The Wolf wants to spotlight those in our community who put Service before Self. Let us introduce you to Paramedic Troy Cowman.
Radio Interview: 2/15/21
Mr. Troy Cowman has been a Yankton County EMT Paramedic for 27 years now! Cowman is an Emergency Medical Responder for 33 years and he is one of those people you hope you never have to meet, but should you need him, he is one you want at your side.
Cowman started with the Yankton County EMS team in 1993 as a volunteer EMT and is currently a full-time Paramedic. His duties include responding to ambulance calls as well as training, scheduling, vehicle maintenance and assisting the ambulance administrator as needed.
Starting in 1987 in Gayville, South Dakota, Cowman began his career serving others as a volunteer firefighter with the Gayville Volunteer Fire Department. As a fire department, Gayville was among the first group in Yankton County to become certified First Responders, assisting the ambulance when it was called into the Gayville area. Cowman’s interest in EMS grew from there and he became an ambulance level EMT in 1993 joining Yankton County EMS.
Helping people in their time of need is what Cowman enjoys most about the job. “Using my Paramedic skills in the field to help stabilize a patient,” says Cowman is extremely rewarding. The day to day job, not in an office, is a bonus. “After 27 year, there are many [memorable events]. Most of them involve unusual events that occurred, such as losing the tread off a tire of an ambulance while traveling on Interstate, having an ambulance catch on fire while we were transporting a patient to Sioux Falls, or fishtailing an ambulance on a steep hill when it suddenly turned to a sheet of ice.” Cowman continues, “The best memories are where I feel we made a difference in someone’s life by helping them achieve a good outcome, such as being revived from a cardiac arrest.”
Cowman is an avid do-it-yourselfer, working on projects around his home. Currently, he is in the process of his third basement finishing project! In the warmer months, you will find him working outdoors doing landscaping projects.
