The Richland County Ambulance Service is looking for compassionate, hard-working, dynamic individuals to become members of its life-saving service. An Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) training class will start in early September and will last for 3 months.
The Richland County Ambulance Service is looking for compassionate, hard-working, dynamic individuals to become members of its life-saving service. An Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) training class will start in early September and will last for 3 months.
The self-paced course includes online and classroom participation. The course also offers on hands-on skills stations that work to develop teamwork skills and prepare students for real life emergency situations. “We set up stations where the trainees have to come in and assess the situation, treat and stabilize the patient, and prepare them for transport to the hospital for additional care,” said Josh King, Director of the Richland County Ambulance Service. “We try to be as hands on as possible.”
EMTs are an essential part of the healthcare system and vital to patient care. The chances of patient survival in a medical emergency situation increases in direct correlation to the speed with which care is administered. Richland County is fortunate to have ambulance services spread throughout the county with ambulances located in Fairview, Lambert, Savage and two in Sidney, and to have more than fifty dedicated volunteers from all four communities. More trained EMTs in a community results in faster response times in emergency situations.
“Our EMS system relies heavily on the continued support of Richland County communities for supplying volunteers,” stated King. “Due to heightened call volume, we are seeking people with the desire to be in the midst of a fast-paced and rewarding opportunity that has a visible impact on our community.”
The on-call schedule for Fairview, Lambert and Savage is accommodating to personal schedules. EMTs that are available when the call comes in are the ones who will respond. “This schedule is more convenient for the EMTs, but we need a lot of EMTs in each area in order to make it work,” stated King.
Melissa Sanders of Sidney has always wanted to be an EMT. “I took the class not realizing that Richland County was in need of EMT volunteers. As we got more in depth in the class, it became apparent why it was necessary to have so many volunteers,” stated Sanders. “We live in a rural community and rely heavily on volunteer EMTs. Some of our volunteers have been with us a long time and are looking to retire. We need another group of individuals to step up and take their place. Other communities around Richland County are seeing their volunteer base decline drastically for that same reason. We don’t want that to happen here.”
People of all ages and backgrounds are encouraged to sign up for the upcoming course. The current EMTs make themselves available to help mentor and answer questions that the trainees may have, and King tries to make the class schedule flexible if necessary. “We have an open door policy and really want everyone to succeed. The better training that they receive, the stronger our service will be,” stated King.
Individuals interested in this annual EMT training should call the Richland County Ambulance Service at (406) 488-2180 to apply. The next scheduled session is slated for Fall 2013.
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