EMT: Beyond the Lights and Sirens (Paperback or Softback)

A cardiac technician takes you to the front lines of emergency medicine—from tragic car accidents to gunshot wounds—in this “fast-moving” memoir (Booklist).

This book takes the reader to the front lines of medicine, from a serious automobile accident on a dark country road to a woman in cardiac arrest to a young man with near‑fatal gunshot wounds. For these patients and countless others, treatment cannot wait until they are wheeled into a distant emergency room. If lives are to be salvaged, care must begin with the life‑saving skills of Emergency Medical Technicians. “I could never work on a rescue squad,” is a statement the author has heard over and over throughout her years of squad service and readily admits it once described her own feelings. “If I can do it, so can you,” is her response to those whose fear and self‑doubt hold them back. “Anything is possible.”

EMT: Beyond the Lights and Sirens is more than a personal account of Pat Ivey’s rescue squad experiences. It is a story of courage and hope and letting go of past losses. It is a book for anyone who has ever struggled to go beyond who they are. Step aboard the ambulance. Witness the tender moments amidst tragedy. Experience the joy and the anguish, and share the tears and laughter of volunteer rescue squad personnel who respond around the clock to the cries of others. In this heartwarming and compelling book, Pat Ivey takes the reader beyond the lights and sirens on a journey they will never forget.

Pat Ivey works as a cardiac technician on Lake of the Woods Volunteer Rescue Squad in Wilderness, Virginia. Along with teaching EMS classes, she works in the Culpeper Regional Hospital emergency room. She is a great believer in holistic medicine, the magic of touch, and the healing power of love.