Episode 11: Fidel - NYC Paramedic

Welcome to I Will Hold Space For Your Darkness; a First Responder Mental Health Podcast hosted by Erin Jane.  A former Australian Police Officer and Detective, wife of an American Firefighter, previous crisis counsellor for a suicide prevention organization and current CISM trained, certified Life and Wellness Coach for First Responders, Emergency Services Members, Spouses and Loved Ones. In this episode, Erin speak with Fidel, a Paramedic from NYC with 15 years experience, including 3 years previously as an EMT and Army Veteran. Fidel explains what lead him to be interested in going down the path to become a paramedic, the different organisations he has worked for, even deviating for a short time to become an Organ Transplant Coordinator and working in donor management. Fidel and Erin discuss his almost subconscious strategy of not bringing work home and how he believes growing up in New York City conditioned him to be able to perform well under pressure. Fidel also kindly talks about his experience as a Paramedic during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, where New York was hit incredibly hard and calls for help to 911 doubled in number. He also shares that since then, mental health services have improved as a result of what he and his colleagues faced during that time. They also discuss how they came across each other on Instagram and the page that Fidel manages, "First Responder Stories", where he shares accounts of colleagues and other experiences of First Responders, shining a light on our honest and authentic experiences that the general public may not know or understand much about. It was wonderful to speak with Fidel and I'm so grateful for his time. Please check out and follow him on Instagram: @first_responder_stories or on Facebook under the same handle. We both hope you enjoy listening to this episode!  Please feel free to reach out if you'd like a topic discussed, would like to be a guest or are interested in receiving coaching services from Erin Jane. Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.erinjanecoaching.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/erinjanecoaching⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Call or Text: +1 617 396 4695 You can watch the episodes as video on YouTube here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/@Erin-Jane-Coaching?si=XI8q0z3mhmzO_a7_⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Feel free to watch, listen, subscribe and share!