VentMedic Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 http://www.lenconnect.com/news/x776474883/...raining-courses By Dan Cherry Daily Telegram Sun Dec 07, 2008 Fire departments team up to offer reduced-cost training courses WOODSTOCK TWP., Mich. - The cost of training rescue personnel can be an expensive process, and Addison Fire Chief Tim Shaw said he wanted to do something to make advanced training for emergency medical technicians affordable and convenient. Shaw said the cost of emergency services education may have deterred county men and women from completing the courses required to be licensed emergency medical technician (EMT) specialists. Education through schools such as Jackson Community College, Shaw said, typically will cost between $8,000 and $9,000 for someone to receive a paramedic license. After exploring training options for 18 months, Shaw said he took the initiative and started a training course in conjunction with the Somerset and Cambridge township fire departments. The class started Aug. 25 with 33 participants from fire departments in Addison, Blissfield, Clinton, Madison, Somerset and Jackson County’s Leoni Township. The class Shaw started is being taught for $3,500, he said. Passing the course offers the student a chance to take the national exam to become a fully licensed paramedic. “We all benefit from the level of medical services the EMTs and paramedics have to offer,” Shaw said. The way the trainee typically pays for the course varies from department to department. Some pay for it themselves, then are reimbursed if they remain with the sponsoring department for an agreed-upon length of time. Others work at departments that have no budget for the classes, so they must foot the entire bill themselves. “We have had quite a few capable people who have not been able to afford these courses,” Addison Fire Department Deputy Chief David Aungst said. “We’re working with budget crunches like everyone else. Anything we can do at a reduced rate and still provide the same service to help taxpayers is a great thing.” Classes are held in the training room at Addison Fire Department Station Three on Round Lake Highway. The weekly four-hour training course is taught by independent Jackson County paramedic instruction coordinator Michael Booher, who has been assisted by Stacy Robinson and Ryan Rank from the Madison Fire Department, and Chad Rodgers and Mark Cleveland from the Addison Fire Department. As the course nears completion, only two have been unable to complete the class, Shaw said. A prerequisite to take the course is to be an EMT, with training offered to upgrade to either an EMT specialist or one step higher, to the title of paramedic. Each student must also hold clinical hours in an emergency room setting or in an advanced life support ambulance. There are four basic levels of medical services, officials said. A medical first responder, trained in advanced first aid, can then become a basic EMT, who is knowledgeable about basic life support. After training to become an emergency medical services worker, one can then take courses to become a fully licensed paramedic, trained in advanced medical practices. David Miller, a captain and EMT with the Somerset Township Fire Department, is participating in the class to receive the highest available level of pre-hospital emergency medical service licensing, and is happy with the class and the savings. “It’s excellent,” he said. “It’s almost half of what it would cost me going through college.” Scott Damon, Cambridge Township’s fire chief, said his personnel are pleased with the opportunity. “I think it’s an excellent program,” he said. “It saves us a lot of money. We don’t do this to make money. We’re paying the local instructors and educating EMS personnel, and that is working well.” Somerset Township Fire Chief Scott Friess said the pilot course may open the door for future educational opportunities for area emergency specialists and paramedics. “This course has worked out well,” he said. “We may look at other classes later —maybe an EMT class once a year, then perhaps a paramedic class every two to three years. “This is a great opportunity for the surrounding areas to get this quality class at such a reduced rate,” Friess added. Jen Britt, a Madison firefighter and EMT specialist, said having a class close to her Adrian residence has proven beneficial for both time and economic reasons. “I was excited to have Addison offer this class so close to home,” Britt said. She added the class being taught is comparable to what is offered an hour’s drive away at Lansing and Ann Arbor colleges. “It’s saving me tons of money.” By the end of the course, Britt said, she will have a state paramedic license and expanded education in advanced practices. “It’s a good career opportunity,” she said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VentMedic Posted December 7, 2008 Author Share Posted December 7, 2008 Jackson Community College is the college mentioned in the above article. No wonder the FDs want their own classes. This program requires real college A&P, Algebra and pharmacology. I will say their tuition is a little high for a CC at $86.50/credit hour for a county resident. http://www.jccmi.edu/studentservices/catal...t/emms.cert.htm Emergency Medical Services Related Requirements - (17 credit) Take the following: ENG 131 Writing Experience MTH 120 Beginning Algebra or higher NUR 121 Pharmacology MOA 120 Medical Terminology BIO 155 Human Anatomy & Physiology or BIO 253 Human Anatomy and Physiology I and BIO 254 Human Anatomy and Physiology II FYS 110 Life Maps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustdevil Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 Passing the course offers the student a chance to take the national exam to become a fully licensed paramedic. Not for long! Enjoy it while you can! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VentMedic Posted December 7, 2008 Author Share Posted December 7, 2008 Not for long! Enjoy it while you can! I bet they are trying to crank out as many Paramedics as possible before the deadline. I believe it was Michigan that also ran all of the "oh poor us" articles a few months ago about the accreditation requirement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustdevil Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 If I were smart and motivated, that's what I'd be doing right now too. Get in. Hook all the firemonkey wannabe's with the "get it while you can!" scare tactic, and fill up classes of fifty people every three months, at $6k a head. Then graduate none of them. :twisted: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZCEP Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 Even at $3500 they are getting bilked. The CC where I used to be had paramedic classes for that. Kind of makes you wonder how much overhead they are trying to support. Can we guess that the money isn't being completely reinvested in the training program? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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