WEEKLY SPOTLIGHT: Shauna Galloway Charles

When I graduated high school I knew I wanted to be an EMT and that is just what I did. After I went to school for my EMT-Basic certification I went right back for my EMT-Advanced. Little did I know that in Idaho it is hard to be an EMT and get paid for it; so in 2001 I became a volunteer for Eagle Fire Department and loved it! I continued to work one last year as a head lifeguard at the YMCA and then started to work in dispatch at the Idaho State Communications Center. We dispatch ambulances for places in Idaho that do not have a 911 system yet such as Idaho City, Crouch and Lowman. We also dispatch and assist tracking every air-ambulance helicopter in Idaho, dispatch Idaho Search and Rescue, send out the Amber Alerts to the public, dispatch the Idaho Transportation Department to all the state highways, track every hazardous material situation in Idaho and much, much more.

While volunteering at Eagle Fire and working at dispatch I had wonderful opportunities to go on ride-alongs with Life Flight, Boise Fire Department, and an Ada County Sheriff’s deputy. I have also gone on a flight with Air St. Luke’s, in a Blackhawk over the Boise and surrounding area, and in a helicopter ride over the city at night during Christmas time (it was amazing!).

In 2004 I was hired on with North West Paramedics (NPA) part time and while I was finally getting paid to be an EMT it wasn’t my dream job and in 2005 I left NPA. That summer I started to volunteer with Ada County Paramedics and it was everything I had dreamed it would be and more. During that time I fell head-over-heels for the love of my life, Steve Charles. We met at work (he works with the Idaho State Police as a dispatcher Supervisor and they are in the same building as State Comm.) and were married in August of 2006. 2006 was a wonderful year for me because not only did I get married, but also I was hired full time at Ada County Paramedics. To me there is nothing better then helping people out in their time of need. There is also nothing more exciting then running lights and sirens to a call and not knowing what you were going to find until you got there.

Unfortunately working 24 hrs at a time and getting exposed to things TB and MRSA are not ideal for having a family. So when Steve and I started to talk about having a baby I had to make the hard choice of stepping down from my dream job and going back to dispatch. So that is where I am now and still happy as ever. We are currently living in Meridian, Idaho and just bought a house in a wonderful neighborhood. So far we have no kids but hope to soon. We have a cute Golden Retriever puppy named Molly and will be getting a second puppy, a lab, in July. Life is just good!