By Ed Pierce
As a firefighter/advanced emergency medical technician, Charissa Kerr believes that teamwork, training and expertise save lives and it’s the reason she chose a career in public safety.
 |
| Charissa Kerr, has worked since 2019 for Windham Fire-Rescue as a per diem firefighter/advanced emergency medical technician and enjoys being able to help people in emergency situations. SUBMITTED PHOTO |
She’s been working for Windham Fire-Rescue since May 2019 and says her co-workers are truly the best thing about her job.
“The people I work with are family to me, and we have an incredible leadership team,” Kerr said. “I also love being able to give back to my community and there's real pride in using what I've learned to help someone on the worst day of their life.”
Windham crews respond to about 4,100 calls a year and Kerr says roughly 85 percent of those are medical.
"Leaving those calls behind at the end of a shift can be tough,” she said. “We often don't find out what happened to the patient after we hand them off at the hospital. On top of that, the physical demands of the job and the toxic exposures we face put us at higher risk for heart attack and cancer.”
According to Kerr, she believes that the public’s biggest misconception about her work is that anyone riding in the ambulance is ‘just’ a driver.
Originally from Massachusetts, Kerr moved to Maine in 2002. She earned college degrees in accounting and economics, and an MBA with a concentration in international business.
She worked as a Firefighter/AEMT with Raymond Fire-Rescue from 2003 to 2025, and she also teaches CPR at five different schools. Kerr is a certified American Heart Association CPR Instructor, and she also holds Fire I and Fire I Instructor certifications and is a licensed Advanced Emergency Medical Technician.
Kerr says that she joined Windham Fire-Rescue because she sought to work for a busier department with a strong focus on teaching and training.
“I didn't want my skills to get rusty, and I wanted more opportunities to help people,” she said.
Her husband is a full-time firefighter/paramedic in Scarborough, and they have two children who grew up with the emergency tones interrupting family dinners and movie nights. Even when the children were small, they understood it as ‘Mommy is going to go help someone.’ In our house, we always make sure to say, ‘I love you’ and “stay safe” before a call,” Kerr said. “The kids especially loved it when I'd show up for Fire Prevention Week at their schools. We live in Raymond, and so when I joined Windham Fire, it actually helped my kids to feel more connected to the town. It eased their transition from Raymond schools to Windham High School.”
Of everything she’s experienced on the job, she said her most memorable moment while working for Windham Fire-Rescue is physically demanding.
“Every year I run several 5Ks in full turnout gear,” Kerr said. “It keeps me in shape, and it lets the community see firsthand how hard we're willing to work to get the job done.”
She says she wants the public to know that her job may be tough, but she likes what she does for a specific reason.
“It's honestly one of the best jobs in the world,” Kerr said. “You have the ability to help others, and you meet like-minded individuals all over the world. It truly is an instant bond.”
The most important thing that Kerr has learned while working for Windham Fire-Rescue is basic.
“We don't rise to the occasion, we fall to the level of our training,” she said. “You have to be ready for any call, any emergency, and you have to train the way you intend to perform.” <
No comments:
Post a Comment