BACKGROUND: Mark Clifton is the former president of the Killingworth Ambulance Association, a current member of the board, an EMT and the director of Deer Lake Camp. He has lived in Killingworth the past 40 years and was recently named Killingworth’s Citizen of the Year by the local Lions’ Club.
Q: Why did you become an EMT?
CLIFTON: Because I had a couple of incidents at the camp when I just started that were beyond the realm of my first-aid training. I knew I needed to get more training, so I took an EMT course. That was in 1983.
Q: What’s the best part of being an EMT?
CLIFTON: Just being able to help people at a time when they’re distressed. Threre’s a mutual trust that we share. It’s just being able to help your neighbor.
Q: What should people know about being an EMT?
CLIFTON: They all give a lot of their personal time, they’re dedicated and they’re serving the community. I get a kick out of all these lawmakers that say they’re serving the community. Heck, they’re getting paid! These people … the fire community, the ambulance association … these people really serve the community, and it’s a wonderful thing to see that in a community like Killingworth.
Q: What should people know about being part of a volunteer force in a small town?
CLIFTON: The neat thing in the small town is the sense of community. Everyone is helping everyone else. But we need more techs. When the kids are home from school — when all the EMTs are young and home from school — we’re pretty flush with techs. But this time of year (winter) it’s pretty much two or three who are doing the calls. So it’s kind of stressful.
Q: And many of those calls are in the middle of the night, correct?
CLIFTON: Correct. All hours.
Q: You were the Killingworth Citizen of the Year. How meaningful is that to you?
CLIFTON: It’s just huge. My parents were very active in community service. I strive to try to get my kids in that realm. My daughter is an EMT. She’s looking to serve down in New Jersey (she moved there last year), but I think my parents would be real proud to know that I’m carrying on that tradition of service. They were more focused around the church. I did the church thing with my kids, and now this has become my church.