A much-loved paramedic from Daventry is set to celebrate a milestone birthday this week while on shift with EMAS.
Trevor Hawkes, 59, based at Daventry Station in Northamptonshire will be seeing in his 60th birthday on 21 May, while helping patients in need as he works the night shift across the division.
Trevor, who is just shy of his 40 years’ service with the ambulance service, joined back in 1982 when EMAS was formerly known as the Northamptonshire Ambulance Service and has remained at Daventry Station ever since first stepping foot into the premises all those years ago.
Trevor said:“I was inspired to join the ambulance service by family members who already worked in the job.
“Back in the 80’s, the only way into it was via Patient Transport Services. Nowadays, there are so many routes into the service but working on Patient Transport allowed me to build up the skills and rapport with patients which I found beneficial as I set out on the path to become a paramedic.”
Following the birth of his children, in November 1988, Trevor took that next step in his career where he has since remained for the last 33 years and he has no plans to hang up his boots just yet.
He added: “The job really does get into your blood, it becomes a lifestyle. I couldn’t do any other job as I would just find it boring, no day is ever the same and it is so interesting.
“Over the years I have seen babies I delivered grow up, I have seen people I have helped walking down the street who stop to say hello, it really is a unique job that I am lucky to do and I have no plans to stop. I am feeling fit, healthy and enjoying every day as they come.
“In the time that I have been in the service, so many things have changed and so many memorable moments have happened. One of the highlights for me was when I met Frank Bruno at a patient’s house a couple of years ago. As a big fan, I couldn’t believe it but there he was. I was very star-struck at the time and still look back on it as an odd, surreal moment.”
When Trevor isn’t out responding in Northamptonshire, he helps mentor the newest members of EMAS passing on his all-important experience and skills which he has developed over the years.
While Trevor will be out working on his 60th birthday, he hopes to celebrate by enjoying a slice of cake with his colleagues while on shift, and then later in the day heading out for a walk and to the pub with his family when he gets the chance.