WALLA WALLA, Wash. (AP) -- Jack Pinza and Larry Warren couldn't help but chuckle recently as they sat in Pinza's office sharing memories.
Perhaps that's because their jobs usually are dead serious.
Paramedic pioneers Pinza and Warren will retire from the Walla Walla Fire Department at the end of the month, leaving to history a total of 62 years of emergency medical service.
Pinza, 56, has amassed 32 years of experience; Warren, 57, has three decades' worth.
"Thirty years goes by so quickly,'' Warren said. ``It's truly amazing.''
The same can be said about their contributions to area residents.
Pinza had ``no training whatsoever'' when he started as a Walla Walla firefighter in October 1972, he said. The department _ which had taken over ambulance service from a private operator just two years before _ owned two EMS vehicles (compared to six now) and trained crews to the first-aid level.
But Pinza quickly decided to join a fledgling team of local firefighters and medical visionaries dedicated to providing the highest level of care available. He completed an emergency medical technician course in the winter of 1973 and became the ninth licensed paramedic in the city of Walla Walla in July 1975.
He became the department's paramedic coordinator in 1986, and by 1988 was appointed to a committee to help write laws and regulations for trauma care throughout the state of Washington.
Pinza was promoted to captain in 1995 while continuing to manage the paramedic division and implement procedures and standards.
"I'll miss the challenge to keep up with everything that's going on,'' Pinza said. Warren believes the department's medical care plans are the most progressive in the state. ``A big part of that has been Jack Pinza,'' Warren said.
Warren wasn't far behind in starting his career. He was hired as a firefighter in December 1974, became an EMT the following spring, acquired his paramedic license in March 1977 and was promoted to lieutenant in 1994.
"What brought me into it was the people. I was proud of them,'' Warren said. "They were a bunch of innovative young people. They saw a need, and they filled it.''
Unlike Pinza, who assumed administrative duties in the mid-1980s, Warren has continued on 24-hour ambulance shift duty throughout his career.
"There's a lot of sacrifice that goes with having a family,'' he said. ``The families give up a lot, too.''
Pinza has praise for his colleague. ``I really respect the guys like Larry who've stayed on shift. It took me a couple of years to get where my sleep patterns got back to normal,'' he said.
But Warren doesn't dwell on the inconvenience or the countless human tragedies he's encountered. He chooses to remember the hundreds of lives he's saved.
"You're in the back of the ambulance, and it's a cardiac,'' Warren explains. "You're watching the monitor and all of a sudden, (the patient is) gone.''
But, with knowledge and resources at Warren's fingertips, he can reach for drugs or a defibrillator, and the patient ``is talking to you as if he never missed a beat.''
"It's amazing,'' Warren said. "There aren't words to describe the feeling when things go the right way.''
Both are pleased to have served Walla Walla residents, starting at the infancy of modern emergency care.
"Most people don't get a chance to be on the cutting edge of something I think is really important,'' Pinza said.
Warren added: "I am so proud to be given an opportunity to be involved with the Walla Walla Fire Department. To go through your career life and to impact people in a positive way."
Like most professionals who respond to emergencies, Pinza and Warren will miss the bond they developed with colleagues. ``We're a big family here,'' Warren said. ``We bicker, we fight, but when push comes to shove, we're there for each other 125 percent.''
They also have enjoyed camaraderie with volunteers from neighboring fire districts.
But now it's time for Warren and his wife Jane Anne _ a teacher at Blue Ridge Elementary School _ to prepare to move to Pacific City, Ore., and build a house.
Pinza will sharpen his woodworking tools, finish a cradle for a new grandchild and volunteer in community organizations.
"You just realize (paramedic work) really, truly is a younger person's job,'' Pinza said. His wife, Connie, will continue her employment as a paraprofessional for Walla Walla schools.
As the veterans leave, there are plenty of younger employees ready to gain their levels of experience.
"I feel really good about the people working here. They're just top notch,'' Pinza said.
His chief, Terry Thomas, agrees.
"(Pinza's departure) obviously is going to leave a very large hole in the department,'' Thomas said. ``But I'm confident we have the staff and employees in the department willing and able to step into that void.''
As for Warren, Thomas said, ``I don't think you can find a more sincere, gentle, honest person in the department willing to serve the community.''
"To think he's been doing it for 30 years. That's an amazing achievement.''
