Responder Resilience

Lucas Isola

Lucas Isola Profile Photo

Chief EMS Officer

Lucas Isola is Chief Officer of the Irvington Volunteer Ambulance Corps and an AEMT with 15 years of EMS experience. He has worked to strengthen operations, support responder wellness, and build sustainable community-based EMS systems. In partnership with Whitney Wilkerson, he helped create Pups and Cups, a resilience initiative that brings therapy dogs, coffee, games, and stress-relief tools to local EMS stations. Lucas is passionate about supporting the mental health of first responders and advancing practical, culture-driven approaches that help responders stay healthy, effective, and connected to the mission.

S6 E21 Pups, Cups & The Quiet EMS Crisis
May 27, 2026

S6 E21 Pups, Cups & The Quiet EMS Crisis

They respond to the worst moments of people's lives — every single shift. Then they clear the call, restock the rig, and do it again. Nobody asks if they're okay. The system just keeps moving. In this episode of Responder Resilience, we sit down with two people who decided that wasn't good enough.