After 35 years, Kim Schroyen has responded to his last call as a Summerland paramedic.
Schroyen, who started working as an ambulance attendant in 1985, worked his last day on March 12.
“I describe the job as I drive around and talk to people,” he said.
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When he started his work as a paramedic, the ambulance was parked at the Summerland Fire Department and his role was an on-call position, similar to that of a volunteer firefighter.
At that time, he was self-employed, working at his main job on weekdays and responding to emergency calls in the evenings and on the weekends.
In the mid-1990s, the ambulance station on Rosedale Avenue was opened.
For the past 18 years, his role has been a full-time position as a paramedic. He said full-time paramedics are much more common today than in the past, and for the past 10 years, most paramedics are in full-time roles.
Schroyen said the role has evolved since he started.
“The system is a lot different over the years, but the calls are pretty much the same,” he said.
Looking back on his career as a paramedic, Schroyen said he has viewed it as a way for him to give back to the community. He said he will miss the people he has helped and the people he has worked with at the ambulance station.
“It’s been a good bunch of people to work with over the years.”
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