EMT-Basic Training Starts August 15th

Ambulance Services throughout Grant County are short handed, and are actively recruiting new members for entry-level Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) classes that start in August.

Grant County is served by 13 ambulance services and four first responder units, nearly all of which are in dire need of additional volunteers.  "With the current shortage of volunteers, it's getting difficult for many services to staff a crew 24 hours a day", notes Grant County EMS Association President Steve Braun.  According to Braun, the most difficult time to find volunteers is during the day, because many volunteers are unable to leave work. 

When a local ambulance provider doesn't have enough volunteers available to get a crew together for a call, an ambulance must respond from a neighboring community.  "When people call 9-1-1, they expect an ambulance to respond immediately", said Braun.  "But in many communities, it's becoming more and more frequent that ambulances must be summoned from neighboring districts, which takes time".  In critical emergencies, such as a heart attack, seconds count.

Braun hopes that two upcoming EMT-Basic courses will provide the volunteers needed for 24-hour coverage in all communities throughout the county.   The courses are both scheduled to begin on August 15.  An evening class is scheduled at the Lancaster Fire Station, running Mondays and Wednesdays from 6PM-10PM.  A daytime course is scheduled at Southwest Tech in Fennimore, running from 8AM-Noon, also on Mondays and Wednesdays.  No prior medical experience is necessary.  Although there are not age requirements to take the class, you must be 18 years old to hold a Wisconsin EMT license.

The EMT-Basic course consists of 144 hours of basic medical and trauma training.  At the end of the class, recruits take a written exam and a practical exam.  The practical exam consists of six stations, including assessing a patient for a trauma emergency, assessing a patient for a medical emergency, splinting a fracture, operating a bag valve mask to assist with breathing, operating a defibrillator for a cardiac arrest, and applying proper spinal immobilization.  Braun states that the class is geared towards non-traditional students--people who have been out of school for a while.  "The instructors from Southwest Tech do a great job of ensuring everyone is prepared to take the test when they complete the course", says Braun.

Braun believes that one of the things that holds potential recruits back is the fear that a new EMT might not be able to handle a difficult situation or a complicated medical problem.   "We don't throw people into a situation like that right after they receive their certification", says Braun.  "New EMTs are always paired with more experienced members, who will take the lead when necessary".  Wisconsin regulations require a minimum of two licensed EMTs in every ambulance, and most services schedule at least three members per call.  "EMT training starts in the classroom, but nobody expects a recruit to come out of class and know everything.  Some of the most important things you learn are passed down by more experienced EMTs out in the field".

Many long-time EMTs find volunteering to be very rewarding.   Chris Johll has been a volunteer EMT in Potosi  for 21 years.  "Knowing you've done your best to help a person in need is a good feeling", said Johll.  "Most of the people I know that have been involved in EMS feel that it's a great way to get involved and do something that really helps the community".

Most ambulance providers will cover the cost of tuition and books for the class.  Many services also offer ride-along programs, where prospective students can accompany the crew on calls for a week or two to learn more about what is involved in being an EMT.  Each service has different policies, so it's best to contact your local EMS chief for additional information and a membership application.  A list of EMS service directors is available on the Grant County Emergency Management website (www.grantcountyem.com), or by calling 723-7171.

Students can register for the EMT course by contacting Lisa Lange with the Southwest Tech Public Services Department, at 822-2415 or llange@swtc.edu.

LIST OF LOCAL EMS SERVICE DIRECTORS:

