Ben Dowdy

Born and bred in Kentucky, Ben became an EMT in 2003, a paramedic in 2007, and graduated from Eastern Kentucky University in 2009 with a B.S. in Emergency Medical Care. He set to work as a paramedic in urban, suburban, and rural EMS systems while also volunteering as a SAR technician and team medic in eastern Kentucky. A short “summer vacation” to the Idaho Panhandle in 2014 turned into permanent residence, where he now lives and works.
A WMA instructor since 2009, Ben has taught courses at all levels across the United States and abroad, and presented topics in wilderness medicine and wilderness EMS at state Search and Rescue conferences. His work in EMS has included field paramedic, tactical paramedic, wilderness paramedic for both SAR teams and the National Parks Service, EMS educator in academic settings, and flight/critical care paramedicine. Although he doesn’t log as many outdoor days as he used to, he is still the ultralight gram weenie who religiously checks his pack base weight; when at home he passes the time reading, cooking, shooting, and finding new ways to annoy his roommate’s cats.