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Back then, a life like the ones the characters lived seemed out of reach.

“I thought it was just the coolest thing, and I thought, ‘Well, that’s out in California, that’ll never happen around here,’� Brown said.

When he was leaving high school, he started to notice how closely aligned local fire departments were with EMS. In 1993, someone suggested he join Triple Community Fire Department in Burke County because he’d be able to go to paramedic school without any fees.

After that, Brown was hooked.

He said Dennis Epley, a training officer for Burke County EMS at the time and the assistant chief of the Triple Community department, helped Brown get his foot in the door at EMS. At that time, there was a waiting list to work for the agency. Brown officially started working for Burke County EMS in 1996.

“I loved the service,� Brown said. “I love the job, and I like helping people. I felt like I finally found my place, I guess, in the fire service as well as EMS. Once in a while, you just find something you’re good at, or you feel like you’re good at.�

After almost 30 years with EMS, Brown retired in December.

He has seen a lot of changes during his time with EMS. Many of those came after 9/11.

“It just seemed like overnight, people’s mentality kind of changed toward more of a security type,� Brown said. “Everyone was worried about their personal safety, and it seems like there were so many firefighters and paramedics killed on 9/11, it seemed like we actually started getting a little bit more respect for what we did.�

He said before 9/11, some people didn’t understand the difference between paramedics and other first responders like firefighters. More funding also came in for different specialty programs, including special operations.

Brown joined the special operations team early in his career, getting deployed throughout North Carolina for hurricane response over the last 28 years. One of the most memorable was his first deployment for Hurricane Floyd in 1999.

During the hurricane, rising water caused some already-buried caskets to rise out of the ground, Brown said. One of his team’s tasks during the hurricane was to tie off any caskets found floating in floodwaters to nearby trees.

“Every day was a constant work and recovery effort,� Brown said.

It wasn’t dissimilar to western North Carolina’s experience with Hurricane Helene, Brown said. During Hurricane Helene in late September, Brown was at the county’s Jonas Ridge EMS base. He couldn’t make it back down N.C. Highway 181 for more than three days, but he had his chainsaw with him and he was ready to respond to calls.

The day the hurricane hit, Brown was dispatched to Avery County for what was originally described as a man stuck inside a drainage pipe. Brown thought someone might have flipped over their car trying to drive in the storm and got their arm stuck.

It took them an hour to get to the call, cutting trees out of the road with his chainsaw on the way, but the scene the team found when they arrived was dire, Brown said.

“That’s when we first realized it was a structure collapse,� Brown said.

A man had been outside on his front porch that morning when a landslide came down the mountain, destroying the porch and carrying the man another 100 feet, by Brown’s estimate. The man was buried under about 6 feet of rubble, but a drain pipe about 3 feet in diameter gave responders access to the man.

The water was rising, mud and debris were rushing into the area. Someone made sure the pipe was kept clear of debris — anything from pieces of wood, trees, cinder blocks and lawn furniture now mangled and twisted — while Brown talked to the man and tried to keep his airway clear.

That continued for several hours while they waited on rescue crews from Linville Central and Burke County to bring the equipment needed to stabilize the structural collapse.

Hours later, EMS loaded the man into an ambulance and took him to a hospital in Avery County.

Brown’s actions, both during Helene and throughout his career, were commended by Burke County EMS Director James Robinson at a recent Burke County Board of Commissioners meeting.

“Mike’s unwavering dedication has impacted thousands of lives, from residents to visitors in the Linville Gorge and even those reached through mutual aid to neighboring counties,� Robinson said. “His service has been marked by humility, courage, and selflessness, often putting others’ needs ahead of his own.�

Brown said the job has always kept him on his toes.

“It’s just a constant learning process,� Brown said. “It evolves all the time, and you’re always learning something.�

But more than that, every day brings an opportunity to save lives, he said.

“I feel like I’ve helped a lot of people over the years,� Brown said. “A lot of it’s not immediate. You don’t see that save from that cardiac arrest and get immediate gratification … but a lot of times a lot of folks don’t realize quick, early treatment keeps people from deteriorating to the point of either death or disability.�

There’s also the opportunity to bring lives into the world.

Brown said about 20 years ago, he was working on a truck with Tim Hubbard and Jon Lowdermilk when he helped a woman deliver a baby.

It wasn’t a smooth delivery. The baby was breech, and the mother had delivered everything but the head when EMS got there. EMS workers helped finish the delivery, but the baby was not breathing on his own. He was premature and EMS didn’t have an airway tube small enough to use, Brown said.

Brown recalled his son’s pediatrician helping at the hospital with CPR and suctioning fluids out of the baby’s airways.

It wasn’t clear when Brown left the hospital if the baby would survive. But not long after, Brown ran into the mother at Bojangles. She said the baby was doing well, and coincidentally she had named him Michael.

“It’s really gratifying, later on, whenever someone (thanks you),� Brown said. “That’s when you know you’ve made a difference and you know you’re in the right field.�

After finishing his last shift on Dec. 12, Brown said he’s hoping to do some traveling. He and his wife, Judy, plan to go on a Gulf Coast tour in their new RV.

For those starting a career in EMS, Brown’s best advice is to take care of yourself.

“Slow and steady is the way to go,� Brown said. “Take time for yourself. You will burn out. Find a healthy way to deal with your stress and find a healthy way to occupy your mind in your downtime.