Mediaplanet had the pleasure of speaking with full-time firefighter and Bachelorette winner Kevin Wendt. We asked about his personal experience within front line health care and what he enjoys most about the role.
Mediaplanet: What inspired you to become a firefighter?
Kevin Wendt: After spending five years in the military, I knew I wanted to be in public service and had always had a fascination with the firefighting trade. The mix of technical work, human interaction, and having different work each day keeps me motivated and inspired.
What’s one of the best parts of your career?
The best part of my job is the feeling of helping someone on one of their worst days. On the large scale of saving a life or the smaller scale of preventing further damage to a home on fire, the feeling of making a difference with my crew feel is like no other. I think a lot of people go into the sector to be able to help out — it’s a great career choice with a huge ripple effect.
Why is it important that frontline health care workers are part of the conversation when it comes to health care innovations?
I think a lot of the innovation that we will see in recent years will come from different agencies working together to deliver better patient care, so it’s important that we can offer our perspectives to those groups and partners helping to shape our health care future.
Our [firefighters’] relationships with other health care workers are a key part of the smooth process of calling 911. We work with the police, EMS, and hospital workers to ensure we have all the information needed to give the people the best care possible. The mutual respect between agencies is something we rely on each day to perform at the highest level possible so our collaboration is extremely important.
What’s one thing you think all Canadians should know about frontline health care workers like yourself?
Canada has the best frontline workers in the world. We train hard, we work hard, and when someone is having a terrible day and have to call 911, we will show up and give you the best we have to offer. With all of the craziness going on in the world, it can be easy for people to worry about what might happen in an emergency, so it’s important that Canadians know that frontline workers are reliable, well-trained, and prepared for all situations. Never hesitate to call us, we’ll always be there.
