Hi, I'm A Paramedic: How A Timid Soul Found Purpose

"Hi, I'm a paramedic" is a phrase that launches conversations with countless people who call 9-1-1 for an ambulance. But what kind of person becomes a paramedic, and what's it like to be one? Most of the time it's not the dramatic calls that play out like a TV story, but rather the calls in between that reveal the nuances of humanity and wind up etched into the memories of the responders.

Follow the career arc of an easily frightened kid who grew up determined to be a paramedic—the sheepish...