PETERSBURG — Mellissa Coker isn’t hanging up her superhero cape, just swapping it for another one after serving her final day as chief of the Upper Township Division of EMS on Jan. 31.
Coker said Friday she would switch to volunteering with the Upper Township Rescue Squad after taking a new, less death-defying position with Atlantic Medical Imaging through Cooper University Hospital Cape Regional.
The 46-year-old mother has been working as a first-responder since she was 15, when she followed her grandfather, mother and aunts as a junior member of the Minotola Rescue Squad. Daughter Caitlyn Schaffer, 16, beat her by a year, starting when she was just 14 as a volunteer with Seaville Fire Rescue, where Coker’s husband Perry Coker is chief.
Coker, whose title was upgraded in January 2024 after serving as temporary chief, started as a part-time EMT with Upper Township in 1999. She then was hired full time in 2005. Prior to that, she worked for the Ocean City Police Department as a dispatcher for five years.
Throughout her employment with the township, Coker served as a Senior EMT from 2015 to 2019, deputy chief from 2019 to 2021 and then temporary chief since 2021.
The Petersburg resident attended the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Md., for two 14-day courses: Management of Emergency Medical Services and Advanced Leadership.
Coker, who has been helping save lives for more than three decades, admitted she “could retire now and be a stay-at-home dog mom,” but said she is not yet ready to give up working in the medical field.
She said her favorite part has been “the relationships and friendships that we have developed as a team,” as well as with members of the public with whom she has come into contact.
“I like the older folks, when they see you come through the door, they light up. They are so excited to see you,” she said.
One of the highlights of her career is delivering a baby girl eight or nine years ago in the back of an ambulance en route to Shore Medical Center.
“That was the first and only baby delivery that I ever did in my 31-year career,” she said, noting the “cool part” is that the mother is a local resident and she has gotten to watch the infant grow up through social media.
Coker’s delivery experience could prove helpful in her position at Atlantic Medical Imaging, which performs ultrasounds along with other services. If so, she will be ready.
Working in a career that puts you at the scene of medical emergencies also has its down side.
“You always have negative outcomes that stick with you, but I try to put them to the back of my mind and leave them there,” Coker said. “There’s always more positive than negative.”
The Division of EMS is responsible for answering calls for medical aid within the 68 square miles of Upper Township. It is staffed around the clock by at least two emergency medical technicians and as many as five in the summer.
Funded by Upper Township taxpayers, it employs nine full-time EMTs and 19 part-time EMTs. It has three ambulances to respond to emergencies.
The Division of EMS shares its quarters with the Upper Township Rescue Squad, a strictly volunteer organization that backs up the Division of EMS should additional ambulances or assets be needed.
“Chief Coker’s dedication to the public safety community in Upper Township has been unparalleled,” said former mayor Jay Newman, who has worked alongside Coker as chief of the Marmora Volunteer Fire Company. “Her calm demeanor and leadership skills showed through from emergency scenes to public events to public safety planning meetings.”
Newman said Coker’s commitment to the Division of EMS and entire EMS community was evident in the professionalism shown during her tenure.
“Mellissa’s insights and input will be missed by the entire Upper Township public safety team,” he said.
– STORY and PHOTOS by CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff