PIQUA - Tony Grilliot already had a career as a firefighter/ paramedic when he decided to expand his skills, and challenges, so he could work as a Care-Flight nurse.
He's done just that, graduating with a bachelor's degree in nursing from The Ohio State University in 2011 and hired in summer 2012 to fly on CareFlight.
Grilliot grew up in Troy and graduated from Sidney Lehman High School.
After high school, he moved to Texas, where he began a firefighting career with the city of Pharr. He took paramedic training on his own and worked on days off as a paramedic for an EMS service.
He took tests for the Piqua Fire Department, flying back and forth between Texas and Ohio until he landed a job as a firefighter/paramedic in Piqua a dozen years ago.
He wanted to be a fireman since he was a child.
"A lot of kids want to do that when they are young. I just kind of stuck with it," he said.
While going through his medical training, Grilliot said he was fascinated by flight Emergency Medical Services.
CareFlight uses nurses, not paramedics, in its services, requiring him to return to school if he wanted to work on the air ambulance. "I got my nursing degree and the experience necessary to do it because that was my ultimate goal."
He pursued the nursing degree on his own because, while the nursing skills help with his Piqua department job, they are not a requirement. He is one of three Piqua firefighters with a nursing degree.
"It was a very busy time," Grilliot said of juggling responsibilities at home and with the fire department, going to college and working a part-time job with the Covington EMS.
Before being hired by Care-Flight, he gained nursing experience working in the emergency room at Good Samaritan Hospital.
"I absolutely love it. I love flying," he said. "I get to see some of the most challenging things that I have ever seen in my career. It is very interesting. No two days are the same."
He works around 80 hours a week between his jobs, then devotes most of his off time to family, including his wife, Nikki, and daughters, Kiara, 5, and Jocelyn, 2.
"I have a very understanding wife. I couldn't have done any of this without her. She supported me through nursing school and now with my crazy, busy schedule," Grilliot said.
"What keeps you going is the patient you don't think is going to do very well ends up walking in and thanking you. There's nothing better than that," he said.
Copyright 2013 Dayton Newspapers, Inc.
