Being an emergency medical technician is no easy job, to say the least.
Already dealing with patients who are experiencing harrowing emergencies, concerns about burnout are rising among EMTs, with 76% of respondents to the 2025 EMS Trend Survey saying it was a critical issue. Other fears expressed included persistent problems with lack of sleep and concerns about staffing levels.
The challenges facing EMTs only make Christopher Hackett all the more important to the space. While Hackett is humble about his impact, he’s played a critical role in sustaining operations at Community EMS in Worcester, said Patrick Leonardo, regional director of the company.
Given the difficulties facing the industry, it’s important for recruitment efforts to both encourage prospective EMTs to get into the space and to present an honest picture of what working for an EMS in 2025 is like. That’s where Hackett has shined, said Leonardo.
“I started questioning what our successes were behind recruitment and getting people in the door, what the magic sauce was,” Leonardo said. “I ended up finding out that it came back to Chris being so humble, transparent, and forthcoming with what the expectations would be of them coming in as new students and employees.”
Beyond his recruitment skills, Hackett is a team player, always willing to take a shift or help out anyway he can, said Donald Charest, operations manager at Community EMS. With the national EMT shortage raising concerns about longer response times, this makes Hackett all the more key, he said.
“We have had some staffing changes, and Chris’s role has expanded a little bit,” Charest said. “He just would step up and take on additional roles and responsibilities without question, and just really help run the operation alongside me very smoothly. Like that wasn’t enough, he would help fill difficult shifts on an actual ambulance, and staff ambulances on a weekend or an overnight shift, on top of all of his full-time responsibilities.”
Hackett had previously done work in the construction industry, dealing with the annual winter lull in work. Seeking a career change and coming from a family with other members who are first responders, he became a firefighter around 1991 before focusing on EMT work.
Hackett credits his support system, including his wife and fellow EMS workers like Charest, with helping manage the strains of such a high-demanding job.
In what limited spare time he has, he recharges by spending time with his grandchildren or riding his motorcycle.
“That’s my freedom,” he said. “Just to get on the back of that motorcycle and to be by myself or with my wife.”
Hackett said helping bring up the next generation of EMTs helps keep the job fresh, even after more than three decades.
“It’s new every year,” Hackett said. “Watching the younger EMTs, it’s good seeing everyone grow.”
Even in his role as a supervisor, he still takes on a hands-on approach, with Charest noting the countless times he has jumped into an ambulance to take a shift at a moment’s notice.
“I’ve never been the one to expect something I wasn’t going to do myself,” Hackett said. “I get my hands dirty just as much as the person that I’m working with.”
The ultimate utility player, Hackett even put his former construction skills to work in helping transform Community EMS’ new location on Glennie Street. Whether he’s playing the role of carpenter, helping mentor a younger EMT, or saving a patient at a critical moment, it’s all in a day’s work for Hackett.
“If I can inspire other people to approach the work with compassion and integrity, I feel like doing my job,” he said.
Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the manufacturing and real estate industries.
