The Good Life – March-April 2019

LOCAL HERO
We successfully get a patient who is having an active heart attack
from their home to the cath lab in under 90 minutes. – Don Martin
past four years. Martin explained
what this award means: “We
successfully get a patient who
is having an active heart attack
from their home to the cath lab
in under 90 minutes.” When it
comes to emergency care, time
is critical. Martin explained, “FM-
Ambulance has a metro-wide goal
of arriving on the scene after being
dispatched in under 8 minutes 59
seconds. We average that at 97
percent of the time.”
Martin has dreamed of being
an EMT since an early age. “No
kidding,” he said, “Ask my family.”
He continued, “When I was five
I knew I wanted to be an EMT. I
would collect Matchbox cars that
were ambulances. Everything that
had an ambulance I would collect.
My aunt lived near Piggly Wiggly
and we were so close to St. Luke’s
Hospital, I would always run out
to see the ambulances. I could tell
by the sirens. My family would say
this – I was always that way.”
Born in Fargo and attending
Fargo North High School, Martin
divided his time between Fargo
and the Turtle Mountain Band of
Chippewa Reservation, of which
he is a member: “I viewed Fargo
as a boarding school.”
“My Native American identity
is important to me,” explained
Martin. “Being in Native culture,
family is very important to me. I
spend my holidays and as much
time as I can with my family. It
is very important to know where
you come from. You can’t move
forward if you don’t know where
you came from. You don’t know
where you are going. There is a
difference between who you are
and what you are. It is an everyday
part of my life.”
Part of that life experience
includes volunteerism and
community activities. He is a
member of the F-M Ambulance
Ceremonial Unit, the only EMT
32 / THE GOOD LIFE / urbantoadmedia.com