On Call for the A-List

Sylvia Wildfire Golberg's job is anything but typical. That is, unless you consider mingling with A-list celebrities, treating health and safety scares and being on location at everything from music concerts to Los Angeles Convention Center events typical. Creator of On Call Medics, Goldberg enjoys the one-of-a-kind career she built from the ground up.

Q: How did you get involved with this unique career path?

A: I've been a medic since taking advanced first aid as a 15-year-old in New York City. I moved to California when I was 18, enrolled in UCLA medical school and got my Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) license. I decided to go into the entertainment business about five years ago when I was at a friend's wedding in Malibu. The view was amazing, but I wondered: What if there was an accident or injury up here? I went home, researched and came up with a business plan.

Q: Which sorts of events do you work with?

A: We do a lot of company picnics, but also cater to some high-end events like Elton John's AIDS benefit and Sony BMG's Spirit of Life Awards. The reason we're hired is the same-everyone is interested in health and safety, now, more than ever.

Q: Any interesting situations you've been confronted with?

A: We see a lot of heart attacks and take care of incidents involving allergies, like during a wedding when a ring bearer was severely allergic to grass. Most of the time at an event, something will happen but the organizers of the event will never know. We're trained to see accidents and injuries before they happen and do what we can to prevent them.

Get Connected:

On Call Medics // www.oncallmedic.net