Like mother, like daughter

Even though she grew up around Oglethorpe County emergency vehicles, Erin Singleton spent years insisting she wouldn’t follow in her parents’ footsteps. 

“Both of my parents were actually paramedics, and I kind of got to hear stories from both of them, and I was like, ‘Yeah, there's no way I ever do that. Like, I just would not be able to handle that kind of thing,’” she said.

Her mother, Arnoldsville resident Millie Evans, joined Oglethorpe County EMS as a first responder in 1991, when she was a high school senior, and then earned her paramedic certification from Athens Technical College in 1996. For decades after, she hoped her daughter would choose a less demanding field.

“She had told me all her life, ‘I never want to do what you do,’” Evans said. “So I was like, ‘OK, that's great. I'm glad that you don't. It's not for everybody’ ... I just didn't want her to have that kind of life. I wanted her to do something different.”

Today, three decades after Evans first stepped into an ambulance, Singleton works alongside her mother at Oglethorpe County and Madison County EMS as a newly licensed paramedic. 

“Now I kind of joke around and say that it's all their fault,” Singleton said.

Evans’ original concern stemmed from 30 years experiencing realities of rural emergency care. 

“This job is not an easy job — it takes a toll on you and it takes a toll on your family,” Evans said. “There’s a lot of things that we see and do that you just don't like, even though you're off work. It's not something that you forget.”

Then, in early 2023, despite childhood motion sickness and an aversion to blood, Singleton asked her mother if she could tag along for a shift to see if the wild work stories were true. While studying communications at the University of North Georgia, she visited the station after her day job for four separate rides with Evans and partner, Eric Bergeron.

Her first few visits were quiet. 

On her fourth ride, the team responded to a patient suffering from a brain bleed. Singleton assisted the crew, rode in the back of the ambulance and shadowed the medical team through a live CT scan at the hospital. 

“Getting to see that full cycle of someone that really needed help ... it was just kind of mind-blowing,” Singleton said. “I was in a job that I hated, and I was like, I never have as much fun at work as I did when I was riding with them.”

That’s when Singleton had a talk with her mom.

“I need to tell you something, but I don’t want you to be mad,” she said. “I transferred to Athens Tech, and I’ve been accepted into the EMT program.”

Evans said she stood speechless before finally managing a one-word question: “Why?”

“I didn’t want to tell you beforehand,” Singleton added, “because I didn’t want you to talk me out of it.”

Her career pivot brought her directly into a network of station medics that not only included her mother, but also many first responders who were mentored by her.

For paramedic and training officer Kristin Gilliam — who entered paramedic school during COVID-19 in 2020 and served as Evans’ partner — seeing Singleton complete her training was a full circle moment. 

“Millie was kind of my person through paramedic school,” said Gilliam, who lives in Colbert. “She taught me to look outside the box and learn to figure it out on your own. Being able to pass on some of what Millie taught me to Erin has been incredible.” 

Oglethorpe County EMS director Josh Robinson experienced that same guidance when he first joined the department. 

“Millie was actually one of the preceptors I had going through EMT school and she was a pretty big influence on me,” he said. “I soaked up her knowledge as a paramedic ... so watching Erin start off and grow into a great paramedic was really cool to see.”

Since earning her paramedic license in August, Singleton runs solo shifts, leaning on the daily advice passed down through her department: every shift is a learning experience.

“My first day by myself on the truck. It felt very unreal,” Singleton said. “Proving to myself that I can break open a drug bag, give these meds, and handle these situations by myself has been really exciting.”

Seeing Singleton manage calls independently has replaced her mother's initial worry with pride.

“To be honest with you, she's good at it, and you can tell that she loves what she's doing,” Evans said. “Everybody that has worked with her says that she's very good at what she does, and I'm very proud of her.”

What Coworkers Say About Oglethorpe’s Mother-Daughter Paramedic Duo

Asking about the pair’s workplace dynamic draws laughter. While department policy keeps them on separate rigs, their overlapping shifts bring a lighthearted energy to station downtime, with teasing and trading jokes. 

“If you get a hard time in EMS, that means the people like you,” Robinson said. “There's a lot of love coming from Millie and Erin, because they definitely give me a hard time and pick on me often.”