AUSTIN, Texas — An Austin teen is helping save lives through the Austin-Travis County EMS (ATCEMS) Explorer Post 247 program.
For the past five months, Benjamin Chang has been pursuing a passion.
"I was like, 'Why not? Why not give it a try?' And I just love it," Chang said.
The 15-year-old is getting hands-on experience with ATCEMS, putting his skills to the test in real-life emergencies.
"Just like, last Sunday, on the 15th, I got a cardiac arrest call and it was my first," Chang said. "I saw that the guy was there, so I just started compressions because compressions were already stopped when we got there. We brought him back after, like, 30 minutes of working on him."
The Explorer Post 247 program is a collaboration with the Boy Scouts of America and allows people ages 14 to 21 to learn about careers in EMS through classes and ride-alongs.
"When I was 14 years old, I heard about the program," said Jordan Malone, lead Explorer Post advisor. "I joined, and I fell in love with EMS."
Malone runs the program.. He said he's one of more than 20 people to enter the medical field after being an Explorer. Chang hopes to be the next.
"When I grow up, I want to be an anesthesiologist," Chang said.
He's only a 10th grader, so he has a few years to keep honing his skills. For now, the calm and cool kid already has a lot of stories to tell.
"My middle school teacher was actually one of my patients," Chang said. "Yeah, she was in a car accident."
The program currently has 40 members, with more than 80 on the waitlist. An EMS spokesperson told KVUE the program also bring parents in for orientation so they know what their kids could be exposed to.
"I'm just, like, not scared of anything that comes my way," Chang said.