Paramedic leader praises instructor

The training Brian McCarley received in Emergency Medical Technology / Paramedic with instructor Joni Coons became his first step toward becoming base manager and a certified flight paramedic for air care services in Georgetown, Texas.

“TSTC West Texas is a great facility, but I think the biggest asset was Ms. Coons because it was very easy to learn from someone who had actually done the job I was pursuing,” he recalled.

He learned the importance of education for paramedics and the magnitude of a paramedic’s responsibilities.

“Ms. Coons gave me the knowledge, skills and confidence to perform my job. She was always positive and encouraging, but she was a realist who did not ‘sugar coat’ anything,” McCarley said.

“She made us all start a ‘That a boy file,’ a file with all the good things you’ve done to look back on after a bad shift, and I have used that file quite often.”

Flight Paramedic Certified (FPC)
Emergency Medical Technology / Paramedic
Certificate of Completion, TSTC West Texas, 1999
Base Manager for Petroleum Helicopters Inc. (PHI) / STAT Air 2, Georgetown, TX