""I met firefighters, [and] what they told me was, if you can start out in the EMS and then later on, cross over to fire,""
""A lot of people think [FDNY EMT] is just a taxi service. But in reality, if we don't get there to do the life-saving skills, the person wouldn't be able to live, because you can't go a long time without oxygen, or getting the medication, or rendering CPR. It's a big deal to save lives.""
""I said, 'If I'm going on dangerous 911 calls, I could join the military, I could do anything.' So the FDNY gave me the courage to [join the National Guard], because I didn't have it before," Ray shared."
Leah Ray is a Brooklyn native who joined the FDNY in 2018 as an EMT and later became an EMS Academy instructor. She joined the U.S. Air Force National Guard in 2020 and is currently on active military duty. Ray passed the FDNY firefighter exam in 2024 and will begin firefighter training after her military mission ends. She initially considered the NYPD or Armed Forces and attended an FDNY event in Fort Greene Park after her mother's urging. Ray emphasizes EMS life-saving skills, credits the FDNY with giving her courage to join the National Guard, and applies military discipline to her FDNY work.
Read at Brooklyn Paper
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