AMR in the Yakima Community

David Lynde, AMR Yakima, Operations Manager

David Lynde is proud to call Yakima his hometown. Lynde was born and raised in Yakima, so he knows a thing or two about the local area and the people who inhabit it. One his favorite things about living in Yakima is that there are four distinct seasons, each one more beautiful than the next with an abundant amount of sunshine. Primarily an agricultural community, Lynde also raises cows and grows alfalfa. While that sounds like a big job, that is not his primary occupation.

Lynde serves as AMR Yakima’s Operations Manager and has worked for AMR serving the community for 30 years. He started his career in 1991 as a mechanic and stayed in that role for 15 years. During those years, Lynde frequently had the opportunity to take on extra responsibilities in the operation and many times volunteered to do things in addition to his role as a mechanic.

“By volunteering to do extra work and observing how the operation was managed, I had lots of on-the-job training, so when our Operations Manager left, I was asked to fill in on an interim basis,” Lynde explains. It was then that Lynde decided to get his EMT certification and eventually, he was offered the role of Operations Manager on a permanent basis—that was 15 years ago.

Lynde doesn’t forget his roots though and calls the fleet mechanics the unsung heroes of EMS. They quietly work in the background ensuring that all the ambulances are running smoothly, troubleshooting problems on the roadside and making sure our medics can focus on patient care and our fleet is ready to go at a moment’s notice.

Just like fleet, the medics that serve the Yakima community, have a passion for EMS. Lynde says there’s not really anything he could say to convince someone to choose a career in EMS, what he has noticed is that the profession chooses the people. People who have a passion for taking care of patients and being a critical part of a community.

One of the best memories Lynde has that demonstrated the heart of a first responder was a patient who refused to leave the house because she didn’t want to leave the dog alone. The crew knew the patient needed to get to the hospital so one of the medics volunteered to take care of the dog. The patient finally agreed, and the medic did just that for as long as was needed.

The job is not just always about taking care of people but putting the pieces together and doing whatever needs to be done to provide what’s best for the patient. “We’re part of the community, while many of us have always called Yakima home, many others moved here and have grown to love the area,” Lynde says.

Lynde is very active in the community and serves as a Board Member for Leadership Yakima. He loves living and working in Yakima and is proud to serve in his hometown.

Scott Zachau, AMR Yakima, Chief Operations Supervisor/CES

From a young age, Scott Zachau was intrigued by the medical profession. Growing up in Seattle, Wash., he always knew he’d be a part of that world, he just didn’t know for sure in what capacity. Later, he was drawn to emergency medicine and attended Central Washington University, taking advantage of its strong paramedic program. While a student, he did much of his field work with AMR Yakima and decided that was the area in which he wanted to live and work.

“There are a lot of things to do in Yakima,” he said. “Hiking, biking, fishing, camping, wine tours, breweries: and you are only a couple hour drive to Seattle or Spokane. Being a smaller community, there are local community events around the area including farmers markets. With big cities, it appears everyone is in a rush to get somewhere or get things done. With Yakima being a small community, things are more relaxed and slower paced.”

Serving his community in emergency medical services since 1996, Zachau joined AMR 16 years ago as a part-time Paramedic in 2005. After earning his Washington State Paramedic Certification, he became a full-time EMT and, in short order, was promoted to Operations Supervisor. In 2015 he was named Chief Operations Supervisor/CES for AMR’s West Region, the position he currently holds.

Zachau has had many interesting and memorable experiences in his 16 years with AMR. One that particularly stands out occurred while Senator Bernie Sanders was running for President of the United States and made a campaign stop in Yakima. Zachau and an AMR EMT were asked to work on stand-by for the event when a call came in.

“We were dispatched to a CPR in progress in front of the entrance doors (of the event venue),” said Zachau. “When we arrived on-scene, the Secret Service was there performing CPR on a patient. Alongside the Secret Service performing chest compressions, we worked together to provide treatment. The patient regained pulses and consciousness before being transported to local ER for further treatment and ended up walking out of the hospital. It was a memorable call working with Secret Service to provide life-saving treatment to a patient that survived a cardiac arrest.”

As AMR Yakima celebrates 60 years of service in the community, Zachau has advice for those who want to enter the emergency medical service profession.

“I would recommend that if someone is interested in EMS, go through EMT class and work for AMR,” he said. “If you enjoy helping people and making a difference in many lives, my recommendation would be to work as an EMT for two-to-three years before considering going to Paramedic school to be able to do more for the community you service.”