Rich Banske

About Rich: He and his wife, Patti, live in Calumet City and have four children: Courtney, Trevor, Brayden and Breanna. Employed by the City of Calumet City for 15 years. Member of St. Maria Goretti Church in Dyer.

Accomplishments: Rich Banske is the Emergency Medical Services coordinator for the City of Calumet City. He is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the paramedic program within the fire department. He schedules training sessions and conducts the majority of them. Everyone in the department, currently 54 members, receives monthly EMS training focusing on protocols, medications and equipment. Special training in the spring focuses on summer emergencies such as heat stroke. The department runs three ambulances every day and has two others for backup. It receives an average of 12 calls a day and has at least 12 paramedics on every shift. In addition, Banske handles disaster planning for the entire city, which involves training and making sure federal requirements are met to stay compliant. "I love my job and couldn't see myself doing anything else," he said. Banske completed EMT basic training and the year-long paramedic program at Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey. He continues

to take classes and training and is secretary/treasurer of Calumet City Firefighters Local 621 and active in Parents Club at Bishop Noll Institute.

Personal heroes: "My parents, Ken and Barb Banske, of Lansing. They gave up a lot to make sure we had everything we needed. They coached every sport we ever played and were extremely involved and very strict in a good way."

What I read: "I actually like to read political books. I'm very into politics."

Advice: "The measure of a man is found not in good times, but how he reacts in bad times."

Best thing about my job: "It's different every day."

People might be surprised to know: "I love the Disney Channel."

- SUE BERO, Times Correspondent

To nominate someone for this feature, e-mail slbero@hotmail.com