In this episode of EMS One-Stop, host Rob Lawrence welcomes John Sammons, an advanced practice paramedic with Wake County EMS, a peer support team member and a key leader in the NAEMT Lighthouse Leadership Program. John sits at the intersection of system design and human performance, helping build the kind of operational and cultural scaffolding that keeps clinicians effective, healthy and coming back tomorrow.
| MORE: Peer support teams: How to build trust and maximize effectiveness
This week’s conversation goes beyond “be more resilient” and into the practical realities of burnout, moral injury, mentoring and culture, including the role of frontline and unofficial leaders in shaping what “normal” looks like inside an agency. John also shares the Wake County approach to peer support: presence first, then resources, plus the power of finding your people: your team, your tribe, your board of directors.
Memorable quotes from John Sammons
- “We have folks that don’t stay in the profession. We have folks that leave. We have folks that unfortunately develop substantial mental health crises up to and including, unfortunately, suicide in our profession.”
- “What an amazing privilege that we’re invited into somebody’s home to take care of them and to figure it out.”
- “Every one of those people expects to call 911 and have an expert show up and solve the problem.”
- “I work to live, I don’t live to work. And that’s a great philosophy to have.”
- “Everybody goes home ... but there should be an addendum on the bottom of it that says, ‘but everybody comes back tomorrow.’”
- “Nobody gets us like we get us.”
- “Leadership is action, not a title.”
- “Everybody has their bucket, and everybody’s bucket can only hold so much.”
- “Nobody got into this because we wanted to be crusty and angry and miserable and difficult to be around.”
Organizational & program resources
- First Responder Wellness Week
- 3 key considerations when developing a peer support program
- Lexipol Peer Support & Wellness Resources
- Peer Support for First Responders: Benefits & Guidelines
- NAEMT Lighthouse Leadership Program (Mentorship for EMS Leaders)
- Additional Lighthouse Leadership Program Resources (journal club recordings, guides, etc.)
- The Code Green Campaign (First Responder Mental Health Advocacy & Education): Also referenced by SAMHSA as a recognized first responder mental health campaign
Episode timeline
00:40 – Rob opens the episode and introduces John Sammons and the theme: resilience and beyond
02:05 – John’s “Sammons 101” bio: Wake County APP, peer support, Lighthouse Leadership involvement
03:01 – Burnout data and why it matters for retention and wellbeing
04:16 – Wake County’s Advanced Practice Paramedic Program: the “three Rs”
05:03 – John’s post-COVID turning point: “I’m done ... I don’t want to do this anymore”
06:12 – What brings John back to work: purpose, people, privilege, challenge
09:16 – Prevention and balance: identity beyond the job, sleep, nutrition, purpose
12:15 – Peer support in practice: presence, triage, in-house clinician, canines, statewide resources
17:09 – Podcast/vodcast reminder and John’s slides supporting the discussion
18:14 – NAEMT Lighthouse Leadership: why relationships and peers are the real multiplier
20:39 – Mentorship as a resilience strategy: formal programs and informal investment
24:25 – Culture: administration vs frontline leaders vs unofficial leaders
28:06 – Closing reflections: remembering why we got into EMS
30:36 – Final takeaways
