National EMS Week: It's a personal job for AMR employees

AMR of Western New York has nearly 500 employees, all who work where every moment counts.

It begins in AMR's dispatch center at their headquarters near Buffalo's Delavan Grider neighborhood on William Gaiter Parkway. 911 operators determine which calls require medical attention and relay those to AMR dispatchers. Dispatchers then look at weather conditions and determine which ambulance and crew is most appropriate for the situation before sending them to you.

The EMTs and paramedics inside those ambulances are often promoted from the AMR training programs. It's a company effort to continue education and promote EMTs to paramedics. Often, AMR will pay for employees to go through training programs.

For the employees themselves the job can be personal. The hours are long and the work is stressful, but many are in it to help people. One recent EMT hire, Sherry, lost her husband to a heart attack. She and her husband were five blocks from the hospital. She began her career as an EMT to save other people's lives and be prepared for any situation.

To find out more about AMR's services and how you can get involved, you can visit their website.