Eighteen-year-old Surbhi Yerramilli moved to Montgomery when she was just a preschooler. Even then, she remembers being captivated by the presence of local first responders—at the town’s annual fireworks celebration, in her neighborhood where volunteers lived, and especially during a visit to her father’s company when she was just eight years old. That day, she toured her first ambulance—and was hooked.
At sixteen, Surbhi applied to Montgomery EMS’s highly competitive cadet program. After a rigorous interview process, she earned one of just six spots in the incoming class. “It was absolutely thrilling,” she says of her acceptance.
Her desire to join the squad came from personal experience. “I’d seen people close to me go through serious medical emergencies. I wanted to be someone who could help—someone who shows up when others need it most.”
Since then, Montgomery EMS has become a defining part of Surbhi’s life.
“Sometimes there’s nothing you can do to take away someone’s pain—but holding their hand and letting them know you’re there can mean everything.”
“Montgomery EMS has played a pivotal role in shaping who I am,” she says. “When you’re exposed to what we see at such a young age, you grow up fast. You learn responsibility, emotional resilience, and how to adapt—skills no textbook can teach you.”
It wasn’t just the emergency calls that left a mark. Surbhi found meaning in community events—especially Touch a Truck, the very kind of event that had inspired her a decade earlier.
“I loved seeing the excitement in kids’ eyes when I gave them ambulance tours or let them sit on the stretcher,” she says. “Those moments reminded me why I do this. It’s not just about answering 911 calls—it’s about inspiring the next generation and giving back to my community.”
Now a certified EMT, Surbhi has responded to dozens of emergency calls. Each one, she says, has taught her something new. But perhaps the greatest lesson has been the power of simply being present.
“Being an EMT has taught me empathy, leadership, and compassion,” she reflects. “Sometimes there’s nothing you can do to take away someone’s pain—but holding their hand and letting them know you’re there can mean everything.”
It’s that compassion, she says, that lies at the heart of EMS work.
This fall, Surbhi is headed to the University of Connecticut, where she’ll major in cognitive neuroscience with the goal of attending medical school. She hopes to stay connected to her Montgomery EMS family—and one day return the support, guidance, and inspiration that shaped her journey.
