Meet Peter Attieh: Cetronia Ambulance Volunteer, Firefighter

Name: Peter Hamati Attieh

Age: 19

Family: Resides in South Whitehall, with mother Basima Hamati-Attieh; father, Tony Attieh and sister, Jessica Hamati-Attieh.

Community Service: He is a volunteer with the , where he started as a youth program member, stayed involved and obtained his EMT certification. He is also a volunteer with the  in South Whitehall and the Exeter Township Fire Company in Berks County.

School: A 2011 graduate of Allentown Central Catholic High School, Attieh will complete his freshman year at Alvernia College, Reading, this month. He is majoring in business management with hopes of eventually taking over management of two personal care/independent living residences currently owned by his parents. 

Why do you volunteer? “I feel like I’m giving back to the community," he says.

“I was voted into the Cetronia Fire Company on June 21, 2009 -- a date I’ll never forget -- and then joined the ambulance corps in August 2009. I received my Emergency Medical Technician certification last summer (2011) from Reading Area Community College.

"I am a full-fledged firefighter, with training including CPR/AED, Emergency Responder, Firefighter 1m Haz-Mat Operations and Haz-Mat Awareness, EMT-B, Vehicle Rescue Technician, Water Rescue Awareness, Emergency Vehicle Operations, Firefighters Skills Enhancement and legal aspects.

Attieh also received training offered through the federal government in fighting wildland fires and working in a command center during a national emergency.

"I joined the Ambulance Corps at age 16, where I was enrolled in the , a course open to 14- to 18-year-olds, which is taught on-site by ambulance corps instructors."

Tell us a story you’ll never forget about your volunteer experiences: “There are a lot with the ambulance corps, but I’ll tell you about a couple. I was working with a crew for the first time, and we responded to an accident on Route 22 eastbound between the turnpike and Tilghman Street. The call was for a motor vehicle accident with rollover and partial ejection. The fire company also responded, and the state police had Route 22 closed. We were the first on the scene, and after we did a 360 (walk around the vehicle to check for leaking gas, oil, etc.), we found the victim was a 21-year-old female....Getting her into the ambulance as quickly as possible was crucial. We got her to the hospital, and later found out that she made it through the night and was going to be OK. I was 16, it was my first traumatic scene, and the first time I had ever seen anyone in a life-and-death situation.

“Another time, I was posted at Station 8 in Upper Macungie Township with EMT Margaret Duke and paramedic Meredith Kusko when we were dispatched to a Delta motor vehicle accident on Route 222. (Accidents are rated as Alpha, Bravo, Charley, Delta and Echo, with Alpha as the least severe and Echo as the most.) When we arrived, the victim -- a motorcyclist -- was lying 50 yards away from the accident site, on the opposite side of the road. His right leg was broken...and he was drifting in and out of consciousness....We heard he pulled through, and the only thing that saved his life was that he was wearing a helmet. That was the first high rate of speed accident I was sent to. Most of our calls -- about 75 percent -- are motor vehicle accidents, so after a while, you get used to them.”

What would you tell someone interested in joining the ambulance corps or fire company? “I’d tell them that the earlier they join, the better. The [Cetronia Ambulance] TAP program is an excellent way to learn about the job. Cetronia is the only ambulance corps in the area that offers on-site training and allows trainees the opportunity to ride along on calls. The corps also teaches an Emergency Responder course.

"People who aren’t interested in running with the trucks, or who don’t like blood, are welcome to fill other positions, like administrative duties, stocking and cleaning. There are endless opportunities for volunteers. “