Goodwill Hose Company Ambulance: an essential service when seconds count

By Christopher Miller

FLEMINGTON, PA – Chief Kim Shainline of Goodwill Hose Company Ambulance came into the EMS field from a very different route than most others.

“I started off studying to work in the music business,” Kim explained to The Record, “I went to school for it, and tried real hard to get a job in the business, and I also thought about nursing school, but I had worked in the EMS field the whole time, and there is really nothing else I would rather be doing now.”

Being Chief for two years at Goodwill Hose Company Ambulance and averaging 2,000 calls a year, or about one call every four hours, keeps the staff at Goodwill Ambulance very busy.

“We provide any emergency services for basic life support to advanced life support for a 290 square mile area of Clinton and Centre Counties,” Kim explained. “We handle all emergency care such as a cut finger, all the way to heart attack…I’ve even delivered a baby in the ambulance before, so we are jacks of all trades with the knowledge of any medical emergency someone could be having.”

“EMS acts as an extension of the ER of a hospital,” Kim explained. “We are the baby of emergency services and we continue to evolve.”

Anyone with interest in working in the field, or gaining experience in the medical or health industry should consider speaking with their local EMS station, or participating in a “ride along,” which is similar to job shadowing.

“We have a lot of college students that live around us, and many of them are studying to enter the pre-med or Physician’s Assistant fields, quite a few of them are also EMTs or paramedics with their “foot in the door” already,” Kim mentioned. “With the knowledge and skills gained here you can go anywhere and (almost always) have a job.”

Though all EMS services are facing challenges right now, Kim asks the public to remember what they offer the community, and the greater benefit to all mankind. “Yes, EMS as a whole is in a crisis, and we are crying for people to become involved and interested in this field, and we are suffering from a lack of manpower, but these people we have working here are the best of the best, and we will continue to be here for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year, in all weather conditions, no matter what.”

“No one wants to be without ambulance service in an emergency,” Kim said.