By By MARCIA STEFFENS / Niles Daily Star
NILES - May 31 was a big day for Jerry Schley. On his way home from finishing and passing his final exams to be certified as a critical care paramedic, Schley was paged from his work - SMCAS.
The call and the information came as a surprise to the Niles man. Schley had been chosen to receive the Star of Life from the Michigan Association of Ambulance Services (MAAS).
Schley will go to Lansing on Tuesday to receive his award and will be presented to both the State House and Senate.
He had received the "Employee of the Year" in a vote at the Niles SMCAS from his peers.
Schley started his career wit the Dowagiac Fire Department in 1989. Chief Wayne Mattix asked Schley if he was interested in taking a basic Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) courses, and from there he hasn't stopped learning more.
He stayed with the Dowagiac Department to 1991, when he joined the Niles SMCAS and has been a paramedic for 14 years.
Schley grew up in Dowagiac and is presently the outgoing president of the Sister Lakes Lions.
One project brings a Sister Lakes Elementary student over to Buchanan to race a soap box derby they made. The program helps bring children out of their shells and gain confidence, he explained.
He is also union president for the SMCAS employees.
Now he lives in Niles with his wife Karla (Wiker) who runs a photography studio in Dowagiac. They have a daughter, Eva Rose, who turned three on Sunday.