By Gwyndolyn Miles
Richmond Times-Dispatch
RICHMOND, Va. 鈥� Donald Unger saves lives.
He鈥檚 been doing it for 52 years. For free.
But after five decades of volunteer service, he鈥檚 hanging up his EMT uniform.
Unger, who will turn 70 next month, has always valued the idea of giving back to his community. His father did volunteer dental services in New Jersey while Unger was growing up.
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鈥淚 think it鈥檚 important to give back if you鈥檙e able to,鈥� Unger said. 鈥淢ore and more people need services and may not have access to them.鈥�
In some cases, Unger says, the people he services are worried about the bill for their care. They鈥檒l frantically present insurance cards or directly say that they can鈥檛 afford the help.
鈥淵ou can tell there鈥檚 a great sense of relief when I remind them that we鈥檙e volunteers,鈥� Unger said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 charge for our services.鈥�
Unger also had a fascination with trucks as a child, and his grandmother would take him to the local fire stations to watch the crews roll out. As he got older, he鈥檇 even track the fire trucks by ear and chase them down on his bicycle.
When he was 12 years old, Unger started hanging around the local volunteer ambulance squad. He learned about their equipment and helped the volunteers clean up around the station. In 1971, Unger signed up for New Jersey鈥檚 first EMT class.
Unger moved to Richmond for college, studying economics at the University of Richmond. Almost immediately upon being dropped off at his dorm, he presented himself to the Tuckahoe Volunteer Rescue Squad. He鈥檚 been a member ever since.
According to Unger, he鈥檚 worked around 2,500 shifts for the rescue squad in his tenure there. He rides in the ambulance nearly every week and says he has learned so much along the way.
鈥淚鈥檝e done lots of continuing education over the years,鈥� Unger said, mentioning the 75 hours of classes he does every three years. 鈥淚鈥檓 always doing stuff to keep up my skills and learn new things.鈥�
Unger says those hours give him confidence and certainty that he can continue to provide high levels of excellent emergency medical services to those who need it.
Some of the people Unger works with are between 18 and 20 years old. He affectionately refers to them as his 鈥済randkids.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 trying to be a good mentor and pass along what I can,鈥� Unger said.
Tynan Philips has been volunteering in Tuckahoe for over two years and works closely with Unger.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really amazing that he鈥檚 been doing this longer than I鈥檝e been alive,鈥� Philips said. 鈥淎nd he鈥檚 still keeping top of his game and delivering high-quality patient care even now.鈥�
Sania Fatima has been volunteering there for over a year. She says Unger keeps things light while they鈥檙e on calls together.
鈥淗e doesn鈥檛 pressure you to know things that you might not know,鈥� Fatima said. 鈥淗e keeps us comforted.鈥�
Philip Kanber hasn鈥檛 worked with Unger before, and Ghaida Ahmed has only ridden with him once. Despite this, they both find inspiration in the work that he does.
鈥淕etting into this field, it鈥檚 really awesome to be able to learn from people like that,鈥� Kanber said. 鈥淚t jumpstarts you into learning as well as being inspired to know that I can do this long term.鈥�
The 鈥済randkids鈥� all agree, their work is hard work. To see someone push through for so long is something they all feel like they can learn from.
鈥淚t鈥檚 something that I would like to see at the end of my life,鈥� Philips said. 鈥淗aving dedicated that to other people, because that鈥檚 why we do it.鈥�
Over the years, Unger has seen nearly everything. He says that element of chance is part of the appeal. He says it could be simple as somebody needing help getting up off the floor. Sometimes it鈥檚 an overdose, a car accident or a heart attack. Unger says anything is possible when on the job.
鈥淭here鈥檚 obviously been terrible things I鈥檝e seen over time,鈥� Unger said. 鈥淚 try not to remember those. I lock those away in what I call my mental filing cabinet.鈥�
Unger has rescued a pet gerbil from behind a stove, he鈥檚 delivered a baby in the back of an ambulance in 12-degree weather, and he鈥檚 saved a man after his heart stopped beating.
When he saved that man, Unger ended up paying him a visit to see how he was doing. While the man did have a handful of additional medical emergencies after the fact, he lived on for another two decades after meeting Unger.
The pair became friends, and when he passed away, Unger sent a letter to the man鈥檚 wife.
鈥淪he sent me a nice letter back,鈥� Unger said. 鈥淭hanking me for the extra 25 years.鈥�
Unger and his team work hand in hand with firefighters, police and the families they serve. Their main goal is to keep their patients comfortable and get them to the hospital feeling better.
鈥淥ur goal is to reduce pain and suffering, and we provide,鈥� Unger said.
Sometimes even, Unger says, he feels more like a social worker than a paramedic.
鈥淚t may not be so much what I鈥檓 doing physically for them so much as just listening to them, talking to them,鈥� Unger said. 鈥淧utting our hand on their shoulder and providing sympathy or commiseration with them.鈥�
To be a paramedic, Unger says adaptability is key. Preparedness to move from one extreme to the other is crucial when fighting to save someone鈥檚 life.
While he won鈥檛 be riding every week, the members of the Tuckahoe Volunteer Rescue Squad recently convinced Unger to keep his paramedic license active. For the next two years, whenever they need an extra hand, Unger will be there to help.
鈥淚t鈥檚 remarkably rare to find someone who does this in a volunteer capacity,鈥� Philips said. 鈥淭o devote that time with no expectation of anything in return.鈥�
Almost every Friday, retired members of the Tuckahoe Volunteer Rescue Squad gather upstairs for lunch. They call themselves Crew Nine , and Unger will join them soon.
鈥淗opefully I鈥檝e made some people鈥檚 lives better, made them pay less, made them feel a little better,鈥� Unger said. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 time for the next generation to pick up and stand behind.鈥�
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