At 21 years of age, Josh Wittchen has his eyes firmly set on his chosen career.
Born and raised in Prince Rupert, Wittchen has been in Terrace the past four months working as an Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) at the B.C. Emergency Health Services’ ambulance station on the corner of Eby Street and Hwy 16.
“I really didn’t know what I wanted to do after high school,” said Wittchen who at first joined other family members working at the port in Prince Rupert.
“But when this came up, I decided this was something I wanted to do,” he said of the training program in which he earned his credentials as an EMR, the entry-level for paramedics employed by the provincial government.
Wittchen was one of eight graduates of the program held in Prince Rupert by the province in conjunction with the Hecate Strait Employment Development Society in response to the need for qualified ambulance staff in the region.
The idea is that people from the region who are trained in the region have a greater likelihood of staying in the region.
It involved classroom as well as hands-on training for basic life-saving emergency care, topped off by writing licensing exams.
As one of the newest people at the station, Wittchen does not yet have a set shift and is a casual, on-call employee as he builds up his seniority.
But he’s had no trouble lining up work which typically comes in 20-day increments.
“It’s nice for me at this age,” Wittchen said of the ability to both work and yet have time for recreation or other pursuits.
As one of two recent arrivals at the Terrace ambulance station, Wittchen said he was warmly welcomed and appreciates the experience and advice of the station’s more experienced staff.
“After a call, we do a toolbox debriefing,” he said. “If you don’t ask questions, how can you learn?”
Wittchen is already planning his next career step and that’s a course in Victoria this fall to build up his certifications to more advanced paramedic qualifications.
Senior B.C. Emergency Health Services northwest manager Tom Soames said the ambulance service is constantly on the lookout for new people.
“We’re always recruiting,” said Soames in listing Caledonia Secondary School and Centennial Christian School as stops this month in attempts to attract prospective employees.
The province has made paramedicine a more attractive proposition by converting many part-time positions of low pay into full-time salaried positions, complete with benefits.
Ideally, the Terrace station would have 32 to 34 paramedics but at the moment it has a complement of 24.