Member Spotlight: Glenn Shockley

Meet OPVFD Firefighter/Paramedic Glenn Shockley

Age: 36 Years of Experience: 15 w/OPVFD (19 Total)

What made you join the OPVFD and did you have any prior experience? I was initially hired as an EMT/Driver and eventually transitioned to a full-time paramedic in 2009 after graduating Paramedic School at Chesapeake College. I am the 2nd longest tenured employee of the OPVFD. I wanted to pursue a career as a paramedic and saw this as a natural next step and opportunity to learn more. Prior to joining the OPVFD, I joined the Snow Hill VFD at 18 and earned my Firefighter 1 and EMT Certifications while a member of the SHVFD on my quest to be a paramedic. How do you manage the stress of this career and not let it impact your personal life? If you have a good group of people working with you, it is easy to manage the high stress calls and situations. We have good people that anyone can talk to and vent/express what you feel. In my career, I have seen a lot of bad things but have also learned how to leave things at the firehouse. What has been a moment that gives you the greatest satisfaction since becoming a firefighter? About two years after I became a paramedic, we were dispatched for a second call and I was the sole provider on the scene for a patient suffering from a cardiac incident. When I arrived, the patient was unconscious and unresponsive. I was able to perform a synchronized cardioversion on the patient and by the time others arrived and we put the patient in the back of the medic unit en route to the hospital, the patient was alert and talking. The very next week I was able to meet with the patient again at their house and share a cup of coffee. This was a prime example of being at the right place at the right time with the right skills set and everything worked just as it should. It showed me that all the knowledge and training that I was taught paid off in a moment of high stress and intensity. Everything worked out with a positive outcome. What was your biggest fear or concern in becoming a Paramedic? My biggest fear was wondering if I was competent and smart enough to be able to get through the classes and passing all of the tests. As I began my classes, I quickly learned that my desire and determination would help everything become effortless.

Tell us about yourself: I grew up in Snow Hill, MD. The only other member in my family that was in the fire service was my grandfather as a member of Snow Hill for 40+ years. I knew since the time I was 12 that I wanted to be a paramedic. With that said, I never thought I was smart enough to become one. My passion drove me to become an EMT in 2005. I was surprised that I breezed through the class and I learned I had a knack for medical stuff. I am married (2008) w/ 2 kids (10 & 2). I love the outdoors; bow hunting is a major passion of mine. Outside of work and family, I spend my time setting corn, checking trail cams, hunting, doing carpentry, and I enjoy building things. Why should a resident of Ocean Pines join the OPVFD? With everything in life, people often don't think they have the time to achieve and maintain what is required to be a volunteer. With that said, we are a combination department and we always will be. Career staff is heavily reliant on volunteers and the volunteers can rely on the career staff to assist them through their initial and annual training. From Chief to cadet and in-between, we are all one big team. In the end, we all have one goal and that is to serve the public and to serve it at the highest standard and level of training.

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