They have each other’s backs, and now they have our backs.
A pair of twin brothers graduated in the same EMT class on Wednesday.
Brothers Luis and Anthony Sanchez walked across the stage at the Christian Cultural Center in East New York around 10 a.m. along with 152 other Probationary Emergency Medical Technicians and 14 EMS captains on Wednesday.
“Having my twin brother with me throughout the Academy definitely made it easier. We studied together, kept each other motivated, and pushed each other throughout the entire process. This job is already so fulfilling and I am honored to be here,” says Luis Sanchez in an Instagram post by the FDNY.
The Brooklyn-bred duo grew up in Bushwick but now live together in Bay Ridge.
“We went through everything together. We studied together, we pushed each other to do everything together, we motivated each other,” Luis told reporters at Wednesday’s graduation.
“We practice on each other at home still,” Anthony chimed in. “We’re like, if this happens, what do we do. If you’re in cardiac arrest, how do I approach it? We’re better prepared.”
Both brothers are assigned to separate station houses in Upper Manhattan, but reassured reporters that they will “see each other around.”
Meanwhile, grad Kevin Rehrer, 32, became an EMT because he was saved from drowning by one at age 5.
“I was at my uncle’s house, and I was swimming and had fallen in and everyone had their backs to me. When [my dad] turned around, I was face down in the pool,” he told reporters. “My uncle pulled me out, my dad gave me CPR and resuscitated me. I was in complete cardiac arrest.
“All I remember was waking up in the ambulance. I remember this guy, it was almost like an angel. And he was standing over me and he said, ‘Oh, Kevin, there you are, there you are,’ and I was like, ‘Oh I’m really tired,’ and he said, ‘Well don’t fall asleep.’ And he gave me this bear, it was a panda bear. And I still have that panda bear to this day.
“I think about that, the impact that this man had on not only my life but my family’s life,” he said. “I wanna be able to do that every day for someone. Every day.”
Rehrer will be working at Station 20 in the Bronx, a short walk from where he lives.
EMTs endure 13 weeks of training at the EMS Academy and cover all aspects of the job, according to the fire department.