Mass. paramedic volunteers at Rio Olympics

NEWTON, Mass. — Paramedic John-Paul Couce arrived in Rio de Janeiro this week to offer volunteer medical support services during the Olympic Games.

Couce, 25, said he had wanted to volunteer at the 2012 Olympics, but missed the deadline to apply.

He got an early start this year, and underwent several interviews over the phone and Skype. Couce was eventually selected to be one of about 50,000 volunteers at the Olympics.

"You name it, they have a volunteer doing it ... people from all over the world," he told the New Jersey Herald.

Couce, who paid for his way to Rio, will work at the beach volleyball arena, staffing medical stations and aiding spectators.

Couce, a full-time paramedic in the greater Boston area, will work until Aug. 22 before resuming his studies at Harvard University. He is pursuing a master’s degree in government, and hopes to become a doctor.

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