For 25 years, Steven Headley’s world revolved around ambulance calls and caring for people during emergencies as an EMT-paramedic in Grove City, Pennsylvania.
But after responding to a head-on collision that involved someone he knew, he reached a turning point. He knew he was ready to leave emergency response, but not the calling to help others.
After moving to Knoxville, Tennessee, a neighbor pointed him to a job opening on ADT's HOA team. For Headley, ADT’s focus on helping protect what matters most made it a natural fit and offered a way to continue the work that had defined his career.
Seven years later, Headley has found a new chapter in a career built around helping save lives. It’s a mission that also keeps ADT closely connected to first responders across the country.
Partners in protection
Through ADT Safe Places, ADT supports first responders and community safety organizations with financial contributions, volunteerism, and in-kind donations. Across 2025 and 2026, ADT has contributed more than $400,000 to first responder organizations nationwide.
The company's commitment comes into focus on National First Responders Day. Observed annually on Oct. 28, the day recognizes the service of firefighters, law enforcement officers, EMTs, paramedics and other professionals who respond in emergencies. ADT will mark the day by bringing first responders and employees together at its newly renovated monitoring center in Irving, Texas, honoring the monitoring agents and first responders who work together to help protect customers.
Lessons from the frontline
For Headley, the mission behind those efforts is familiar. His day-to-day work may have changed when he joined ADT, but many of the instincts he developed in emergency medicine stayed with him.
Now an account manager supporting ADT’s HOA customers across the U.S., one skill he utilizes regularly is patience.
“When you're on an ambulance, you have no choice but to be patient and understanding while listening to patients explain the situation so you can provide the correct care,” he said. “I bring that same patience and understanding to what I do here.”
His experience also gives him a clear sense of what can happen when seemingly small safety risks are overlooked.
Headley often hears from customers who have security systems but rarely arm them, a practice he strongly encourages them to change. And when customers are deciding what protection they need, he emphasizes life-safety equipment, such as smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and recommends security devices tailored to the vulnerabilities of their homes.
Some of the emergencies Headley once responded to now shape his recommendations to customers. Golf carts are common among Headley’s HOA customers, prompting him to ask whether they use gas-powered models in or near enclosed garages and to reinforce the importance of carbon monoxide detection. For customers with electric carts, he also emphasizes following manufacturer guidance and ensuring proper ventilation while charging.
As a paramedic, Headley responded to many carbon monoxide emergencies ranging from mild illnesses to incidents in which people did not survive.
“I’ve seen the full spectrum of what carbon monoxide can do,” Headley said. “Those experiences stay with you. Now, I focus on the situations where I know I can make a difference.”
From response to prevention
What Headley once saw on emergency calls also reinforces the value of having protection in place before it’s needed. ADT’s security and life-safety devices can alert customers to potential dangers, while professional monitoring helps connect them to emergency response when it's needed.
“As a paramedic, when you arrive on scene, the worst part has usually already happened, and you’re fighting to change the outcome,” Headley said. “Working here, I get to affect the outcome before it happens.”
And sometimes, Headley gets to see exactly what that preparation can mean for a customer.
Not long after joining ADT, Headley worked with a homeowner who had a limited budget and wanted to know which security equipment was most important. He helped the customer prioritize door sensors, motion detectors and glass-break detection to provide protection throughout the home.
A few months later, someone attempted to break into the same home through a window while the family was away. The motion detector triggered the alarm, deterring the intruder. The homeowner later told Headley that her 16-year-old daughter had originally planned to be home that night but instead stayed with a friend.
“Instances like that, when you find out that a customer took something you recommended to heart and it made a difference in their lives, that’s when I feel most proud,” he said.