“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”

The first responders working for Metro Ambulance Service are proof of that statement.

These individuals strive to provide the highest quality pre-hospital, emergency medical care, and transportation to the citizens and visitors in the City of Meridian, Lauderdale County, and the town of Marion.

“From the time the phone rings in dispatch until the patient is at the hospital, these folks run like a well-oiled machine,” explains Executive Director Clayton Cobler. “Pre-arrival instructions from dispatch, bedside treatment, and quick transport all work to shorten hospital stay time for many patients.”

‘I have a passion for my job’

Davida Hopkins is the dispatch supervisor at Metro. With over two decades of service under her belt, Hopkins oversees all the operations and ensures that everything runs smoothly.

“I was born and raised in a family of law enforcement,” Hopkins says. “My father was a policeman who retired from the city and then worked in the county where he has also retired. My mother was a dispatcher. When I called Clayton many years ago, I told him I wanted to be a paramedic. He told me he had an open position for a dispatcher, and he urged me to take the basic EMT class taught at Meridian Community College. I’ve been a dispatcher ever since. I cannot imagine my life apart from it.”

“I have a passion for my job, and I try to do anything I can to help anyone,” she adds. “All the first responders at Metro are like one big family. They are just like my children.”

In what little spare time she has, Hopkins and her husband Wayne love spending time with their four-year-old grandson, Ryatt who lives in Gulfport.’’

‘Our job is to do our best to help them’

Chad Williams has been working as a paramedic at Metro for two years. He says he wanted to go to the police academy when he was 19, but he discovered the minimum age requirement was 21.

A graduate of Quitman High School, Williams said he realized how vital helping people was to him.

“First responders see people on their worst day, but our job is to do our best to help them,” he says.

Williams and his wife Belinda have a baby girl, Aila Grace, on the way. When he is not working with his extended family at Metro, he works hard to remodel his house to prepare for their impending arrival.

“I am busy at work, and I am busy at home, but I figure I can catch up on my sleep when I retire,” he laughs.

“My primary goal is to help people”

Nikki Mabry has been an Emergency Medical Technician at Metro for two years. Mabry says she always knew she wanted to work in the medical field.

“I don’t like feeling cramped in an office space,” she said. “I like being outside, but my primary goal is to help people. When first responders help save a life, we feel fulfilled. When I started this job in April 2020, we were right in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. So many people asked me, ‘Why? and my answer was, ‘Why not? At that time, Metro was understaffed, and I was able to fill an important role.”

While Mabry puts in 60-80 hours a week, she can still be a full-time mom to her twin boys, Marshall and Hunter (10), as well as her daughter Savannah (9).

Mabry will begin training in the MCC paramedic program in August. She’s looking forward to sharpening her skills.

“As an EMT, we are not allowed to administer meds or IVs; we can perform CPR. We can assist paramedics on our calls, but we do not have the same authority,” she said. “Paramedics can perform more complex procedures, such as inserting IV lines, administering drugs, and applying pacemakers. I want to further my education and increase my skills to make a difference at Metro,” she explains.