(From Owens Community College)
People tell Heidi Hess that she’s a trailblazer, and she figures that’s true. Not only did she pave the way for women in fire departments across northwest Ohio, including spending nine years as captain in the Springfield Township Fire Department, but she taught and influenced thousands of students as an instructor at Owens Community College for nearly 40 years.
Hess will hang up her teaching duties after this semester, marking the end of a teaching career that started in 1988. When people say Hess helped build the Emergency Services Technologies department at Owens, they’re not wrong.
“I always say, I’m not the best paramedic in the world, I can hold my own, and I’m sure there are better instructors out there, too, but I give my students 110 percent,” Hess said. “I want them to be good. Everybody knows me out in the field because I’ve been doing this for so long, and I don’t want the student out there not knowing what they’re doing and embarrass me.
“They always ask kids when they go to the departments for clinicals, ‘Who’s your instructor?’ Most of them tell me they knew it was me before they even ask because of the way they act.”
Hess’ start in the field was pure happenstance. Home after graduating from college, she saw an ambulance race down a street and thought it looked fun. That’s all it took — she embraced her studies, taking classes in Lima, and received her EMT in 1978. She began her paramedic classes a few years later.
She originally wanted to volunteer at her local fire department in the late 1970s but was told there were no openings. Another young person who lived on the same street was hired by the department the next day. It was quick and stark lesson — if Hess wanted to be a woman in the profession, it would take more work, effort and sacrifice to make it happen.
Hess went so far as to file two important lawsuits to battle discriminatory hiring practices in 2000. She decided to follow through on the filing after she was passed over for a promotion despite having more experience and certifications, knowing that if she didn’t push for change, nothing would be different in the future.
Despite the hardships and obstacles she’s overcome, or maybe because of them, her experience has been sweeter. And little makes her prouder than to see an increase of women in her classrooms.
“It’s nice to see more women in the classroom,” Hess said. “It’s always going to be a ‘man’s job,’ but I still encourage the women to go in there and give it your best shot. Just do your job.”
Hess has worked professionally for private companies as well as at Woodville Township, Perrysburg Township and Springfield Township, where she retired in 2014. She was also a member of the Lucas County Life Squad and worked for ProMedica and Life Flight.
Because of what she thought was subpar training when she was a student, there was plenty of on-the-job learning for Hess. Ultimately, that’s what led her to being a teacher.
“The gentleman who taught my EMT class was terrible, he didn’t teach us half of the stuff we were supposed to know,” Hess said. “I thought if I ever decided to teach, I want to do better than that. I think I do a good job. I want the students to do well because they’re out there saving lives.”
Hess’ influence extends from the paramedics and workers in the field right back to Owens. Matt Phillips, the chair of Emergency Services Technologies at the college, was taught by Hess in his EMT, Advanced EMT and Paramedic courses.
“Heidi has been the heart of our program. She sets the tone for excellence through her experience and unwavering dedication to her students,” he said. “It’s not just her knowledge that stands out — it’s her genuine care. She’s the kind of instructor who shows up early, stays late and makes sure every student feels prepared and valued.”
Hess hopes her legacy at Owens will be that her students feel they were well taught and prepared. She said there are high standards at Owens because of the life-and-death importance of the work these students will soon be doing.
And while she admits she might be biased, she thinks that makes Owens the best program in northwest Ohio.
Hess has built a life and a legacy out of a chance thought when watching an ambulance on a run. She’s educated and influenced countless professionals who have saved many lives. She’s also helped make the path women in the future took to working on fire departments easier than what she faced.
When taking that all into account, the word “trailblazer” might not do Hess justice.
But in typical fashion, she remained understated but grateful in thinking about her professional life.
“I’ve been blessed with a good career,” Hess said.
