For Celebrate America Hero, Saving Lives is All in a Day’s Work

PUEBLO, Colo – If you asked a sample of people to name their favorite meal of the year, many would say Thanksgiving, Christmas, a birthday or anniversary celebration.

For Mike Bachman, it’s a banquet at a local concert hall with a large assortment of people who, at first glance, appear to be a haphazard assemblage of North Carolinians.

Last year 91 people attended. They were previously unconnected strangers. That is, until the chest pains hit, and they went into cardiac arrest.

Men and women, black and white, old and young, alive to tell the tale and bound by the gift of a second chance made possible by the firm and steady hands of Bachman and other Wake County, North Carolina paramedics.

“Doing CPR on a failing heart is about as critical as it gets,” Bachman said. “Last year, we had 91 survivors because of the work of our incredible, well-trained crews.”

Having served 24-hour shifts (since changed to 12 hours) on a team with more than 40 ambulances making 100,000 calls a year to serve a population of one million hasn’t left a lot of time to reflect on all those who have been resuscitated by Wake County EMS. Seeing the grateful faces of those brought back to life provides that opportunity.

“A father now walks his daughter down the aisle to be married; a mother attends her son’s graduation,” Bachman said. “Hearing those stories allows you to take a moment to reflect on the benefits of what you do.”

Bachman is a North Carolina native whose lifelong dream has been to be in emergency services. He is now Deputy Director of Medical Affairs for Wake County EMS.

While still responding to calls, his role today mostly encompasses supervising and training a large staff, planning clinical care, and developing cutting-edge emergency medicine protocols such as responding to active shooter threats and collaborating with law enforcement to embed paramedics into high-risk situations. Many of the practices of the Wake EMS system are emulated across the country.

“You never know what’s going to happen from one minute to the next on this job,” he said. “There’s no routine within the day. It happens when it happens, and you need to be ready at all times.”

Paramedics are usually overlooked in our day-to-day lives, until they’re needed, Bachman observed.

“We walk into people’s homes when they are most vulnerable and at their very worst,” he said. “We see them alone and scared. Our job is to save their lives while making them feel comfortable and at ease.”

It’s a job that can mash up extreme highs, like when Bachman delivered a baby in an elevator, with sadness and tragedy.

“You see the birth of a child – is there anything more exciting in life? And you see the death of a loved one, too,” he said.

What distinguishes Bachman is his boundless compassion, according to Jeffrey Hammerstein, Assistant Chief, Community Outreach, Wake County.

“Mike works incredibly hard, and always with great care and respect for the patient,” he said.

Bachman often sees bravery and fortitude in the victims of trauma, and he appreciates those qualities in the “alpha competitors” of the PBR. He follows the sport on television, marveling at an athletic endeavor simultaneously brutal and beautiful.

He has never attended a live professional bull-riding event, but that will change this weekend.

Bachman will skip the good seats to go right onto the dirt Saturday night for the opening ceremonies at PNC Arena when he is honored as Raleigh’s Celebrate America hero.

“I greatly appreciate this recognition even though I’m just an average guy,” he said. “There are thousands of other professionals doing the same thing every day. I just happen to be lucky enough to be recognized by the PBR.”

After 25 years racing to the aid of those in distress, it’s likely a few fans who will be in the stands were helped by Bachman and his dedicated team when they needed it the most.