Meet Marple Ambulance Corps Member Mark Smith

Marple Newtown Patch wants you to get to know your first responders. They do dangerous work and Patch would like to recognize them. Meet this first responder who is a member of the

Name: Mark "Smitty" Smith

Age: 52

Hometown: Broomall

Rank/Title: Senior EMT

How long have you been with the Marple Ambulance Corps? 

About 4-5 years now.

What do you like about your job? 

The excitement—the change. Every day is something different. It’s not monotonous. Being in the 911 service...it’s exciting. You can get anything from a drunk person to a person who needs CPR. I also love all the different hours—evening, overnights and day hours.

What do you dislike about your job? 

Not much. There are emotional scars though. I’ve been doing this since 1985. When you bring someone back to life and the next day at the hospital you find out that they let them go...it's hard.

What inspired you to become an EMT? 

I used to have my own landscaping business in northern New Jersey. My mom used to bust me and always asked when I was going to get a real job like a desk job. I worked at the federal courthouse as a court clerk and wore a suit every day. I just hated it. Getting into a suit and working 9-5 is not me. I started volunteering as an EMT in 1985 and I just loved it. I was just looking for something else to do. At the time I lived above a pizza parlor, and the ambulance was right up the street. I've been an EMT since. I also work for Malvern part-time, and work as an emergency personnel for all of the Philadelphia pro-teams and college teams during events, games and concerts. I also just started in Haverford as an EMT.

What do you like about the Marple Newtown area? 

It’s a quiet hometown but it has all these major routes to get to anywhere. My daughter also goes to and it’s good for her too.

What do you want the general public to know about the Marple Ambulance Corps?

We are a fast and efficient service. A lot of the guys are experienced. There’s always someone with a lot of experience on board and can handle any situation. We work well with the cops in town. These guys are getting the stretcher for you, they’re already hooking up the treatment to the patient...not many cops do that. That’s probably the best part. That’s one thing I love. Also and are really great bosses. We’re always staffed enough so that we can cover pretty much every call we receive.