‘A Beautiful Symphony of Chaos’

Emergency Medical Services paramedic Michael Montemorano will always remember the first life he saved. The heart attack victim was not breathing and had no pulse, but after performing CPR, administering medication and electricity, his heart restarted.

In Montemorano’s 14 years as a paramedic, he has saved many more since. He works the night shift, 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. in Northern Manhattan. Sometimes, given the nature of his work, that 12-hour shift becomes 16 hours.

“As a paramedic in NYC, no two days are the same,” said Montemorano. “One minute it’s a routine medical call, the next you’re walking into somebody’s worst day. The job is nonstop problem-solving — cardiac arrests, overdoses, shootings, traumatic injuries, respiratory distress, psychiatric emergencies, and everything in between. We work in tight apartments, busy streets, subways, nursing homes, and sometimes complete chaos.”

Being an EMS paramedic is tough work. The stress, staffing shortages, and low pay can lead to burnout. On top of that, the work can be dangerous. Montemorano elaborated, “We go into every different situation alongside our fellow emergency first responders (police officers, firefighters). You don’t know what you are getting into. It could be a regular sick call that can turn into somebody who was high on some sort of drug or having a psychotic break and can become a real danger to us. A fire, a collapse zone... it spans the spectrum of danger that we have on this job. Car accidents on the highway, ill people that we might contract disease from — we have to take that into account also.”

What keeps Montemorano going? His family and the coworkers who have become a second family to him. Montemorano said, “The best part [of my job] is knowing that you genuinely matter to people on their worst day.”

It’s something he knows about from experience. “I got into EMS after seeing how important Emergency Services were after Hurricane Sandy devastated my hometown of Rockaway Beach,” Montemorano said. “Over time, I realized I wanted to take on more responsibility and provide a higher level of care. So in 2020, I became a paramedic in the height of the pandemic.”

The two-year EMS program Montemorano was enrolled in was accelerated to seven months. Montemorano described the experience of working during the COVID-19 pandemic as “a baptism by fire.” He described his first ambulance rotation as a “beautiful symphony of chaos.”

Though missing out on holidays and family events is hard, Montemorano is comforted by the fact that his children think he’s a real-life superhero. He is proud of his work and he is especially proud to be the Recording Secretary for the FDNY’s Local 2507.

His advice to his fellow New Yorkers? “Be kind to one another,” Montemorano said, “Always do the right thing.”