ROYAL CITY - Danielle "Danny" Snyder may be the youngest Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) on the Grant County Fire District No. 10/11 ambulance. She's been an EMT-B (basic) for three years.

"Wanting to be involved with an organization that makes the community better," is why she joined the fire district as a volunteer.

"Firefighters and EMTs are just  ordinary people," she said. "Unless being unpaid volunteers changes that definition."

Snyder believes the fire district and the community would be well-served if new volunteer members surfaced. She would especially like to see more young adults.

"Younger people will be the future of the district," she said.

Among Snyder's concerns regarding the future of emergency medicine on the Royal Slope, Snyder notes mostly the upcoming vote to renew the EMS tax levy. The election will be in August.

"I hope people realize what a bargain we have with our volunteer ambulance," she said. "It would be terrible to lose that."

Snyder can count on lots of family support for her work as an EMT volunteer. Her mother, Sena Snyder, is also a volunteer EMT,  serving in the same fire district.

Snyder also feels support from the community. She often hears appreciative comments from victims or their families.

"They say things like, I have a friend or family member who is alive today because of our EMTs or our ambulance," she said.

She added that another oft-spoken comment is "how nice it is" to find someone the patient or the patient's family knows personally among the crew.

Snyder will be taking a leave of absence from volunteering for the summer. She will be in New Jersey as the supervisor of counselors at a camp for disabled adults and youths.

The camp is sponsored by the Easter Seals group. Snyder said the influence of her EMT experience in getting the assignment "was massive."

"They knew that, with my experience as an EMT, I was capable and would not panic in a bad situation," she said. "I'll be working with a vulnerable population that depends on those in charge being able to stay with them in the event of any kind of problem."

Snyder added that, when she "grows up," she'd like to work long-term with the disabled.

"I guess that means some kind of social worker."