BEAVER, WV (WVNS) — Being a paramedic is not a job for the faint of heart. It can be even more of a challenge when treating patients in a foreign country, but that is exactly what Elizabeth Hammons was born to do.
Hammons is a critical care paramedic who works in remote locations all over the world. But her journey started in Raleigh County, where she was born and raised.
“I started off as a Junior Firefighter for the Beaver VFD, went into the military as a combat medic, and from there, came home and grew my career through JanCare for almost a decade, ” Hammons recalled.
After working as a flight paramedic, a unique yet challenging opportunity as a critical care paramedic for a company, called National Set Medics, fell into her lap in 2017.
The position allows her to travel the world and be on site for numerous shows, including Naked and Afraid. In many of these remote locations, Hammons and her staff are the only access to health care these cast members have for miles.
She was recently awarded the title of director for their reality medic division.
“For reality shows that are as extreme as Naked and Afraid, a lot of the medics in my division are armed in case we have to fight off animals,” Hammons said. “We’re also armed with advanced life support techniques and we kind of go above and beyond for that with the ability to suture and give antibiotics. ”
Hammons admits her job can be dangerous and forever poses new challenge, but has given her some of the most rewarding moments in not only her career, but in her life.
She recalled an unforgettable moment that happened while on location in a small South American village.
“While we were there, one of their children was bitten by one of the most poisonous snakes in the Americas,” Hammons remembered. “I had the opportunity to take care of that boy and provide advanced life support and get him out of there safe.”
