Stephanie Buffum, 37, knew she was honoring her father as she received her award.
“I felt like I was getting it for him,” she told The Washington Examiner.
Buffum was awarded the American Legion-Department of Maryland Career EMS Provider of the Year Award on Thursday in recognition of her 12 years of service as a firefighter and paramedic for Prince George’s County. Her father, who passed away 13 years ago, was a member of the American Legion, a medic for the United States Navy and Buffum’s inspiration for becoming a firefighter/medic.
“He was awesome, and he was my role model,” Buffum said.
She first won the local and regional levels of the award before winning the award for the state of Maryland. Although she had won these and a Veterans of Foreign War award back in March of this year, Buffum said she was still surprised she won at the state level.
“I was just doing my job,” she said. “I kind of feel ordinary sometimes.”
But ordinary sounds more like extraordinary when Buffum describes her life at work and at home. She works as a firefighter and paramedic, along with working as a nurse part-time whenever the hospital needs her. She said the most rewarding part of her job is knowing she has helped someone.
A moment that stands out in her mind is when she and other paramedics responded to a house call where a man was experiencing symptoms of congestive heart failure.
“He was grey and what we call ‘circling the drain’ when we got there,” she said. “By the time we got to the hospital, he was pink. It was a really good feeling when I left the hospital room, and he gave me a thumbs up.”
She has also been married for nine years to fellow firefighter/paramedic Michael, who also attended the award ceremony, and has two children: a 6-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son, who is developmentally disabled.
“My life outside of work depends on what my kids are doing,” she said. “Honestly, that’s [my husband and my] full-time job.”
