One still stuck in his mind occurred two summers ago when the city was hit with a heat wave. A family, unable to get in contact with their grandmother, called 9-1-1.

When MacBride arrived at the house he discovered the woman had been dead for three days.

"She was naked and bent over on the couch with her asthma inhaler in one hand. I couldn't even move her, her body was so rigid. The bath water was still running and the place was flooded. She had been there for days and her face was melted. Her facial tissue was actually liquefying. It bothered me because this was my first impolite death," he says.

MacBride, 31, has been with Toronto Emergency Medical Services for almost two years. It's his third career. He worked as a chef and later did public relations for St. John Ambulance Canada.

He became a paramedic because he wanted a challenging job where he could physically help people when they need him the most.

The intensity of his work can be overwhelming. At times, he has to remember that it's just a job, and stop it from taking over his life.

"If I've had a bad day, if a child has been murdered, then I would go home and have a few drinks. That's my coping mechanism," he says.

MacBride can often be found with his nose buried in work-related books. He believes the only way he can continue to help patients is by learning as much as possible.

"I sometimes forget that there's only so much I can do to make a difference. Death is a part of life."

McBride says many paramedics believe they go through cycles of good and bad luck and he's been followed by one big black cloud for the past six months.

Even on a recent vacation to England, a woman on his plane had a cardiac arrest.

But the job is not all death-related. Paramedics also deliver babies.

"You're there at one of the most beautiful moments in life," says MacBride. "With the bad always comes the good. It's kind of like the silver lining."