The Buffalo News
BUFFALO, N.Y. 鈥� Lance Smeal has been in plenty of tense situations over his three-decade career responding to emergency calls in Niagara Falls. If warranted, he will turn to one of his favorite topics, the Buffalo Bills, to loosen the mood and help patients and their loved ones feel more comfortable in difficult moments.
That鈥檚 what he did one evening last year, when he responded to a call for a 2-year-old having difficulty breathing. While he evaluated the toddler, who ended up being OK, Smeal also calmed and reassured the older brother by talking about their shared love of the Bills. Before Smeal left, he took his watch off his wrist and gave it to the toddler鈥檚 older brother.
鈥淚t was my Buffalo Bills watch, and I just gave it to him,鈥� said Smeal, an advanced emergency medical technician and field training officer with American Medical Response. 鈥淚 thought that was the end of it.鈥�
But Smeal鈥檚 kindness did not go unnoticed, and the 54-year-old Lockport resident will be honored next month at the American Ambulance Association Stars of Life awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. The Stars of Life program honors emergency medical services professionals across the country who 鈥渉ave gone above and beyond the call of duty in service to their communities or the EMS profession.鈥� Smeal is one of 33 Stars of Life this year from Global Medical Response, AMR鈥檚 corporate parent.
鈥淭his award is among the highest honors an EMS professional can receive,鈥� said AMR Operations Manager Eric Conley, who called Smeal 鈥渁 great clinician and a better human being.鈥�
Smeal was not seeking public attention through his interaction with the boy that evening and, in fact, is a little uncomfortable in the spotlight. He said he simply enjoys talking to patients, particularly when the Bills come up.
鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to be recognized,鈥� Smeal said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e a dedicated, passionate bunch, and there are thousands that do this, day in and day out, and just help the community. There鈥檚 so many that should be honored.鈥�
EMS can be a difficult, emotionally draining profession. In fact, AMR and other EMS providers are grappling with staffing challenges in what can be a high-turnover field. Further, the number of certified EMS providers in New York State is now less than 65,000, a drop from 80,000 just five years ago. AMR has about 350 EMTs, paramedics, dispatchers and support staff serving Erie and Niagara counties, but the company has said it needs more employees.
Thirty-one years into his career, Smeal said he鈥檚 never thought about doing anything else.
鈥淭his is what I was meant to do,鈥� he said.
鈥業 like your watch鈥�
The call came in the evening of March 31, 2023, in Niagara Falls.
Smeal and his AMR crew quickly responded, as did the Niagara Falls Fire Department.
Upon arrival, Smeal immediately assessed the 2-year-old, who was surrounded by his grandmother, Angela Rubin, and his family, including his 12-year-old older brother, Joey.
As Smeal and the family realized the 2-year-old was going to be OK, Joey walked up to Smeal, making sure he wasn鈥檛 too busy at that moment, and politely said: 鈥淓xcuse me, sir, I like your watch.鈥�
On Smeal鈥檚 wrist: a Buffalo Bills-themed Timex watch with blue straps.
Smeal, a Bills season ticket holder, talked to Joey about the team, its players and how they thought the Bills were going to do that season.
After evaluating the 2-year-old, Smeal reviewed options with the family, who decided they would take the toddler to the emergency room.
Smeal returned to the ambulance and, once the Fire Department left, made one last trip into the house. As the family prepared to go to the hospital, Smeal gave his watch to Joey, who uttered a 鈥渢hank you鈥� but otherwise stared at Smeal, speechless.
Smeal later told his wife, who had given him the watch for Christmas just a couple of months earlier.
鈥淪he was completely OK with it,鈥� he said.
鈥楢mbulance man鈥�
At 11:58 a.m. the next day, April 1, 2023, Rubin posted on Facebook that her 2-year-old grandson was doing well but also to thank the Fire Department and 鈥渢he ambulance man.鈥� She sought to find him so Joey could more fully thank him.
鈥淚 would like to find this man so that he can thank him again now that he is not in shock!鈥� Rubin wrote. 鈥淭he world does still have good people out there.鈥�
At 2:49 p.m. that day, Deborah L. Johnson commented and told Rubin the man鈥檚 identity: 鈥渙ur friend, our co-worker, the best AMR has to offer, Lance Smeal .鈥�
A couple of weeks went by. Then one day, Rubin and her grandchildren showed up to AMR鈥檚 Niagara Falls quarters, where they met Smeal.
Knowing he might meet the family again at some point, Smeal had a No. 40 Von Miller jersey waiting for them to take home.
Joey also had a surprise for Smeal: a handwritten thank-you letter.
鈥淚 will take very good care of the watch,鈥� Joey wrote in the letter, shared on Facebook by Niagara Action. 鈥淧eople don鈥檛 do nice things anymore for kids. You are the best medic in the world!鈥�
In the letter, Joey also informed Smeal that he was a fan of the Bills and the Chargers. Smeal thinks the watch and the jersey could make Joey a full-time Bills fan.
鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to get them in to the (Bills) Mafia when they鈥檙e young,鈥� Smeal said. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 be a lifelong Bills fan if you don鈥檛 start young.鈥�
鈥楳y one-year plan鈥�
Smeal, a 1990 Lewiston-Porter graduate, went to college for physical education, but he wasn鈥檛 sure if that was the right path for him.
His cousin, an EMS supervisor, suggested to an uncertain Smeal: 鈥淵ou know what, why don鈥檛 you try this for a bit?鈥�
鈥淥riginally, this was my one-year plan, but I鈥檝e been here 31 years,鈥� Smeal said. 鈥淚 love it, and I love going to work every day.鈥�
Smeal started with LaSalle Ambulance, which was acquired in the mid-1990s by Rural/Metro, which was then acquired about a decade ago by AMR.
Amid the changes, Smeal has worked all 31 years in Niagara Falls, where he works the 5:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. shift. After all these years, Smeal said he knows everyone in the Fire Department, the Police Department, the hospitals and even the local 7-Eleven workers. But he still gets to meet new people every shift, responding to anywhere from two to 10 calls a night.
Sometimes, Smeal meets people at their worst moments, but he tries to leave a positive impression on patients in those 20 to 25 minutes. That鈥檚 important, he said, because patients will remember the interaction.
鈥淚f you make it a positive one, that helps,鈥� he said, 鈥渂ecause a year from now, I go into a house and the mom鈥檚 sick and she鈥檚 panicking. She doesn鈥檛 want to leave, and her stress level is so high. And then you have a son going, 鈥楳om, he took care of me two years ago. He鈥檚 a good guy.鈥� Well, that immediately reduces her stress level.鈥�
And he鈥檒l keep talking about the Bills with patients when the moment arises, using the team to ease the tension in stressful moments and to connect with people. And if he sees Miami Dolphins items in a house, he may drop a well-timed, 鈥淲hoa, what is that?鈥�
If the Super Bowl comes up in conversation, he may even tell some patients about his license plate: PLS1SB.
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