Responder Of The MONTH Robert Stamey

Robert Stamey has had many jobs in his life, but a firefighter and EMT in Grant County has been one of his most rewarding. Stamey joined Grant County EMS in 1993, and was born in Ogden, Utah, and was an electrician by trade.

Upon obtaining his electrician journeyman’s license he began working in Wyoming, where he spent the next 22 years before beginning work at the Ulysses gas plant.

“I was the only one with high voltage experience,” Stamey said. “I worked on voltages up to 125,000. They were building the new plant out here east of town and so I was here for that. And when they were ready to turn the lights on and turn the power on and worked out there for years.”

He earned his EMR certification in Wyoming and became a rescue technician for high angle and low angle before joining Grant County EMS and later the fire department when they moved the rescue truck to the fire department.

“I really didn’t want to be an EMT, I enjoyed rescue,” Stamey said. “But the director at that time was convincing, and I’ve enjoyed it ever since.”

Stamey was on rescue for a while and then EMT, then the fire department decided to move the rescue truck to the fire department.

When the fire department called, Stamey answered.

“Didn’t want to be a fireman either, but I tried it and I enjoyed it, it was great,” he said. “I tried it for a year and then I retired - too many fingers in the pot - so I retired from that, stayed with the gas company and EMS, and retired from the gas company.”

Now he’s strictly EMS.

Highlights of his time in Grant County are the variety of people he gets to interact with.

Stamey related a story where they were called to an unresponsive person.

“We get there, and it was a gentleman sitting in a chair, Stamey said. “And we tried to get him, we worked with him, we tried to find out what was wrong and finally he said he wanted a drink of water.

“All he wanted to do was talk! It was great, so we stuck around and talked for about 45 minutes, it was awesome.”

It was because of that, Stamey became a CNA and began work at the care home in Johnson.

“I enjoy working with people that are dependent on other people to get things done,” he added. “So I enjoy helping people get better. It works out pretty nice."

Stamey just enjoys saving lives.

He related another story about when he and current EMS Director Jeff Baier had a pregnant patient, and called the vitals and information in to the hospital and when they arrived, they were greeted be an entire staff of workers.

“Because the lady’s placenta was separating from the uterus and the doctor said that if we hadn’t called it just right - because he came out and told us that normally you both (mother and child) don’t make it, either or the other, and because of what we did and the call we made, we saved them both.

“That’s what I like to do.”

He said there have been a couple of disappointments.

He related another story where he was returning to Ulysses from his CNA job in Johnson and was watching a car driving erratically, slide over and hit another car, and a little girl was completely thrown out of the car - at least 30 feet into a field.

The driver was a school teacher, no driving or drug use. Stamey notified law enforcement and they were on their way when the accident happened.

“She crossed the line and hit this other car pretty much head-on, and that little girl was tossed,” Stamey said. “But that little girl jumped up, tan through the weeds and started coming to see her mom.”

The girl was fine, but her brothers in the car were unconscious and the mom was banged up pretty bad, “But that little girl got up and started running across the field!” Stamey said. “It was really awesome.”

But for every miracle, there’s a loss. The lady driving in the other car passed away. And worse, the drivers knew one another.

That’s part of life as an EMT.

“It’s interesting and satisfying and rewarding,” he added.