While some people have a job simply for the purpose of earning a paycheck, others establish careers doing just what they love. For Lee Flory, an emergency medical technician - paramedic (EMT-P), it is all about helping other people in their times of greatest need.



“I got in this line of work in 2008,” Flory said. “I’m now working full time at two different services.”

Flory has worked full-time A shift at Newton County Ambulance Service for 13 years and full-time B shift at Barry-Lawrence County Ambulance District. He has been the shift supervisor in Monett for 10 years.

“That’s 48 hours on, 24 hours off,” he said. “It can be a pretty busy schedule sometimes.”

Flory decided to check into either entering law enforcement or joining the emergency medical services field after coming in off the road as a trucker with a back injury.

“I was lucky,” he said. “I got into EMT training and tested in December, and before I got my scores back, I had gotten a spot in the January class for accelerated paramedic training. It was a one-year class compressed into a six-month session. The same amount of work, just half the time to complete it. Clinicals are one area of training that will make or break a medic. Not everyone can do what we do.

“I figured emergency services was a career field that was always going to be there.”

Working on an ambulance, Flory has seen his share of trauma.

“Even though most of what we do are medical calls, like psych calls, chest pains or patient transfers, it’s rewarding to know that what we do can really impact someone’s life. That’s what gives me the most job satisfaction.”

Some of the worst calls Flory has responded to have involved children.

“One of the worst cases I remember is when we responded to a call about a young child in an ATV accident,” he said. “He was way too young to be driving, and the thing rolled right over the top of him. He coded, and we got him back. We had a flight crew standing by, and they flew him to Kansas City. He had an internal bleed — a liver laceration. He coded again right as they landed, and they never got him back. That one kinda haunted me for awhile.

“Another time, we picked up a kid that was in respiratory arrest, and while we were transporting him, a whelp started forming on his neck. It turned out that the dad had gotten angry and picked the kid up by the back of his T-shirt. The seam in the neckline acted like a rope, and he’d been strangled. The kid was flown into Kansas City, and the doctors expected him to remain in a vegetative state. He was out and feeling fine three days later. I saw him at the ball field. That was a super good outcome; way great satisfaction.”

Other times, Flory has responded to the scene only to find family members or friends as his patients.

“That’s hard to deal with,” he said. I’ve even had to treat my own son in a roll-over crash. Those are never the calls you want to get.”

As a paramedic, Flory has to be skilled not only in the ABC’s of emergency medicine — airway, breathing and circulation — but he must be able to start intravenous fluids, read EKG strips and be able to treat the patient based on what those strips reveal.

“Those are split second decisions,” he said.

Then there are the “fun” calls.

“We had one guy who had taken a Sharpie marker and put bar codes on his arms, and drew Satanic phrases on other areas of his body,” he said. “Nearly every inch of exposed skin was colored in black Sharpie. The guy was happy-go-lucky, laughing and having a great time. He kept saying the Devil told him to do it. I asked him why he didn’t use any other colors of markers — he had them there. He thought about if for a minute and said ‘Because the Devil didn’t tell me to.’ You just never know what you are going to run across in this field.”

Flory recalled the time when bath salts were problematic in the area.

“That’s something I hope to never see again,” he said. “They affected people in different ways. We just had to treat patients accordingly. But first and foremost, you have to think about your safety and the safety of your partner. It’s good when the fire department also responds to calls. (Firefighter) Brandon Pennington often works the same shift, and he always asks if we need an extra hand during transport. Believe me, sometimes we are really grateful for an extra set of hands in the back.

“I’ve had patients on drugs who have begged me for an exorcism,” he said. “Some have been combative. If they are already on some kind of opioid, we have to hit them with ketamine to calm them down and restrain them. If they are used to abusing fentanyl, they are always going to want something stronger.”

“It’s the little old lady who is scared and wants to hold your hand,” he said. “They are always so appreciative of the care we give them.”

Flory said not everyone is suited for the job.

“A person has to have a passion for the job, and helping other people,” he said. “There are opportunities for advancement, from EMT to paramedic, supervision, or even continuing their education and becoming a nurse or flight paramedic.

“Some days we run call to call and hardly ever see the station. Other days, calls are sporadic and your sleep is interrupted every couple of hours. The long hours and sleep deprivation definitely hurts people in this field. A lot of medics see their family life suffer. Then there is the ‘day-off exhaustion.’ It takes a lot of commitment and dedication to do this job.

You miss out on a lot if you have a young family. But there are sacrifices and rewards both. My boat, house and truck are paid off. Most people can’t do that on one job.”

Flory’s second family — his crew mates at the ambulance barn, have their quarters set up like a home.

“We cook together, eat together, workout on the machines upstairs, or watch television together in the crew lounge,” he said. “Sometimes, we will call the guys at the fire department and have dinner with them. They are my EMS family. We have good days and bad days, but it all boils down to having each other’s back.”

On his rare days home, when he isn’t taking care of the basics, such as his personal laundry, grocery shopping and other household chores, Flory enjoys getting back to nature.

“I like bow hunting and rifle hunting during deer season,” he said. “I like to fish, go scuba diving and skydiving. I’ve made 13 jumps so far, and it’s the biggest legal thrill you can get. I own all of my scuba gear. I like to play racquetball and Xbox.

He also likes spending time with his grown sons, granddaughter, his dog and cat.

“As far as a career, I’ve found what I want to do,” he said. “I plan to retire from here.”

Flory said he still has life goals to accomplish.

“I’m 50 years old, and it’s really time to start slowing down to play, hunt, fish and relax a little more,” he said. “I’ve pretty much achieved all my other goals, but I still want to design and build my own house and retire near the lake. That’s an ideal retirement place for me.”

For right now, the radio tones sound out and a voice calls out for fire and police to respond to the scene of an accident, and Flory and his partner are on the move. It’s just another day in the life of this paramedic.