(Editor’s note: This is a series about ordinary people in our community who sometimes do extraordinary jobs.)
Managing editor
Gene Winkler has been a Main Street fixture for decades, owning businesses, downtown Marion.
When there is an accident in the Marion area or someone is ill and needs to be transported to a hospital, Gene often is the one on the scene.
An emergency medical services volunteer for nearly 40 years in Marion, it would be difficult to calculate exactly the number of calls he has answered or the number of people he has assisted. After all, there were 250 runs in Marion in 2008 alone, averaging more than 20 per month.
“There might be four calls in one day and then we’ll go several weeks without any,” Gene said.
Why does he do it?
Gene is a people-person. He enjoys being around people and he likes to help.
“I’ve always volunteered in the community,” he said. “I figured I could help, even if it was nothing more than as a driver.”
He also likes the variety with no two calls being the same.
In 1961, when Gene and his wife, Doris, moved to Marion, the local funeral home was responsible for transporting the sick and injured. Like in other communities, a station wagon was used with minimal medical assistance dispensed on the scene.
“They had oxygen but were somewhat limited to ABC (airway, breathing and circulation),” Gene said.
At that time, calls would be dispatched by telephone with personnel basically picking up the patient and transporting him/her to the local hospital.
In 1971, the county took over the responsibility of transporting those in need. A new ambulance was purchased and the first EMS class was certified.
Gene said Jim Bridges, director of the county EMS department, local funeral director Jerry Harp, and volunteers Dave Thomas, Bill Holmes, and Jack Applegate, organized the first class.
The first three Marion residents to be certified in 1972 were Gene, Lucille Britton, and Harvey Sanders. Gene is the only one who remains as an EMS volunteer.
And what a commitment it has been.
Until radios were available, individuals on call, like Gene, had to notify the local dispatcher of their locations to receive calls. No driving around town or fishing at the lake.
“I had to leave a phone number whenever I left home,” Gene said. “It was much better when we got radios.”
And cell phones. With the advent of modern communication devices, volunteers’ lives have become simpler but still demanding.
Air ambulances (helicopters) have changed the outcome, saving lives by transporting critically injured or ill patients to Wichita hospitals.
Many of the EMTs calls are to transport patients to a Wichita hospital.
“It’s 52 minutes to any Wichita hospital from St. Luke Hospital,” Gene said.
And he appreciates the professionalism of the local hospital with personnel trained to make diagnoses and determine if patients need to be transferred to a larger facility.
For 37 years, Gene has been on call. Currently his hours are 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. He works with Kim Ross of Marion on the day shift.
Two volunteers are on-call from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Two more take the night shift Tuesday and Friday. Weekend shifts rotate between other EMTs.
In the beginning, EMTs were not paid. These days, volunteers receive $1.50 per hour for being on call. When they answer calls, they receive $25 per call, whether the call takes 30 minutes or three hours.
“It’s obvious, we don’t do it for the money,” Gene said with a laugh.
Times have changed since Gene first signed-up. There are fewer people available to volunteer, particularly during the days, because most people work. For Gene, he is fortunate because his business affords him the luxury of being able to close his door to answer calls.
That is only after volunteers have passed the initial training.
“It’s tough to get people to give as much time as it takes to become an EMT,” he said. Those interested in being trained must attend a class, typically two nights a week for six months with a couple of weekends.
“With most two-parent families, both have to work an 8-5 job to make ends meet and then you put this rigorous training session on top of it, it can be pretty grueling,” Gene said.
After volunteers are initially trained, their certifications are valid for two years. During that two-year period, they are required to have 28 hours of continuing education to be eligible for their next certification.
Many times, Marion County EMS will train talented volunteers only to lose them to larger communities who can pay full-time wages to EMT professionals.
The job is not for everyone.
Privacy laws prevent Gene from talking about specific cases but in general, the calls can be gruesome.
“It’s particularly difficult when you know the person involved or if it’s a child,” Gene said. “Those are the tough ones.”
Sometimes he will break the ice on a sick call, to put a patient at ease.
“I’ll say something like ‘You didn’t have to fall down for me to come see you’,” Gene said. “It usually gets a laugh.”
How does he get past all of the things he has seen?
“At the time, I’m concentrating on what I need to do. It’s later when it will hit me but I’ve learned how to deal with it,” he said.
Marion County EMS Director Steven Smith provides sort of a “decompression” session for EMT volunteers following those particularly difficult calls to help personnel deal with the situations.
Gene also engages in leisure activities such as playing golf (only in fair weather) and riding his motorcycle, which he will ride in all kinds of weather.
“The toughest part of my job is constantly being on-call,” Gene said.
And on the other side of middle age, 66 to be exact, the idea of not being on-call is appealing.
“I’ll keep on doing it as long as I’m needed and I’m able,” he said, but hopes others will step-up.
“If anyone is interested, give me or Steve a call. You never know until you give it a try.”
For now, Gene will continue serving his friends and neighbors in Marion. Anyone who has been on the receiving end of an ambulance call appreciates knowing the EMTs who take care of him.
“It’s reassuring for people to know EMS personnel,” Gene said.
Yes, it is, Gene. Yes, it is.
How you know him
Gene is the owner of G&J Video and an Alltel dealer. He also serves on Marion City Council, involved with Marion Kiwanis, Marion Country Club, and a past member of the Chingawassa Days Committee.