Paul Rucker is a Thompson's Station Resident who, along with working as a County EMS, volunteers his spare time to the local Williamson County Emergency Squad at Station 24 on the Goose Creek Bypass.
“. . . Calls come in at any time. I’m willing to wake up at 3 in the morning to help a stranger at the darkest time of life. You don’t know the time commitment. You just have to balance paid and volunteer jobs.”
It can be exhausting, but according to Rucker, the rewards are worth the balancing, odd hours and exhaustion. In recent months, he’s been on calls to rescue cows from frozen ponds, horses from a collapsed barn and people from flooded homes.
“It feels rewarding,” he said. “It’s exciting. It brings the little boy out. It’s the adrenaline. It’s exciting and fun to hang out with everyone here. It’s hard to describe the feeling, the camaraderie and the relationships built when working as a team. Some people golf, some people fish. This is what I do as a hobby.”
With all the excitement and adrenalin rushes, there are unexpected rewards, moments when giving back is actually fun. . . .
. . . “So much of what we do as a service deals with loss of property or tragedy in peoples’ lives,” Rucker said. “It’s great to show up on good days to celebrate with our community. I’m really comfortable where I am. When I joined the fire department, I was glad I stayed with EMS. With the volunteering side, there are lot of different opportunities and a lot of different roles.”
-- per Carole Robinson with the Williamson Herald, see full article linked below.
The Town of Thompson's Station gives a big thanks to all our local emergency responders and the Williamson County Rescue Squad for helping to keep our community safe and thriving.