Abington's Serino leads Boston EMS
"There's nothing like the high you feel when you save someone's life," said Rich Serino of Boston EMS. (Bill Brett for the Boston Globe)
In his 35 years with Boston Emergency Medical Services, Rich Serino has helped save an untold number of lives, and has grieved with families when lives were lost. He's dodged bullets while trying to save a child. He's lectured across the United States and in parts of Europe, met with six American presidents, and survived a bout with skin cancer.
Even though his role as chief of Boston EMS is one of the city's most important jobs, Serino, of Abington, is not a household name. Still, many who have worked with him, in Boston as well as on the South Shore, regard him as one of the region's unsung heroes.
"It's all about saving lives and keeping the public safe," said Serino. "As much as I realize the importance of my job, I miss being out on the street working with the people directly."
For him, that experience began at age 13, when Serino and his family were driving on Route 3. They witnessed a serious collision that left accident victims spread across the road. "I saw this, and I felt helpless," said Serino, 54. "I thought to myself how I never wanted to be in that position again of not being able to do something."
Serino studied education in college and began teaching first and second grade as a student teacher. But the feelings from that day on Route 3 stayed with him, so he volunteered with the Boston Ambulance Squad and began EMT training.
"There's nothing like the high you feel when you save someone's life," said Serino. "I remember my first save was a kid who was buried in a sand pit. It's a memory that stays with you forever. There's something about knowing you can do something to help."
In 1973, Serino joined Boston City Hospital Ambulance, the precursor to Boston EMS. At just 19, he became one of the two dozen Boston EMS emergency medical technicians.
With a shortage of ambulances, Serino would sometimes ride in the back of a police car to calls. His medical bag was a Craftsman toolbox he filled with supplies at Boston City Hospital.
Six years later Serino joined the Boston EMS paramedic training program - one of the first in New England - and learned more complicated procedures, such as reading EKGs. Then Serino and his colleagues spent time "convincing the hospitals that we knew what we were doing."
As the level of care changed, so did Serino's responsibilities. He quickly worked his way through the ranks, and was named chief of Boston EMS in 2000. In addition, he serves as assistant director of the Boston Public Health Commission.
Throughout the early years, Serino was active in Abington, serving on the School Council at Woodsdale Elementary and Frolio Junior High School. He also coached several sports. Eventually, his job responsibilities edged out town work.
In 2005, Serino was diagnosed with melanoma. He continued his EMS work through radiation treatments in 2005, although he acknowledges it was not easy. The illness, he says, is a reminder of his vulnerability, and taught him new respect for people experiencing serious illness.
Serino often finds himself in the spotlight as Boston EMS maintains safety at the city's major public events, from the Democratic National Convention to parades. His department is responsible for the safety of 625,000 residents, as well as 1.3 million people who work in or visit the city daily.
"September 11 completely changed our approach to safety," said Serino, who helped write a preparedness and training program for terrorist attacks before 9/11. Under his direction, Boston EMS has become one of the most respected emergency medical service organizations in the world. A USA Today survey named Boston as the model EMS organization in the United States. Other big cities have used Boston EMS as a model.
"I credit the people who work here," said Serino. "Our goal is to do the right thing for the patients all the time."
Although his days are often 14 hours long and unpredictable, Serino makes time for his three grown children and his wife, Doreen. Their Abington home is the gathering spot on holidays. "I still love having them come around and act like kids again," he says.
He also gets a chance to show off in the kitchen.
"Baking is my way to relax," said Serino. "I just love it. Doreen and I will make the kids chocolate-chip cookies, and they have to say whose they like better." Who wins? "I do, of course," he said. "The trick is in the chips."
Serino speaks with pride about his children's accomplishments. There's Jessica, 27, who teaches in Hawaii; Bryan, a 24-year-old Suffolk Law student who in the fall will start as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan; and Peter, 21, a senior studying education at Holy Cross College.
The Serinos visit the boys at college every month or so, and take them and their friends to dinner. Serino talks of how much he misses his coaching days, and sometimes he catches a basketball game at Abington High, just to bring him back a few years and remain connected to the town.
With no plans to retire anytime soon, Serino jokes that people refer to him as "the grandfather of EMS. But I call it experience."
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