TORRINGTON – The journey of life continues to remain a mystery to many of us. If there is one thing for certain, at no point do we ever truly know where it is going to take us. Very rarely do we faithfully know where we are going to end up on this crazy expedition.

Sure, we have dreams and make plans. Sometimes they become a reality, other times they remain merely a dream kept deep away in our own minds and hearts.

If one thing is for certain, life is so good at divulging little secrets just when we think we know it all so well. So much of the time the most amazing, wonderful things happen over the course of our lives when we least expect it, and never dreamt it was even in the cards.

Sometimes as the old saying goes, things just fall into your lap.

Albert Lira has earned a solidified reputation among Goshen County Emergency Medical Service (EMS) personnel for being a trusted, experienced and reliable first responder.

Having been a team member with both the Torrington Fire Department and EMS since the mid-nineties, Lira has not lost an inch when it comes to an ingrained desire to help someone else when it may mean life or death.

While reflecting on a storied career that lasted over three decades, Lira speaks of his work with an unbridled passion that still exists despite taking a step away from ambulance services in recent times.

Speaking with the soft voice of a loving grandfather, yet with the energy of a 20-year-old with his whole life ahead of him, Lira laughed when reflecting on how it all got started.

Despite fate naturally taking its course for the 65-year-old Torrington native, becoming an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) had never even crossed his mind as a young man.

“I had an automotive repair shop that I ran for a number of years,” Lira began. “During that time I got onto the fire department, and I’ll never forget it because Gary Heil was on it. I didn’t know him that well, but he just asked if I’d like to be on the fire department. I had never really thought about it, but he said I needed to come to a meeting. This all happened on a Monday, and I really liked it. So I got on with the fire department and was voted in.”

Although Lira was attracted to the excitement and adrenaline pumping of being a firefighter, as time went on the young mechanic found himself further and further drawn into the equally intense, clock-ticking race that comes with ambulance services.

“This all leads to the EMS side of things,” Lira continued. “On the fire side we would run with the EMS to a car accident or fire, and I was able to watch. When I got on with the fire department, it’s true with the adrenaline and excitement of what you are doing and the things you see. I watched the ambulance services, and I just wanted to be part of that. At the time I don’t know what part I wanted, because I thought it would just be cool to ride with them.”

Although the physical action and excitement of working with both firefighting and ambulance personnel was what drew Lira into the field, by his own account the studying and testing side of things was an entirely different story. 

“To work for the ambulance, you had to be an EMT,” Lira continued. “So, I took the class and I was not good. I hated classrooms as far as studying and stuff like that. I actually think I barely passed, and that was in 1994 or ‘95. You had to be with a partner on different stations, and at the time it was just a certificate. But I applied and got the position. I still had my own business at the time, Tri-State Auto Repair.”

Despite overcoming testing and classroom difficulties when first starting out, Lira was still powerfully drawn to the work ethic he was seeing from his more proficient EMT colleagues during that period.

According to Lira, he knew this was something he wanted and was willing to do whatever it took to get on the same level as his peers.

“I knew that I wasn’t that good,” Lira shared. “The thing was the calls I went on I liked, but I felt I just wasn’t that good. So, I would watch them and go to all the training meetings. My goal was to be better. I really started liking the job. To me it wasn’t really a job, it was fun and exciting. You see a lot of stuff. During that time, to get better you just did more. I put more time in on the weekends, and there were so many hours working with my supervisor.

“Right now, I have to say that I’ve learned a lot from people that aren’t there anymore who have either moved or retired,” Lira continued. “The names that stick with me especially are Joy Grapes, Brian Morehouse and Kim Williamson. They are the ones that I would watch and learn from, and that’s how I got better. It was just about working more hours.”

Lira made it a valid point to recall working as an EMT through the Coronavirus Pandemic. By his personal account, the time proved its own difficulties while still offering valuable lessons despite already having decades of medical knowledge.

According to Lira, Covid-19 proved to be the most difficult chapter of his entire career.

“Covid felt like training every day again,” Lira stated. “It was a new thing, and you learned new things all the time. Things changed, and we didn’t do certain things anymore. It got so busy to the point where when someone called for an ambulance, sometimes we could take them, and sometimes we couldn’t. If the symptoms were mild, it was just better to stay home than risk having everyone exposed. It was tough, it was busy and it was just the unknown. But as time went on, then you understood it better.”

Since graduating from Torrington High School in the mid 70’s, to owning and operating a successful auto-repair shop, then by chance taking a position as a firefighter, to finally finding his true calling and passion with emergency ambulance services, Lira has absolutely no regrets in taking a path he initially hadn’t planned for at all.

“I had to either go with those changes or go another direction,” Lira said. “I got sick leave, vacation, all these benefits which I didn’t have before because I was a business owner. I didn’t have that stuff. If I took a day off, I would have to make up for it at night. I made a decision that this was the route I wanted to go, and it was probably one of the best decisions I ever made. It led me to where I am now, and I love what I do. Anytime I can get better I do it. The gratification you get is not about the pay, it’s for helping someone who is either sick or injured. It helps you to keep going, it’s so incredibly satisfying and I love doing it.”

Although the retired EMT with the vigor and physique of a young man in his prime will be focusing on other aspects of life, he still had wise words of encouragement for others who may be exploring the same path.

“The job isn’t for everyone, but you won’t know unless you try,” Lira said. “If you feel you are interested in it, then you should pursue it. Pursue it because it can take you anywhere you want to go. You can do anything with EMS. You can be a regular EMT and stay that way, or you can branch off to another field in the medical world. It’s rewarding, and it pays actually now very well. If you want something that will give you satisfaction from just being there, this is one of the jobs and I would highly recommend it.”

Just before quietly returning to his everyday routine, Lira stopped and asked for just one more thing to be acknowledged.

“I raised my kids here, and I just want the people to know how thankful I am for them and wishing me good luck. There are so many people out here I just want to say thank you to. There’s always a door here. Even if it’s closed you can open it, or you can turn the other way. I think that everything happens for a reason. Everything. Sometimes at first you don’t understand, and then later on you go, ‘Oh! Now I get it.’”