Local Paramedics Calling it a Career

EMS Lt. Terry Hutchinson and paramedic Rick Kahler graduated together from the same Baltimore County Fire Department academy class in 1986.

On Wednesday, the Essex men left their stations for the last time as both paramedics retired. The pair—along with EMS Lt. Sam Snyder, who is set to retire Dec. 30—are leaving the Essex-Middle River area with a combined century of experience.

Hutchinson and Kahler said their final day on the job was emotional as friends and co-workers stopped by their respective stations to wish them well. But both are ready for the next chapters in their lives after spending decades caring for those in the Essex-Middle River area.

“Stabbings, accidents, shooting, overdoses … I’ve seen it all on this job,” said Hutchinson, 54. “I’ve even delivered 12 babies. But, there comes a time when it’s just time. That doesn’t mean I won’t miss this. I will because you make a difference and develop great friendships and camaraderie with those you work with."

Hutchinson, a married father of two grown children, first got involved in emergency medical care in 1978—a year after his father died—when he joined He began his professional career at Dundalk and also spent time in Essex and Woodlawn before ending his career at Middle River.

“After my father died, I told my girlfriend, now my wife, Darla, that I was either going to join the fire department or the Maryland State Police,” Hutchinson said. “She didn’t like the idea of me with a gun. So, I got involved with the volunteer station and realized I loved doing this.”

Kahler, 49, was an X-ray technician when he became interested in being more involved in the medical field. He joined Middle River Volunteer Ambulance a few years after Hutchinson and both decided to apply for the academy at the same time.

In their careers, both men said there isn’t much they have not witnessed. Both were on the scene of the Amtrak train crash in Chase in 1987.

In addition, Hutchinson said, he was on the scene of the Stealth fighter crash at Martin State Airport in 1997 and was part of the first field amputation in Baltimore County when he removed a patient’s leg following a car accident in the early 1980s.

“You can only be taught so much in the academy,” Kahler said. “Much of this job can only be learned through experience. If you go out there thinking you know everything or have seen everything, you'll be in trouble.”

Snyder agrees.

The Middle River man has worked with Hutchinson and Kahler for practically all of their careers. Snyder will retire after a 31-year career, including the last 24 years based at the Middle River station.

Snyder, 56, grew up in Annapolis and spent time as a volunteer in Anne Arundel County before joining the Baltimore County Fire Department. He said the county can replace men like Hutchinson and Kahler with new paramedics, but you can’t replace that experience.

“Rick and Terry were more than just paramedics. They were teachers and mentors to so many in the department,” said Snyder, who is based at the Middle River station. “You meet people on this job when they are at their worst. That’s why you call 911.

“Learning how to handle people in such situation comes with experience and the county is losing a lot of that," he added. "It takes time to replace that kind of experience.”

Hutchinson, Kahler and Snyder all say they plan on remaining active in retirement.

Hutchinson said he plans on traveling, hunting and could possibly teach.

"I told my wife when I first got into this that I would do it for 25 years," Hutchinson said. "I got to do that and I've enjoyed every minute of my career."

Kahler, who is married, will work as an X-ray technician at Johns Hopkins Bayview and while still volunteering at Rockaway Beach Volunteer and Middle River Volunteer Ambulance & Rescue. He also plans on traveling.

“I want to remain active, but by volunteering I can do it when I want to,” said Kahler who worked with Hutchinson in Essex before spending the last 19 years at the Back River Neck Road station.

Snyder plans on spending time with his wife, grown children and his 8-year-old grandson while also weighing several part-time career options, including teaching.

“You see a lot on this job, and you get to the point where you don’t want to see that anymore,” Snyder said. “I’m fairly young and healthy and I have the chance to enjoy retirement. I lost a brother to cancer and he never got to retire and I want to be able to walk away on my own terms.”