Welcome to the Enchanted Circle Eagle Nests’ New EMS Director: Jake Mullery
By EDWARD CAMP, Staff Writer
After a long wait, Eagle Nest finally has a new Director of Emergency Medical Services. Jake Mullery took over the vacant position in June and is excited to get the department up and running again.
Mullery, 30, was born and raised in Bradenton, Florida. He joined the United States Marine Corps at 18-years old and was stationed at Twentynine Palms, California with a combat engineer unit. After the Marines, Jake returned to Florida and attended Fire and EMT school before working for a year in Jacksonville as an EMT. He then planned to follow his mother’s lead and become a nurse.
“I was on course to go to nursing school, and then I decided at that time, that wasn’t really in the cards for me. And I set off on a road trip which brought me to New Mexico.” Jake took a decidedly different turn, joining a theatre group in Tijeras. “I was with them for three years while I was going to school for my master’s in public administration. I went to UNM for that.”
Degree in hand, the recent Lobo grad was ready to put his skills to use for the public good. “I saw a job post while out on spring tour [with the theatre group] for this position. That was in January.” Mullery was offered the director position in May and took over on June 15th.
Jake, a lifelong cross-country runner, says he is spending most of his free time right now just settling into his new job and new community, but hopes to learn some of the joys of mountain life, like fishing and maybe even hot-air ballooning, in the future. He says he is looking forward to “the opportunity to live at a different pace,” and adds, “variety is the spice of life.”
For now though, Mullery is laser-focused on reviving the Eagle Nest Emergency Medical Service, which has been dormant since last year. “I’ve been working on standard operating procedures, trying to get the house in order... and now working with other local agencies.” Jake is building a new roster of volunteers, for whose time he is extremely grateful. “A volunteer’s time is their time,” Mullery says.
Jake has been studying the problems associated with rural EMS services, such as funding and staffing, so he can take a proactive approach to the issues he will be facing, even if that means going to the Roundhouse himself. He said he would like to work with UNM-Taos in certifying more people as EMT’s, especially medical professionals. “You can be a licensed physician… and have saved countless lives, and you cannot touch a patient” in the field without EMT certification.
Mullery also wants to take a lead in public health initiatives, such as the Vial of Life program. The program, which is sponsored by Wal-Mart and the UNM College of Pharmacy, has people keep vital medical information on standardized forms in a pill bottle in the refrigerator. It can save EMT’s time and provide info even if a patient is incapacitated.
The task ahead for Jake Mullery is large, but he is eager and up to the challenge. “I think it’s a wonderful opportunity to be in a service role.” With a mother in medicine and the Marine Corps in his past, service is in Jake’s blood and his heart. We wish him luck and so much more. Welcome, Jake!
Interested in becoming an EMT? Visit https://taos.unm.edu/news/2022/01/emts-making-a-difference.html to learn more.