Richard TO THE RESCUE
GROWING UP IN FAIRFAX, VA., Richard Szymczyk III ’11 lived in the same city with one of the premier urban search and rescue teams in the world, somaybe his aspirations aren’t so surprising. “I want to be a natural disaster helicoptermedic,” he said. As a senior in high school, Richard needed
to get in thirty hours of required volunteer work.He walked over to the nearest fire sta- tion; that short walk changed his life.He fin- ished his emergencymedical technician (emt) certification that year. After sixmonths of training, he was red-hat certified,meaning he could do everything but enter a burning building. Richard said his station received up to six-
teen calls a day. “There were days we did not sleep for twenty-four hours,” he said. Part of the reason he chose Lynchburg Col-
lege was its proximity to the Appalachian Mountains.He figured there would be a search and rescue teamhe could work with. Although that wasn’t the case, he joined the local Boons- boro Fire and Rescue Squad and got a differ- ent experience fromthe one he had in Fairfax. Responding to a call on the other side of the
Boonsboro squad’s territory could take up to forty-fiveminutes on a curving,mountainous road that at night is “like being blindfolded on a roller coaster,” he said.The squad an- swers a lot of calls for the elderly and increases Richard’s experience as a first responder. A health promotionmajor with an outdoor
recreationminor, Richard is scheduled to graduate in 2011, hismany commitments out- side the classroomnotwithstanding.Not only does Richard work for the Boonsboro squad, but he also added the Lynchburg College EmergencyMedical Services (ems) to his vol- unteer load last spring. He volunteers for the local American Red
Cross chapter, where he is being trained to be a captain. As amember of the American Red CrossDisaster ResponseTeam, Richard re- sponds to a variety of local disasters,mostly fires.His job is to work with victims to take care of immediatemedical, food, clothing, and shelter needs. Now a resident of Lynchburg, Richard is
also amember of lc’s Bonner Leaders pro- gram, where his service in emergencymedical service is a natural fit with the program’s em- phasis on leadership and volunteerism.
Fall 2010 LC MAGAZINE 25 When he’s not responding to a rescue call,
Richard is likely off on a wilderness trip with NewHorizons, lc’s outdoor adventure and leadership development program.He leads a variety of trips for the group and is the student challenge course coordinator, for which he received theNewHorizonsmale leadership award. “I’ma rock climber; I’mpresident of the
scuba diving club; I go caving; I go on a hike at least once a week,” he said.He’s also a certi- fied rescue diver, is certified to perform wilderness first aid, and teaches others about the “LeaveNoTrace” environmental ethic. As Richard talks about all his training and
certifications, it’s hard to keep track of them all. “Once I started helping people save lives, this was all I wanted to do,” he said.
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