A father and son duo, Brian and Nic Heisz of Fennimore have been working towards their paramedic licensure together, to provide emergency medical services to parts of rural Wisconsin.
This comes as the Wisconsin Office of Rural Health released a report that reveals the response system in many communities are under severe strain and in critical need of immediate intervention.
For Brian and Nic, providing emergency medical services to their community is a family business.
“Both my parents are in it,” Nic said. “Kind of always hearing the pagers going off it, always just kind of attracted the want to go do it.”
Years ago, his father, Brian, saw a need in the Fennimore area and ended up finding a passion for helping others.
“We’re a small community, we’re always looking for help,” Brian said. “If you look at a lot of the rural services around here, they’re all struggling.”
Now, both father and son are expanding their education through Gundersen Health System’s new paramedic trainee program at Western Technical College (WTC).
“You’re vastly expanding your knowledge of like everything,” Nic said. “So, you’re actually diving deeper into the body and what’s going on inside. Rather than you taking your preventative and just life-saving maneuvers - you’re just adding onto that.”
The two have completed the program and had their pinning ceremony just before Christmas.
Though the two have a few more licensure exams to complete, they’re looking forward to working with Gundersen and helping those in their community.
“I’m helping a friend - I’m helping a neighbor,” Brian said. “Like I said, just seeing that little bit of relief from the start. They know somebody generally cares. A lot of us do but when you’re helping somebody you know, you see it in their face.”
This comes as the Wisconsin Office of Rural Health released a report that reveals the response system in many communities are under severe strain and in critical need of immediate intervention.
For Brian and Nic, providing emergency medical services to their community is a family business.
“Both my parents are in it,” Nic said. “Kind of always hearing the pagers going off it, always just kind of attracted the want to go do it.”
Years ago, his father, Brian, saw a need in the Fennimore area and ended up finding a passion for helping others.
“We’re a small community, we’re always looking for help,” Brian said. “If you look at a lot of the rural services around here, they’re all struggling.”
Now, both father and son are expanding their education through Gundersen Health System’s new paramedic trainee program at Western Technical College (WTC).
“You’re vastly expanding your knowledge of like everything,” Nic said. “So, you’re actually diving deeper into the body and what’s going on inside. Rather than you taking your preventative and just life-saving maneuvers - you’re just adding onto that.”
The two have completed the program and had their pinning ceremony just before Christmas.
Though the two have a few more licensure exams to complete, they’re looking forward to working with Gundersen and helping those in their community.
“I’m helping a friend - I’m helping a neighbor,” Brian said. “Like I said, just seeing that little bit of relief from the start. They know somebody generally cares. A lot of us do but when you’re helping somebody you know, you see it in their face.”
Story courtesy of WXOW ABC-19 La Crosse
