Edison State Community College honored 16 recent paramedic graduates with a celebration on December 10, 2024, held at the Piqua Campus.
Guest speaker Paul J. Kimmel completed the Paramedic program at Edison State and has been a firefighter/paramedic at the Harrison Township Fire Department in Dayton for nearly 20 years. He spent 15 years with the City of Vandalia Fire Department prior to making Harrison Township Fire his sole focus. Kimmel is also an EMS and fire service instructor, fire officer, and fire inspector and holds various tech-rescue certifications.
Kimmel shared advice with graduates to carry into their careers, including being humble, maintaining a positive outlook, and treating patients well. He shared an adage that has stayed with him throughout his career: “You’re carrying a cup of coffee, and someone bumps into you. Your coffee spills on you, them, everywhere. Now I ask why it spilled out. The reason you spilled coffee is because coffee is what you had in your cup. When life bumps into you and rattles you, what’s going to spill out of your cup? Anger, rage—or is your cup filled with love, compassion, understanding, and maybe even a little hope? Remember, we answered the call on someone’s worst day.”
Offered exclusively through Edison State at Troy, the Paramedic program provides students with the training and skills required of first responders. To best serve and support community members in crisis, students learn about a wide range of possible critical scenarios, various medical issues, assessments, and treatment options. Topics they review and assess include physical anatomy, respiratory management, safety, medications, injury prevention, stabilization, and reporting.
Paramedics function as part of a comprehensive emergency medical service response and perform interventions with the basic and advanced equipment typically found on an ambulance or fire/rescue vehicle. The paramedic is a vital link from the scene into the health care system.
For more information about the program, visit www.edisonohio.edu/health.
Edison State is proud to recognize the following paramedic graduates:
Levi Barthauer, Quincy
Sarah Chalk, New Bremen
Jacob Eidemiller, Fletcher
Kaleb Filadelfo, St. Henry
Alexander Fries, Covington
Malachi Holt, Piqua
Jason Lamb, Troy
Josh Murphy, Bradford
Brayden Peake, Tipp City
Sarah Ray, Covington
Joshua Ringo, Tipp City
McKinah Rupp, Vandalia
Delaney Shively, Eaton
Clayton Snider, Tipp City
Caleb Steggemann, Troy
Jonathan Wells, Troy