"What's the worst thing you've ever seen?"
That's a question people ask paramedics all the time, according to Matt Johnson, a 26-year-old firefighter/paramedic at Albany Fire Station 12.
Two of his fellow firefighters, paramedic Alex Funicello, 24, and Emergency Medical Technician Jessica Jackovich, 24, say they get that question all the time as well. In fact, generally, the three prefer not to tell people what they do for a living, because it opens the door to potentially uncomfortable conversations.
That's not to say they're not proud of what they do. This new breed of first-responders arrived at their jobs through years of volunteering, academic study that approaches pre-med levels and intense hours of training.