Hamburg EMS responds to a recent call on State Street in Hamburg. Last week I was a patient riding in Unit 547, but 15 years ago I was a volunteer driver with that service for about two years, putting in two weekday mornings each week and occasional overnight shits as well. The work was generally rewarding, but the internal politics was often frustrating. In rural areas and small towns, modern life would be much more difficult without the many hours of service provided by volunteers in emergency medical services, firefighting and auxiliary police service.