CHARLESTON, N.S. – Michael Morton is in it for the long haul.
“As long as I enjoy my job and my health is good, I would like to continue as a paramedic as long as possible,” says Michael Morton of Charleston on the South Shore.
On May 29, Morton was awarded a 30-year long-service award by the minister of Health and Wellness, Randy Delorey, at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, for his years as a paramedic. This award falls on the heels of Morton’s 2015 Emergency Medical Services Exemplary Services award.
“For me,” says Morton, “honours are when a family member or a patient comes up to me after the call or days later and says thank you for helping.”
Morton says he originally became a paramedic to help people in their time of need and says he finds it rewarding and satisfying to help others. As a fellow paramedic once said to him, “no one calls us on a good day.”
“I have been able to stay being a paramedic because I enjoy my profession. The understanding, respect and support of my wife Judy, family, friends make me proud of what I do,” he says.
In a time when so many are affected by post traumatic stress disorder, Morton says with the support of his family and other paramedics and first responders, he has their understanding that sometimes just listening is what is needed.
“I try not to take home my work day,” he adds.
For anyone thinking of the profession, Morton advises people to stay in school and get an education that will help get the most out of being a paramedic. The profession is changing so much for the better and you need to be able to adapt and change with it, he says.
And, for the public, Morton offers advice as well. If you see a vehicle coming with emergency lights activated, please move out of the way. Think, he says, ‘what if it was my family needing the help?’
