EMS: Courage and Compassion in Action: A Chapter Completed
![]() |
| Shawn Godfrey |
It is time.
I'm going to try and live up to a resolution for this upcoming New Year and finally start writing my book. For the past couple of years, each New Year's Eve has had me saying "this will be the year; this will be the year."
Well, with the muse's presence at full strength, this is, no doubt, the year. I can feel it.
Writing this column has been a wonderful journey and I owe many thanks to you — the readers.
I have been told that many people have found the column comprehensive and useful, and it means a lot to me to know that there are people who now truly understand that a career in emergency medical services is more than simply driving an ambulance.
Also, the regular feedback from dozens of you has been wonderful, especially in real times of crisis in my own personal life. It is what kept me motivated from week to week, I can assure you.
My overall goal with the column was to make socially taboo and often daunting topics into something interesting and informative that would cater to both the layperson (many of you) and the dedicated men and women involved in the emergency services vocation, whether it be law enforcement, fire services or emergency medicine.
I must confess, writing the column required a delicate and, yet often, difficult balance in order to achieve an intelligible dichotomy. Based on your responses, I feel I've succeeded.
I want to thank Susan Bush, former iBerkshires.com editor, for offering me encouragement to start the column and help with making my earlier work reader friendly.
I also want to thank my 11-year-old son, Jared, for enduring endless nights of me sitting at the computer and merely nodding yes and no at whatever questions he posed, no matter what the correct answer.
Many thanks to the current iBerkshires.com staff, especially Jen Thomas and Tammy Daniels, for supporting my work and encouraging me to continue writing.
Finally, thanks to you for reading, responding to, and critiquing the column. Truth is you haven't read the final word from me, but for now, as we say in the business, I'm 10-7.
Editor's Note: While we're very sad to see Shawn's column end, we wish him all the best in his latest literary endeavor. We hope he will return, even if only occasionally, to iBerkshires.com in the future.

