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9/11 Pushed New Canaan Teacher To Become an EMT

NEW CANAAN, Conn. — Nearly 10 years ago, Ann Clay was listening to a sermon in the weeks after the terror attacks of Sept. 11. "The pastor was saying we should do whatever we thought we needed to be prepared if something like that happened again," she says. "My friend and I decided we'd become EMTs."

The two, both middle school teachers, signed up in 2002 for the yearlong EMT course. "It was pretty arduous," Clay says. "I was teaching full time, and the class met two nights a week from 7 to 11. It was hard to squeeze it all in." When she finished the course in the spring of 2003, she applied for membership in the New Canaan Volunteer Ambulance Corps and joined that autumn. "You have to spend time as a proby," she says of being the new guy. "And there are requirements that you do four shifts in a hospital ER so you can see what incoming patients are like." In February 2004, Clay became a full member of the corps.

"I was a little reluctant to join at first, because I wasn't sure I could give up the time to work five 12-hour shifts every month," she says. Ultimately, she found working Wednesday overnights fit her schedule best. "We go in at 5:30 and leave at 6 the next morning. Each time is different. Some nights we get five or six calls, some nights there's nothing." Clay calls her crewmates fabulous. "We're very supportive, and learn from each other." They're a mix of corps veterans, one with 20 years of experience, and some relative rookies.

Clay's fellow teacher, Stephanie Moore, has stayed with the program as well, manning the overnight shift on Thursdays. During the spring, the two take their classes down South Avenue to tour the headquarters of the corps and show the kids what life as an EMT is like. "I think they've acted as recruiting trips,'' says Clay, noting that some of her former students are now old enough to join the corps.

"I'd really encourage anyone who's interested to try it," she says. "Take it one step at a time. Take the course, which is fascinating, so much fresh learning, then think about whether you'll have the time to work your shifts. I think you'll surprise yourself

"There's such a tremendous sense of gratification when you go on a call and help someone," she says. "Each call is different and each brings new learning to the EMT."

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