A Home Depot Rescue Led Adrianna Finch to a New Career as an Indianapolis EMT

SECOND SHIFT · FROM THE FIELD

Indianapolis, Indiana · Emergency medical services · Paid EMT training

From the reporting archive · Original report: August 26, 2026 · Claire Rafford, Mirror Indy

Adrianna Finch was working in the tool rental department at a Home Depot last year when a customer cut off the tip of his finger with a chainsaw. She bandaged the wound. The EMT who responded was impressed and encouraged her to apply to Indianapolis Emergency Medical Services’ EMT trainee program, Mirror Indy reports.

Finch, 24, applied. She completed the program in October 2025 and has worked as an EMT with Indianapolis EMS since then. She hopes eventually to become a field training officer so she can mentor new trainees; that is a goal, not yet a promotion.

The accelerated program runs about 10 weeks and pays trainees $19 an hour while they combine classroom instruction with field shadowing. Graduates move into full-time jobs with a one-year commitment. About 150 people have completed it since it launched in 2021, according to the report.

“Sometimes you have to release a little bit of control and just take a chance,” Finch told Mirror Indy.

Paying people to train removes the biggest barrier to a career switch: months without income. For public agencies competing for emergency workers, an earn-while-you-learn model with a service commitment is a recruiting tool as much as a training program.

Read the original reporting at Mirror Indy →

Second Shift tells the stories of people building what’s next through new skills, new careers and second chances. From the Field items are curated from credited reporting, with Location Decision’s perspective. Location Decision Originals are independently reported by our team.

Curated by Location Decision. Originally reported by Claire Rafford, Mirror Indy, August 26, 2026.

This item was sourced and drafted with AI assistance and reviewed under Location Decision’s editorial standards. Second Shift tracks workforce outcomes to inform our broader editorial analysis. All reporting belongs to the credited journalists; read the original story for the full account.