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COLUMN BY MATT PRANGER |
Previous columnsList of columns written by Matt Pranger | |
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Frank Wilson: Simply the best
posted 04/13/04
I became acquainted with Frank -- director of the San Juan Aid Unit for 25 years -- soon after arriving in Friday Harbor in the summer of 1990. A green reporter and photographer, I didn’t know what to expect when calling Frank about an accident. I remembered some curt and a few nasty responses from emergency medical managers or their spokespeople while working in the Seattle area. I was pleasantly surprised when Frank treated me like a human being, not some sort of ghoul prying for a person’s private health information. I quickly learned what questions Frank would answer and I think he appreciated that I was just trying to inform my readers, not intrude on others’ privacy. He always treated me fairly. At some point in the early 1990s it dawned on me that Frank responded to nearly every incident -- day or night, Frank was there. I wondered if he ever slept. Occasionally I’d hear a call on the scanner to an address a few blocks from the office. I might arrive before the ambulance, but I never arrived before Frank. I figured his battered pick-up featured a nitro booster. It was appropriate that Frank arrived first. His presence put even the crustiest islander at ease. Even recent transplants and visitors knew they were in good hands. Frank’s comforting compassion for the injured was evident. His calm, collective command of the diciest of incidents impressed me. I never saw him lose his composure, no matter what the situation. Observing San Juan Islands’ EMTs and paramedics for more than a decade I realized they valued and worked hard for their leader. Under Frank’s direction the San Juan Aid Unit developed an incredible response record, saving scores of islanders. The unit did this with only a few full-time workers. I also remember being shocked when learning how under-compensated Frank was. For many years Frank was paid part-time wages for a full-time-and-then-some job. A salary bump should’ve come years before. Frank always put the aid unit’s needs before his own. Some of his pick-ups didn’t even qualify as a "good island truck." He didn’t demand an expensive, shiny new vehicle every few years. Fiscally, he was the most responsible administrator I’ve encountered. Last year the aid unit building was named the "Frank Wilson EMS Building." That’s fitting since well-trained EMTs will respond from the Frank Wilson Building for years to come. No islander I know has sacrificed more for others. Frank missed more "quality family time" than any islander I know. His wife Janet, daughter Molly and son Bob are entitled to more gratitude than we can express. I was fortunate to never look up at Frank from a gurney, but I’m glad he was there for others. His unassuming, dedicated, caring, responsible, unselfish leadership is an inspiration and will be missed. Thanks Frank, you’re the best. |
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