On the Frontlines of Public Safety: Firefighter-Paramedic Andrew Crosta

Not many people wish to spend any time in an ambulance or with a fire truck, but for Scituate firefighter-paramedic, Andrew Crosta that’s how he chooses to spend his time every day at work. 

Crosta didn’t always know this was the career path he would take. He majored in sports medicine in college, thinking physical therapy would be his chosen field. After college, he started working on an ambulance to gain experience, and that’s when he says he “fell in love with the emergency factor and working on an ambulance.” 

Crosta started off his career as a paramedic with Brockton EMS for about two years. Once he was hired by Scituate Fire and Safety, he was sent to a three-month-long firefighter academy. Following this training, he could spend one month working on the ambulance and the next month on the fire engine.  

Originally from Abington, Crosta said he finds it rewarding to work in such a “beautiful town” with a “great community.” He reflects on the fulfilling experience to “serve the public” and enjoys “seeing gratitude in people’s faces after helping them out in usually one of [their] worst days.” According to Crosta, this is what makes his hard work and training worth it. 

When asked about his least favorite part of the job, Crosta didn’t have an answer. He truly loves what he does for a living. “I love everything about it,” he says, in regards to his career, especially the flexible schedule that the job has that allows him to pick up other hobbies and side jobs. 

In addition to the public service aspect of his job, Crosta is also very passionate about the adrenaline rush and the physical demands of his work. He recalls a recent fire that was uncommonly intense in this age of fire preventive construction. The fire called for such action that Crosta and the rest of the crew had been training to handle. After responding to an intense situation such as this one, people will ask him, “Why are you smiling?” and he responds by explaining this is what firefighters “love to do.” He also appreciates the feeling he gets walking out of a fire and knowing he kept everyone safe. 

Although Crosta is young and hasn’t been on the job as long as some of his coworkers, he has seen some distressing things and has answered calls when he was a “little bit blown away,” especially during his time in Brockton. But that doesn’t stop him from loving his job: “You learn to deal with it and you learn from those experiences,” he says. 

In the future, Crosta hopes to continue working his way up the ranks in Scituate to become an officer and eventually a lieutenant.

First responders like Crosta are true testaments to the importance of loving what you do. He gets to spend his days saving lives and making the community of Scituate a safer place, and he loves it.