situation, they move in and get to work.

“In terms of patient care, it’s the ABC’s: airway, breathing, and circulation,” explains Scout Pinto, 17. The EMTs make sure the person can breathe, check their pulse, and look at their skin, which can indicate how well their blood is flowing. Posties can administer CPR or oxygen, splint broken bones, or give people epinephrine (for an allergic reaction) or naloxone (for a drug overdose). 

In addition to gaining medical expertise, Posties also learn how to communicate with different types of people in complicated situations. Because Post 53’s station is located along a stretch of interstate that has many car crashes, the team is often called to the scene of accidents. Negotiating these calls and keeping victims calm can be tricky.

“You’ll find yourself on the side of the highway having to handle an agitated, intoxicated person who is 20 years older than you and pretty upset, and maybe injured and in pain,” Annika says. 

Part of Post 53’s mission is to teach teens about the dangers of risky behaviors by giving them an up-close view of the consequences. “The majority of motor vehicle crashes I’ve seen have been caused by someone on their phone, someone driving over the speed limit, or someone drinking and driving,” says Brendan Haidinger, 16. “I think most Posties would say they use better judgment in their own lives because of the calls we go on.” 

If a patient requires additional treatment, the EMTs transport them to the hospital. “When I’m driving to the hospital, someone might be sitting next to me whose husband is dying in the back,” Brennan says. “Consoling family members can be very challenging, but I've learned how to do it—or at least I’ve gotten better at it.” 

At the hospital, the EMTs transfer the patient from their stretcher to a hospital bed. They explain what happened and describe the patient’s condition to a nurse. Then it’s time to say goodbye. It’s often only then that the patient learns that their life was just saved by a high school student. “Sometimes you say that you’re 16, and they don’t really believe you,” Brendan says. “You don’t seem young when you talk like an adult and you have the responsibility of an adult.” 

Next, the team returns to the station to do paperwork for the hospital and go over what happened. These check-ins are especially important after calls that may have been distressing, like when a patient dies. (The EMTs also always have access to counseling.) “It’s nice to talk about everything,” Brennan says. “And everyone in Post is super supportive.”

The Posties are on call from 5:30 p.m. until 5:30 the next evening, though adult EMS workers cover for them during school hours on weekdays. The teens eat, do homework, and try to get some rest until the next call comes in. Most nights they get about five calls, but they can get many more. (Brennan says he’s had shifts where he answered nine calls.) No matter how many calls they get a night, the team still wakes up early the next morning for school.

Although they are officially off-duty during school, Posties can sometimes get called in if the adults managing the station need backup. “We’re all wearing pagers, so the teachers will hear them go off,” Brendan says. “I’ve been in Spanish class and said, ‘Hay una emergencia’ (There’s an emergency) and sprinted out of there.”

When their shift is over, the teens settle back into their everyday lives. But the lessons they learn as EMTs are never far from their minds, especially when it comes to the choices they and their friends make. “I think we have a special way of communicating because we’re the same age and in the same situations,” Annika says. “It’s more impactful than an adult telling you, or any video you’re forced to watch in school.”

After graduating from high school, teen EMTs may go on to pursue a variety of careers in the medical field. They might teach first aid classes, work as a nurse or a paramedic, or set their sights on medical school. Even if they don’t go into medicine, the experience teaches them skills they’ll use in every aspect of their lives: responsibility, empathy, and teamwork. 

But for the Posties, the present-day rewards of the job are more than enough. They sometimes even receive thank-you notes from grateful family members or patients. “You think, ‘Wow, OK, I did good.’ It makes it all worth it,” Brennan says. “I love feeling like I did something to help someone.”