I’m 27, and I’ve done CPR more times than I’ve told someone I love them.
As an EMT and firefighter in Chester County, I’ve seen heart attacks, house fires, overdoses, and trauma scenes that would make most people freeze. I’ve carried patients twice my size down three flights of stairs with a busted elevator. I’ve run into buildings with zero visibility and heat that melts your gloves. I’ve held hands as people took their last breath and then been paid $18 an hour for it.
My name is Conner Marchetti. I’m a OR Tech for Penn Medicine, a volunteer firefighter, and a nationally certified EMT on the path to paramedic school and eventually Medical School. I’m someone who knows how to handle a pulse that disappears, a fire that explodes, and a system that ignores the people who save lives.
This isn’t just about me. It’s about the entire First Responder brotherhood. We are the ones who show up first, solve chaos in minutes, and often leave with trauma we’ll never unpack. Yet EMTs make less than $40K a year in many parts of Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, police officers start at $65K+ with pensions and if they live in Chester County, PA they start at $100,000 sometimes more. Don’t get me wrong, cops deserve their pay too, but an EMS, which handles medical crises, fires, and every kind of trauma under the sun, gets paid like a part-time job.
First In, Last Out: EMTs are Paid Like Fast Food Workers
EMTs save lives every day, but get paid like part-timers. Here I detail what it’s really like on the front lines, and why EMS deserves better.
