Cain Graves is an Advanced EMT with HEMSI, and he’s been in the business for 13 years. First response runs in his family, including his grandfather who was a Madison Police chief for 19 years. But his road to HEMSI wasn’t exactly a smooth one.
“You know I wasn’t the best kid growing up – I was a bad seed, I stayed in a lot of trouble,” says Graves. “One thing I wanted to do was be a firefighter, but when I was doing my clinical rotations on the ambulance, I liked that better, so I decided to stay with this.”
In a sense, he looks at his time with HEMSI as redemption.
“Joining HEMSI was also my way of giving back some of what I took from the community growing up. I wasn’t the best kid, but it was my way of giving back.”
Graves, a tough guy with a cool name, also has a background in boxing. He’s a two-time Golden Gloves Champion and a registered coach with USA Boxing. He looks out for his boxers the way HEMSI looks out for its workers.
He continues, “They actually care about their employees, and they stand behind their employees when it’s needed. I don’t hear that you get that from a lot of other services.”
He says this position gives makes him feel good about himself and gives him a sense of fulfillment.
“The job itself is kind of rewarding. The camaraderie you have with all the other public services, the different people you meet, the different things you get to see – it’s never dull in the least.”