Moscow paramedic recognized nationally
Carscallen volunteered from 2002 to 2009, is paramedic division chief
Debby Carscallen, division chief of emergency medical services, has earned awards like Firefighter of the Year and Emergency Medical Technician of the Year.
August 21, 2019
Debby Carscallen, division chief of emergency medical services (EMS), will be awarded Paramedic of the Year after working with Moscow Volunteer Fire Department since 2002.
Carscallen said she will receive the award on Oct. 15 at the EMS World Expo in New Orleans.
She said she received small awards from the Moscow Volunteer Fire Department throughout the years like Firefighter of the Year and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) of the Year, but this time, the award is different.
“This is a big one. It is a shocker for me, and now this award will be given to me while we are [at the expo],” she said.
She originally worked as an athletic trainer and substituted for the Moscow School District before joining the Moscow Volunteer Fire Department EMS division, she said.
She was introduced to the idea of being an EMT by a father of one of the sports players she worked with, she said. He recommended that she take an EMT class.
“I agreed to take the class,” she said. “Now, I am an EMS, and I absolutely love it.”
She said she continued to take classes to gain experience with medical operations like IV.
Carscallen said she volunteered as an EMT from 2002 until 2009 when she became a paramedic. She became division chief in 2015 and stills holds that position.
The department allowed her to go to medical school in 2009, she said, while she worked full time and co-parented.
“It was an incredibly busy year and a half,” she said. “I love to be challenged and be pushed outside my bubble.”
She said growing up in a small community and working at the school district presents the opportunity to get to know a lot of people in the area.
Carscallen said she has responded to a lot of calls from friends, acquaintances and relatives, which tend to be difficult. Some people view it as a blessing, but it can be a hardship too.
She said Moscow is full of people who are helping the community.
“We live in a rural area, and there are so many amazing people doing this every day, just like I am, without the recognition,” she said. “They are out there.”
