Bally Ambulance's Katie Groff Named Boyertown First Responder of the Year

A 2012 graduate of Boyertown Area Senior High (BASH), Katie Groff has been named the Boyertown First Responder of the Year. Groff currently resides in Oley with her husband Lucas and their three children, Tyler, Emily, and Conner.

Informed about her selection for this honor when Dr. Jim Tribbett and Roger Lehmann, event chairman, came to visit her just as she was beginning her shift at Bally Ambulance, Groff says she “was very surprised.”

“I was very honored honestly. It’s such an achievement. You don’t go into this kind of work for awards. We do it because we love people and want to help and put a smile on someone’s face. We don’t get honored often,” Groff explains.

Groff has a lengthy history of involvement with emergency services having begun as a Junior Cadet with Friendship Hook & Ladder (Co.15) where her father was a firefighter. She describes herself as having “grown up in the firehouse” where her brothers were also volunteer firefighters, and says she “was always interested in the rescue side of things. Later Groff became a volunteer with the Earl Township Volunteer Fire Company, where her husband is a firefighter, and she still volunteers there in her “spare time.”

While working there, Groff obtained her Interior Firefighter Certification, Emergency Medical Technician license, and Pump Operations Certification. More recently, she is proud to have become a nationally licensed paramedic, and she serves as Medical Service Captain of Bally Community Ambulance Association where she is employed full time.

“I always wanted to achieve Paramedic,” she shares, and recalls her senior project as a BASH student: “We had to do a project about the career we thought we might like to pursue. I did ambulance ride-alongs and shadowed Ashley Neubauer who was a paramedic, and I researched and did a powerpoint presentation about my research and experiences… and now, here I am.”

Groff explains that being a paramedic is somewhat like being a detective; “People call the ambulance because they are in trouble and need help, and at a moment’s notice, we often have to try to figure out what is wrong.". However, Groff’s most memorable situation did not require detective work.

“Several years ago, we were called to a home a few days before Christmas. A pregnant woman had gone into premature labor. Her baby was only 25 weeks instead of 37-40, which is full-term. We delivered the baby at home and I did CPR all the way to the hospital. I got her heart beating and witnessed her first breath. I will never forget that. That child is now four years old,” Groff concludes, sharing what she feels is her greatest accomplishment, one that she will never forget.

Looking ahead, Groff expresses a desire to continue her education in her chosen line of work. “We don’t do this for the salary. We got into this field to help people. We are often there for the worst moments of someone’s life. I don’t want to stop at paramedic. I want to learn everything I can so that I have the tools to help people as much as I can.”

Clearly, the Bally Community Ambulance is in caring and competent hands with first responder Katie Groff.   

[Come out to support the award winners at the April 15 awards dinner. You can purchase tickets here. If you missed it, you can read more about the Citizen of the Year awards event here... and you can read about Citizen of the Year, Tom McHugh, here.]

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