Irons & IV- First Responder Spotlight Firefighter-EMT Kay Petroff

Kay Petroff has been an NYS Certified Interior Firefighter and EMT serving the Croton Falls Fire Department (CFFD) for 15 years. At one point, Kay was one of three female members. Over the past couple of years, that has changed… slightly.  Quite frankly, this job isn’t easy and if it was easy, everyone would do it.

My first encounter with Kay was at a CME (Continuing Medical Education) event for EMT's.  We became fast friends; in fact, she convinced me to cross over to the dark side and join CFFD. Over the past few years, we’ve worked several EMT events together. We are quite the tag team at the Old Salem Farm Horse Shows. Hey, when you find that EMT 'person' you find your person!  Kay taught me everything there is to know about horses, she’s well versed on the topic, having grown up training and competing in the sport herself.  If one could sum up Kay in one sentence, she is that show- up -step -up firefighter, EMT and friend. 

Earlier in the week, surrounded by her fur babies, we had dinner at her place, caught up about life and talked about what we always talk about being firefighters and EMT’s. 

Everybody has a backstory what’s yours? Why did you become an EMT and Firefighter?

“My son Tyler was a Boy Scout. One night I was sitting with the other moms waiting for the meeting to end.  Joe Consentino was the pack leader and the chairperson for recruitment and retention for CFFD. Joe asked me, what was I going to do when Tyler was away at college?  He convinced me to join.  After all, I like helping people and would enjoy becoming more involved in the town. I was a single mom and worked two jobs, but my life always revolved around everything and anything that pertained to Tyler. He was really active! I knew when he was out of the house, there would be a void.  So, I filled out the application and joined.  The thought of being a woman in the department didn’t really hit me until someone said that there were only three girls in the department!  Hey but it all worked out and if I can do it at 50, then anyone can do it!”

What are the pros and cons if any?

Pros: “Probably the same reason everyone does this, to help people in distress.  To support the community and town.  It’s just rewarding and makes you feel good. It can be tough, but it really gives you confidence in yourself.”     

Cons: “Its time consuming and I don’t just mean the calls. A lot goes into this, lots of continued strenuous training, meetings and sponsored events.  It can be emotionally damaging; we are exposed to lots of unpleasant things.”

What would be your elevator pitch to convince someone to join?

“There is a great camaraderie. It’s like having several brothers and sisters.  Also, if you like meeting new people, there is a lot of interaction with the community. There is also a tax break, and it looks great on your resume.

They say everybody has three calls that affect them emotionally.  How many do you have?  What are they?

“The first one that comes to mind was when Hurricane Sandy hit New York and blew through the lake areas in North Salem. Two young boys were in a house, their mothers were in the house next door.  In a split second it, that all changed.  A large tree fell on the house, it was enormous. That tree was so long and wide, and the house was narrow. It fell dead center. Then the house caved in around it and nearly almost split it in two. Responding was tough, there were downed trees, it was like a war zone.  So many departments responded, there were chain saws everywhere.  We had to get the tree out of the way to gain access to the boys inside. It was hard for everyone but being a mother, watching these two mothers waiting, pacing in horror.  It's something that you don’t ever forget.  Carrying those boys out.  There are no words.  It just stays with you.  When I am out on the lake and look over in that direction it’s an immediate flashback.”

“The next one that comes to mind was the horse rescue.  It was a really cold night when the call came in that a horse was stuck in the woods off Hardscrabble Road.  What we thought was going to be a quick rescue turned out to be many long hours!  Everyone knows that I have a soft spot for horses.  The hard part was trying to locate where the rider left the horse in the mud, in the dark, in the cold.  When we realized how bad this was, we summoned help from the Westchester and Putnam Technical Rescue Teams. It was heart wrenching, but we got it done!  We saved a horse and earned a new member; the horse’s owner was so impressed and thankful that he joined the CFFD team.”

“The last one would be the plane crash into Titicus Reservoir. The call came in around 1:00AM. Everyone was there, the entire department, MA16, the police.  My assignment was to drive over the dam in the utility and shine the flood lights onto the water as we continued to search for survivors and the plane wreckage.  We were there until around 4:00AM, when the county took over with their dive team. They finally found the plane, a husband and wife still strapped into their seats. Prior to that, all I could think about was would we see a body floating on the water, how awful that would be.”   

What advice would you give to new members?

“Listen.  Ask questions but pay attention, you are there to learn. There are people that have been doing this along longer than you and this is life and death.  It’s not easy and you need to get tough skin.  My training cohort included mostly twenty-year-old kids, and I was in my fifties. You can do it.  Don’t get discouraged in the beginning, once you start learning things you will get more responsibility, but it will happen have patience and keep showing up.”

What would you change if anything about the volunteer service?

“EMS needs a paid crew and better wages, EMS is essential.  We contribute so much time, taken away from our family it would be nice to get some discounts, like fuel.  We drive back and forth to the firehouse so many times.  Expand the HERRO Program to promote education.”   

What has changed the most in fifteen years? 

“Training has changed significantly. There are a lot of training hours required by the county."

If you could have one wish, if you could purchase anything for the department what would that be?

“A vehicle assigned to just EMT’s that are also firefighters, it should be fully equipped and stocked with ample supplies.”

“And a Dalmatian would not be bad either!”  LOL.

As a female and a male dominated industry, what advice would you give to other females?

“Don’t be afraid to try, if you decide to go forward you will get the support that you need and if you get your balls broken don’t take it personally.  There are people that will be there for you and there will be some not so much, stay with the people that are with you. Those are your people.” 

Thank you for your service, Firefighter-EMT Petroff!