As an emergency medical technician on duty at Coral Bay Fire Station, Larry Clarke not only puts out fires but also tends to medical issues in the Coral Bay area.
“Administer oxygen, basic lifesaving, CPR, splints,” he said, adding automatic electronic defibrillator operation to the list.
More than 70 percent of the calls responded to by the Fire Service in Coral Bay concern medical emergencies, Clarke said. About half of those are minor problems, he said. However, in the case of more serious issues, Fire Service EMTs stay on the scene until the ambulance arrives from Cruz Bay. That’s a trip that takes about 20 minutes compared to the five minutes it takes firefighter EMTs to respond.
EMTs also help with medical issues for students at Guy Benjamin School, located right next door to the fire station. Clarke said the firefighter EMTs can handle things such things as minor cuts, but it it’s something bigger, the ambulance or a parent comes to take them to Myrah Keating Smith Community Health Center.
Other than the school, the fire station is the only public building in Coral Bay. At times, it’s become the go-to spot for undocumented immigrants from China and Cuba who have instructions to call authorities from the fire station.
“We see Haitians and people from the Dominican Republic sneaking by in groups,” Clarke said, referring to the fact that while the others get political asylum, they can be repatriated.
He said that the undocumented immigrants seem to come in waves, but it has slowed recently.
And since Coral Bay has no gas station, Clarke said visitors often stop by to get directions and restaurant recommendations.
There are always challenges in working at a remote fire station. Clarke said vehicles develop problems that always seem to come at the worst time.
One of the biggest challenges comes because most roads in the Coral Bay area aren’t identified. He said there have been instances when they could see the fire burning up on a hillside but couldn’t find the right road to reach it.
However, Clarke brings another advantage to the Fire Service. When he’s not on duty, he operates Coral Bay Trucking to deliver sand, gravel, small trash containers, and whatever else he can carry on his multi-purpose vehicle.
“I know about every nook and cranny of Coral Bay,” he said, using that knowledge to help find burning buildings.
Clarke, 44, joined the Fire Service in 2000, becoming an EMT in 2005 when classes were offered on St. John.
He was a junior fire fighter growing up in Southampton, N.Y., a small town he said has many similarities to St. John. He and his wife Vanessa moved to the island in 1990 so she could open Mumbo Jumbo gift store in Coral Bay.
“I love St. John, there’s a sense of community and you know everybody,” he said.
Of course, that means that he sometimes responds to medical emergencies concerning people he knows. He said then puts the relationship aside and does his job.
“You have to separate yourself. You’re there as a professional,” he said.
After arriving on St. John, he worked construction, did some cabinet work and even cut trees before deciding on a career with the Fire Service.
Fourteen years ago his daughter Paige was born, and Clarke now is a team leader for his daughter’s sailing team. With the team, he’s been to Chile, Argentina, the Dominican Republic and Italy.
As for his future, he said he expects to retire from the Fire Service when he’s eligible, travel some and perhaps spend time somewhere else part of the year.
“But I’ll still be living on St. John,” he said.
