Will Weaver always knew Acadian was the place he was meant to be.
Will spent over 33 years at Acadian, first, starting on a ground unit in Donaldsonville and Hammond in 1990 before his transition to offshore through Safety Management Systems, where he stayed until his eventual retirement in August of this year.
While he was working in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Will met Developmental Editor Chris Mixon on a fixed wing flight, picking up a patient.
“He gave me a card and said if I was ever in Lafayette to come and see him,” Will remembered. “I thought to myself, ‘Yeah, like I am ever going to be in Lafayette.’ Not too long after that, I met a girl from Baton Rouge.”
That girl, his now-wife, Tiffany, was in the EMT program at the University of Alabama when he was finishing his paramedic program. After a year of dating, Tiffany moved back home, and Will followed her.
Will and his wife, Tiffany. The two met at the University of Alabama.
She also worked for Acadian for a few years.
The first call he made when he arrived in Lafayette around Thanksgiving in 1989? Chris, letting him know he wanted to see him and talk about his future with Acadian.
“I went in and they showed me around the operations,” Will said.
Around Christmas of that year, he received the call.
“Acadian made me an offer and it seemed fantastic,” Will said. “And I got down here and I found out I am going to be working what they called a 48/72 hour shift.”
That rotation included working two days, off for three, then working two days, off two, and working the final three days, 72 hours straight.
Work back then for Will had its moments. But there is one that he had when he first started that he still thinks about.
In 1992, Will responded to a call for a nine-year-old patient, Cybil, who sustained injuries from a dog attack After Cybil was released, her family found the station where Will was working at the time. It allowed the two to formally meet – and for Cybil to say thank you. The two have been in touch ever since.
Cybil is thankful for the kindness and compassion that Will showed her. It left a lasting impression and impact on his life.
“I have now been in EMS for 21 years and counting thanks to him,” Cybil said. “He has been my mentor, friend and father figure since that day. He saved my life, and inspired me to be the EMT I am today, and I am so thankful he’s still in my life.”
For the time that Will worked, the hours he put in, the miles he drove, not for a second did he ever think of going somewhere else. Early on, he saw the potential in Acadian.
“I saw how strong the company was,” Will said. “I saw where we were going early on and there was no way I was going to leave.”
And they saw it in him, too.
Scott Henry serves as the Field Support Supervisor for SMS and has worked with Will for as long as he can remember. He credited Will for his dedication to his work.
Will looked out for the best interest of SMS, Scott said. “He and I are very close and have been friends for a long time. He was a great clinician and took his job to heart.”
Will said he is fortunate that he stayed with Acadian and more importantly, he is glad he joined the Employee Stock Ownership Program, getting into ESOP as soon as it started. Has it paid off for him?
“Oh yeah, real good,” he joked. “I don’t have any complaints.”
For the time he was here, Will said he enjoyed working with people who, like him, had a passion for their job.
“I enjoyed people who enjoyed what they did,” Will said. “Whether it was on the truck, on the ambulance or working support, or the guys in the shop, they always had fantastic attitudes. You can tell the people who were proud of what they did.”
Since his retirement, Will has enjoyed his free time. But he still looks back on the friendships he made at Acadian for over 30 years.
Will was able to meet some interesting people over the years, including people he picked up as patients, several of whom went on to work in EMS, a rewarding feat for him.
Will said he considers himself lucky to have worked with so many people and it’s the one thing that he will miss at Acadian.
“I left a lot of friends behind from offshore and the ground unit,” Will said. “There’s been so much.”
And now that he is home, Will said he is enjoying his free time, living on his 150 acres of land, taking care of his property. He has a handful of children who keep him busy, including three boys and a few adopted daughters. One of them, Sierra, is following in his footsteps, and attending nursing school.
“I enjoy taking my adult daughter to college every day,” Will said. “And spending as much time as I can with my grandkids. I am staying busy.”
