How I became an open water diver.

Taken at the corner of Greenwich & Liberty Street.

Brief History About Myself

Now, like I said I was a Captain with FDNY/EMSC.

I joined NYC*EMS as it was known back then on July 5th, 1983. I was already an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) for the past 5 years working at different of private ambulance services. I was married in October of 1982 and now I thought it was time to get a better paying job & more important, benefits.

Back then, EMS was part of the NYC Health & Hospital Corp, a quasi city service that operates all of New York City hospitals. EMS was not treated so well back then, getting things done to improve the service was harder than could be imagined. Some would say the same thing about how we are now treated by FDNY brass now that EMS is part of the FDNY. In January of 1989 I was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. It was the first class officers made in sometime. I was station back in Brooklyn & enjoy my job. It was shortly after becoming a supervisor that we found out that Fern was going to have a baby. On November 19, 1989, our daughter, Lianna Brooke was born.

Things stayed for the mostly normal until May of 1993, Fern told me that she was pregnant again. It was also in November of the same year I was again promoted to the rank of Captain. This time I was assigned to work midnight as a Duty Officer in the borough of the Bronx. My job was of a crisis manger, if something hit the fan, I had to deal with it. Now as a new Captain I was told that I had to work the holidays, however on New Year's Eve I was able to get off. My second child, Dylan Robert joined our family. My boss told me that this was the best excuse he ever heard for getting out of working a holiday. My accountant also was happy for me. I have beaten the IRS for a tax break for the whole year.

During my years with EMS I formed so great friendships. One of them was with a person who talked me into moving into the town he lived in, his name was Kevin Sutch. After Dylan was born we knew that we needed a bigger house. We sold our place in Brooklyn, and moved out to Levittown, New York which is located in central Nassau County. I had told Kevin that since he had talked me into moving into Levittown, he could help with the move, ÒNo problem, I called come of my brothersÓ was his answer Two months before we moved into our new home, Kevin passed away. It was sudden and I lost a friend. It was also Kevin, who talked me into taking the Captain's exam.

Another person is gentleman who we called "Mother" from the movie, "Mother, Juggs & Speed" Mark was the Sr. medic at Station #31 and is without a doubt one of the best field medics there is. While working Overtime one night with Mark we had brought a patient to Kings County Hospital. While there a person fell down a shaft. Mark, myself & 2 others climb down into the shaft to treat her. While there the elevator started to come down toward us. Lucky for us, it stopped short of reaching us. For our action we were awarded NYC*EMS highest medical; The EMS Medial of Honor. We all agreed after we got out, if we had stopped for just a minute and thought of what could have happened to us we never would have done what we did. In the fall of 2002 while helping out one of my crews with a rather large patient, I injured my left shoulder. After undergoing surgery, injections and Therapy we found that I had lost half the range of movement in my left are. I could not do the job that I started way back in the late 70's. I left the job on October 21, 2003.

After taking some time off [and a couple of dive trips later I started teaching EMT's for a company based in Brooklyn. While there one of the other instructors who is a Nurse & knew that I was a diver asked me if I would like a job working in Hyperbaric Medicine.

Ritchie, Me, Glen & Mark at the BTS Dinner, 2007

It was in December of 2005 I meet Glen Butler, the CEO of Life Support Technology at the Hyperbaric Chamber located at Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow. He explained that his company was looking for EMTs & Paramedics who were also skilled divers to work inside the chamber during treatments. The company would supply me with the required training and if I wanted I could later take the course and become a CHT (Certified Hyperbaric Technologist).

I started my training in early January of 2005 and by the middle of the month I was ready to treat the patients on my own. I enjoyed working for Glen [or as he wants us to say "working with him". In March of 2006 I took the formal course to become a CHT and passed my exam in October of 2006. As of July 2007, I am employed full time with Life Support at their newest location, Winthrop University Medical Center. In August I returned back to Nassau University Medical Center, Mark was preparing to move on and Glenn had asked me to fill the open slot at NUMC. So, I cut my travel time to work by 3/4 and was running the Mono and working inside the Multiplace again.