We recently had an opportunity to sit down and chat with Wilton Ambulance Director Sherry Miller. Because Sherry started in her position on March 30th, we asked her what it was like to assume a leadership role in ambulance services in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis. Sherry noted that in some respects, it was business as usual, since all first responders are already accustomed to the safety protocols we all now need to observe – face masks, gloves, sanitization of equipment, etc. In addition, call volumes were down because people were afraid of going to the hospital and were choosing to stay home to weather their issues on their own. However, she did need to devote a significant amount of her time to daily calls with various state agencies to discuss the crisis. Thankfully, this has lessened over time.
So what got Sherry interested in a career with ambulance services? Blame “Johnny and Roy” from LAFD’s Station 51 on the hit 1970’s TV series Emergency! Sherry remembers them opening the rear doors of the ambulance and jumping out to rush to an emergency, and thinking “I want to do that”! She was also influenced by her grandfather, who was a fire chief and VFW Ambulance worker.
Sherry grew up in Peterborough, and took her EMT class in 1995 at Souhegan Valley Ambulance. She ran with them until moving to Antrim in 1997. There she took her EMT-Intermediate in 1999, transitioning to AEMT in 2016. Sherry has been with the Antrim Ambulance since 1997 and was appointed to Deputy Chief in 2008, a position she still holds.
Just prior to assuming her new job with the Wilton Ambulance, Sherry served as the Dublin Town Administrator for 9 years. This gave her extensive experience in administration, budgeting and overall management, so when the job opened up in Wilton, she saw it as a great opportunity to combine her management and emergency skills. Sherry says Wilton has been very welcoming, and thinks the people are great; she also remarked on how beautiful the town is. She has spent some time riding the back roads and was amazed to see the version of Wilton you don’t get to see if you just travel on 101 or go through downtown.
And how is Sherry exploring those back roads? Well, via her favorite pastime – motorcycling! She and her husband Matt (they’ve been married for 25 years) both enjoy getting out on their motorcycles whenever they have free time! She currently resides in Antrim, and has two children (a son and a daughter), and two grandchildren.
When the time is right and visitors are again welcome, drop by the ambulance service and welcome Sherry to Wilton!
