Candace Howard

Candace Thompson has served in emergency medical services since 2013. She began her journey inspired by her father's work as a call firefighter and landscaper, which led her to join the Army National Guard for eight years. The Guard experience funded her education at the South Dakota School, after which she became a firefighter and later an EMT before earning her paramedic certification five years ago. In her current role as paramedic supervisor at Cataldo Ambulance since April of the prior year, Thompson manages staffing and schedules for ambulances across communities from Boston to the North Shore up to Salisbury, handles inventory and supplies, collects billing paperwork, responds to high-acuity calls such as shootings and mass casualty incidents, and activates critical incident stress management teams. She also fields questions from crews on documentation, medications, and treatment protocols. Thompson received a certificate of recognition from the mayor of Newburyport and a cardiac arrest save award for reviving a firefighter experiencing a myocardial infarction en route to the hospital. She remains actively involved in her local school community through extracurricular support and aims to inspire young girls by demonstrating opportunities for women in this male-dominated profession.