Between dispatch shifts, paramedic school, unpaid clinical hours, and moving into our first home, everything felt like it was happening at once. This is the story of the job I almost didn’t believe I’d get—and the envelope that changed everything.
Stories from 25 Years in EMS
Paramedic School, Clinicals, and Learning the Hard Way
Posted on November 22 2025
Paramedic school was harder than I expected—not just the class, but the schedule, the clinicals, and the reality of balancing work, family, and medicine. This is the part of EMS nobody really prepares you for.
The 911 Call That Followed Me Into the Courtroom
Posted on November 15 2025
A routine dispatch shift turned into my first experience with the court system when a woman was shot and died while still on the phone with me. This is the story of the 911 call that followed me from the dispatch center into a murder trial—and why dispatch leaves marks most people never see.
From Turning Wrenches to Answering 911
Posted on November 08 2025
I thought working on cars would be my career—until life, money, and responsibility forced a different choice. This is how dispatch became my foot in the door to EMS.
My First Pager, My First Fire, and Everything That Followed
Posted on November 01 2025
I didn’t plan on working in EMS. It started in a small town, with a volunteer fire department falling apart, a pager I didn’t understand yet, and a first fire call I’ll never forget. This is how I found my way into emergency services—and why the job stayed with me for the next 25 years.
About Life on the Box
I’m a veteran paramedic with 25 years in emergency services and the founder of The Salty Medic. Life on the Box is a collection of real stories from the job—the pager tones, the first calls, the black cloud shifts, the moments that stick with you, and the coping that comes from doing this work long enough.
This isn’t training material and it’s not meant to glorify trauma. It’s an honest look at life in EMS, fire, dispatch, and the emergency room—told without the TV filter and without pretending the job doesn’t leave a mark.
If you’ve worked emergency services, you already know: some stories can’t be told just anywhere. You can tell them here.
Comments are open. Moderation exists for privacy—not feelings.
No patient identifiers. Other than that, bring the dark humor, the hot takes, and the “this would’ve gone differently on my truck” energy.
EMS isn’t polite, clean, or always pretty—and neither are the stories.
If you’ve ever said “you won’t believe this call,” “that escalated fast,” or “we probably shouldn’t laugh about this but…”—you’re in the right place.
Tell the story.
