Your Job Captured in Photos

2020 was the first full year of COVID-19. It was a particularly harrowing time for EMS personnel who risked their lives to save others despite inadequate (or nonexistent) PPE, an overwhelmed health care system, and the loss of family, friends and coworkers to the dreaded disease.

The struggles, terrors, and triumphs of your fellow EMS workers have been captured by Derek O. Hanley, a California-based disabled veteran combat medic-turned photographer and videographer, whose just-released hardcover book Photos from the Front Lines: A Year on the Streets of Alameda County features roughly 500 black-and-white photos from his ridealongs with California’s Falck Alameda County ambulance crews through the first tumultuous months of the pandemic.

Why He Did It

When Hanley began this ambitious project in January 2020, he was as unprepared as anyone for the looming pandemic. The striking photos Hanley captured document the progression from innocence to confusion and chaos, and the determined efforts of Falck Ambulance Alameda County personnel to do their jobs despite the uncertainty and grueling circumstances.

Photos from the Front Lines captures the reality of EMS providers in the thick of the emotion-charged protests over the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and others. It chronicles the appreciation parade residents held for local first responders too. The book is a no-holds-barred snapshot in time of what EMS personnel faced during the terrible, turbulent and triumphant year that was 2020.

“Photos from the Front Lines covers the arc of the pandemic through the lens of the medics on the streets,” Hanley told EMS World. “I try to minimize the amount of captioning and dialogue to let the photos speak for themselves and let the EMS providers tell their story through the photography. They don’t typically get the same level of appreciation for their lifesaving efforts as firefighters and police. My book is meant to change that.”

Hanley didn’t intend to put together a book when he started riding with Falck Alameda County, just as he and everyone else had no idea that COVID-19 was about to turn the world upside down. The 500 black-and-white photos that occupy its pages are meant to provide a newspaper-like look at what those EMS professionals went through during the first pandemic year—akin to the photos of World War 2 troops on the battlefield.

Hanley chose black-and-white photos for two reasons: First, “stripping away the color helps you to focus on the subjects and the environment that they're surrounded by,” he said. Second, “it helps to keep the cost of the book down, to make it affordable to EMS and other first responders. Even though I am using the very best paper to maximize the photo quality and impact, not using color ink saves a lot of money.”

Capturing Moments

A few memories stand out to Hanley among the many that are captured in the book. One is the nighttime George Floyd protest that quickly turned violent. “That was probably the most in fear of my life that I've ever been,” he shared. “I was almost expecting a January 6 thing, where they're going to charge the line. After all, there were 200 first responders there along with 7,500 protestors. You could feel the weight of thousands of people throwing [a] kind of discontent in your direction.”

Another standout was an appreciation parade held for first responders in Alameda County, during which thousands of residents took to the streets to show their love.

“I was intentionally capturing that with my camera to be able to show other first responders like, ‘this is for you, this is for the sacrifice you guys did when you were out there,’” Hanley shared.

There were the dedicated EMS personnel who volunteered to walk into nursing homes “where every single person in there was COVID-positive and all the staff have been wiped out because of this bug,” he said before having to pause to compose himself. “Sorry, that makes me emotional just thinking about it.”

Finally, “there's a shot of a father and son working together for the son's first shift as an EMT, and the father gets to pin his son’s badge on,” said Hanley. “That was an event that may not be hugely spectacular, but it warmed my heart and showed the passing of the torch. That happens quite often in the first responder community.”

Recognizing Sacrifice

These striking historical images and many more like them motivated Hanley to create Photos from the Front Lines. It deserves a place in a book holder on the coffee table or the front hall, with a different page displayed each day.

“Getting people to see the bravery and dedication of our EMS workers during the pandemic is what this book is all about,” he said. “I want to give recognition to these folks who sacrifice so much and put their own lives on the line to protect the public. That's what I'm hoping for.”

Photos from the Front Lines: A Year on the Streets of Alameda County is now available at www.dohp.net and on Amazon for $74.99. Follow Hanley on Instagram at @thatsdohp and on LinkedIn at @derekohanley

James Careless is a frequent contributor to EMS World. Contact him at james@jamescareless.com