After spending 13 years in a military environment, one would think Ryan Billings would take on the role of drill sergeant in his newly appointed job as Director of Emergency Medical Service of Boyertown Lions Community Ambulance Service. Not necessarily so.
“There is a bit of military-style character in me. I can be demanding and pushy,” admitted the 45-year-old Billings. “But I also have an open mind. I listen to crew members about what is on their minds. If necessary, give advice and suggestions. If an issue occurs, I want to know about it immediately and hopefully solve it.”
An Ohio native, Billings attended Lake High School in Millbury, Upon graduation at the age of 18, he joined the Lake Township Fire Company and Emergency Medical Service. A short time later, he joined the Marine Corps as a grunt infantryman for four years. After his time was completed, he returned to Millbury and became a paramedic.
One day, looking for jobs on the internet, he found a job for which he felt qualified. The job posting was for a position as a paramedic on Edwards Air Force Base in California. He applied and was soon accepted.
The Base population during daylight hours was 35,000 and in the night it was 10,000. In the course of a year, the ambulance responded to 700 emergencies. “The people on the base were predominately healthy because they had to take physicals on a regular basis,” said Billings. “We did not have a lot of medical emergencies. Trauma- driven instead, such as broken bones from running, heat exhaustion, car accidents, and psychiatric emergencies.”
Billings learned a lot about the military emergency medical service in regards to chain of command, rules, regulations, and protocols. “In a military environment,” stated Billings, “you have to hold yourself to a higher standard of performance because the military bosses wants the personnel to give superior performance.”
During his time at Edward, Billings periodically spoke with his wife, Jennifer, about the possibility of moving to the east coast. One day, trolling the internet, an interesting job popped up on the screen. “The job sounded appealing. Let me give it a try. What the heck. On the last day, I posted my application and they contacted me.” The interview was a bit unusual. It was conducted electronically by way of Skype. Since they only saw me from the waist up, I wore a shirt – and shorts. Two weeks later, I was offered the job.”
“I do not regret the move. I feel I made the right choice,” confessed Billings, who lives in Fleetwood with his wife and their four children: two girls and two boys, ranging in age from five to 13.
In his role as Director of EMS , Billings oversees the administrative and the operational sides of the organization with 40 career members answering 1,500 emergencies annually. If a call sounds serious and an extra pair of hands is needed, he responds.
Billings’ goal is to train crew members to achieve the highest possible standard of patient care and, at the same time, boost and maintain the organization’s morale. “Our most important goal, however, is to let residents know that we care about them in their time of need.”
