Big daddy

Known as “Big Daddy,” EMT Lyle King pulls 36-hour shifts for the Liberty ambulance service, waiting out the quiet stretches before “all hell breaks loose” with back-to-back emergency runs.

“We are really fortunate. We don’t get that many serious accidents in Casey County in a year,” said Lyle King while relaxing during a typical lull at the ambulance service office.

King is an emergency medical technician who works with the Liberty police department. King, 34, is nicknamed “Big Daddy” by his co-workers and friends. He is big in physical size at almost 250 pounds and he’s even bigger in heart.

King often goes to work on Wednesday at 7 p.m. and works 36 hours straight.

“That makes for a long time spent in this room,” King said. The room has a couch, bunk beds, a bathroom with a shower, a small kitchen and a 13-inch television. King said the television breaks the long wait between calls.

“One disadvantage of this job is that you may not have an emergency run for a couple of hours, then all hell breaks loose and you have three or four runs back to back to back,” he added.

“I enjoy what I do, but I don’t look forward to going out on runs and seeing anyone hurt or injured,” King said. “I’m just glad to help.”