COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Paul Marcel is a member of the Forest Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corps (FHVAC) and volunteers as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). Since 1971, the corps has actively served residents and commuters in Forest Hills and Rego Park. Over the years, it has also helped cover many community events and provided non-emergency medical transports to and from hospitals and health facilities.
JOB: As an EMT, Marcel is responsible for taking care of vehicle and building maintenance. He also works as an Emergency Medical Service (EMS) provider. “My basic job duty [is] donating my time and helping various issues surrounding the organization. I’m pretty much available 24/7 to help somebody,” said Marcel.
PERSONAL: Marcel was raised in a single-family home in Howard Beach with his mother. At a young age, he worked odd jobs to support himself. “I really grew up in a troubling environment surrounded by drugs and alcohol,” he noted. Still, he said, it did not stop him from doing the right thing. Prior to volunteering with the FHVAC, Marcel was a police officer who worked in the 106th Precinct, where he helped start an auxiliary program in 2000. He also volunteered his time at the West Hamilton Beach Fire Department as a driver and maintenance liaison.
FAVORITE MEMORY: Marcel’s favorite memory as an EMT is when he gets thanked by the community he serves. “There’s nothing like saving somebody’s life,” he said, adding that he has directly helped save the lives of three people already.
BIGGEST CHALLENGE: Marcel said that his biggest challenge as an EMT is the administrative portion of his work and the paperwork that is involved in the process. “The biggest challenge is helping to document the occurrence [properly] for the victim,” he said.
INSPIRATION: Marcel credits Alan Wolfe, the president of the FHVAC, for inspiring him to continue his work as a volunteer EMT. “He’s overcome so many obstacles so far. That drive that he has in the organization is the same drive that I have for the organization. He’s played a major part [in] keeping me there,” said Marcel.
