Real Stories: Healing PTSD with EMDR | S3 E33

Nick Paproski, LP, EMS-I, DICO-C, is an award-winning paramedic field provider and educator with over 18 years of experience working in municipal, fire based, commercial and volunteer EMS systems. Nick served as a career firemedic for the Ridgefield Fire Department from 2010-2020. Nick currently serves as the Director of Education, Safety and Wellness for Vintech Management Services, a 300 employee EMS staffing company based in CT. As a staunch advocate for provider mental health and wellness Nick routinely presents on the topic of PTSD for the Fairfield Country Trauma Response Team and has been interviewed for several podcasts and documentaries.

Danny Mack Welch of Monroe, CT passed away on December 6th. Danny Mack was born on February 25, 1949, in Wills Point, Texas to Cede and Verna.

From an early age, he lived a life full of grit and adventure. As a boy, he caught catfish with his bare hands, went alligator hunting, and played tag by outrunning snakes. At fourteen, he became a working cowboy—the real kind, long before cowboy hats were fashion statements. By seventeen, he traded the ranch for the United States Marine Corps, to serve his country in Vietnam.

He served with the elite First Force Recon unit during the Vietnam War, earning three Purple Hearts and numerous other medals and commendations. His service was not simply a chapter of his life; it was at the core of who he was. The Marine motto Semper Fidelis guided him always. He held fellow veterans close to his heart and spent much of his life supporting veteran organizations and efforts that provided equipment, including bulletproof vests, for police K-9 officers.

Though he spent his adult years in the Northeast, he never lost his rugged Texas spirit. He had a good sense of humor, a soft heart beneath a tough exterior, and a loyalty that ran deep. He loved a rare steak, a good story, and sharing his favorite foods: fried chicken wings, frog legs, ribs, and his unforgettable BBQ sauce.

He also had a well-known love affair with his trucks. It became a family joke that he’d buy a new one whenever the old one needed tires, even as he swore each time it was “the last truck I’m ever buying.”

Above all, he loved his fam… Read More

Peter Elste has been a Police Officer for 21 years. He started his career working four years with the NYPD 73rd Precinct in Brownsville, Brooklyn. During his short time with NYPD, he was part of the Street Narcotics Unit and Community Conditions Unit.
Pete is currently serving with the Danbury Police Department where he is a Field Training Officer, Crisis Intervention Team Coordinator, and a member of the Emergency Services Unit and Peer Support Team.
Pete also serves on the Executive Board of Responder Wellness Inc., a non-profit organization that works to support First Responders in the State of Connecticut.

Emergency Dispatcher for over 25 years as well as 15 years in commercial EMS and 20 years volunteer firefighting .