Blue River EMS
Helen Mar Adams
(608) 537-2683
adamshm@mwt.net

Boscobel Rescue Squad
Sam Nelson
(608) 375-4222
boscobelems@centurytel.net

Cassville EMS
Dennis Okey
(608) 725-5736

Cuba City EMS
Shelly Bockhop
(608) 744-8753
ccars265@mhtc.net

Dickeyville EMS
Dallas Dietzel
(608) 568-3516
tripled@chorus.net

Fennimore EMS
Rick Kreul
(608) 822-3211
fennems@tds.net

Hazel Green EMS
Sara Hilby
(608) 854-2045
sarahilby@centurytel.net

Lancaster EMS
Jackie Edge
(608) 723-6331
lancasterems@tds.net

Montfort EMS
Barb Kroll
(608) 929-7858
barbkrollrn@yahoo.com

Muscoda EMS
Dorothy Hackl
(608) 739-3310
mfd663@centurytel.net

Platteville EMS
Brian Allen
(608) 348-9741 ext. 2271
allenb@platteville.org

Potosi EMS
Dan Yutzy
(608) 763-2706
potosiems@yahoo.com

West Grant EMS
Deb Fishler
(608) 994-2859
fishler@tds.net

Bagley 1st Responders
Scott Myhre
jsmyhre@gmail.com

Jamestown 1st Responders
Jody Kruser
(608) 568-3880
jokrusrn@tds.net

Livingston 1st Responders
Frank Francis
(608) 943-6969

Woodman 1st Responders
Jerry Berge
(608) 988-4893
bergegd@tds.net

For the seventh year, Grant County led the State of Wisconsin in Assistance to Firefighters Grant Awards, helping to provide our volunteer fire departments and emergency medical services with critically needed equipment and vehicles.   To date, a total of $1,095,017 in 2010 AFG grants written by our office have been funded, including:

• $67,305 to the Lancaster Fire Department, for the purchase of turnout gear, a high-pressure breathing air compressor, a thermal imaging camera, firefighting hose, and nozzles.

• $51,850 to the Cassville Fire Department, for the purchase of turnout gear, an Automated External Defibrillator, and a classroom multimedia center including a projector, document camera, laptop computer, projection screen, sound system, and installation.

• $26,900 to the Stitzer Fire Department, for the purchase of a high-pressure breathing air compressor and a 2-bottle fill station.  The grant will also purchase an Automated External Defibrillator to be carried on one of their fire apparatus.

• $29,045 to the Cuba City Fire Department, for the purchase of firefighting equipment including a thermal imaging camera, nozzles, hose, hydrant appliances, and an Automated External Defibrillator.

• $56,511 to the Wauzeka Fire Department, for the purchase of turnout gear, pagers, a thermal imaging camera, hose, nozzles, hand tools, and other firefighting appliances.

•  $31,950 to the Mount Hope Fire Department for the purchase of 10 sets of NFPA compliant turnout gear including coats, pants, boots, hoods, gloves, and helmets, and also 20 new voice pagers.

• $125,000 to the Stitzer Fire Department for the purchase of an Initial Attack Pumper, which will replace an aging 1965 army jeep pickup as the department's only four-wheel drive apparatus.  Built on an F550 or similar chassis, the truck will be equipped with a 1000 gallon pump, a 250 gallon tank, and a body with roll up doors for equipment storage.  This multi-purpose truck will be the first out the door in most cases, and will be useful for brush and structure fires, motor vehicle accidents, and rescue calls.

• $24,000 to the Lancaster Rescue Squad, for the purchase of 12-lead EKG monitors for their ambulances.  EMT's on the scene of a cardiac emergency will be able to analyze a patient's heart rhythm and transmit the EKG data to emergency room doctors.  By allowing doctors to read and confirm a diagnosis while the ambulance is still in the field, the EMS crew will sometimes be able to bypass the emergency room and take the patient directly to a catheterization lab.  When implemented,  this technology has the potential to get cardiac patients to the catheter lab nearly 40 minutes faster than the current system

• $63,555 to the Blue River Fire Department, for  the purchase of firefighting equipment including SCBA, a thermal imaging camera, hose, nozzles, an Automated External Defibrillator, and other firefighting tools.

• $42,418 to the Platteville Fire Department, for monitor nozzles, a thermal imaging camera, hose, valve fittings, and basic firefighting tools.

• $14,234 to the Patch Grove Fire Department, for hose, nozzles, pagers, tanker supplies, and basic firefighting tools.

• $18,364 to the Bagley Volunteer Fire Department, for the purchase of classroom multimedia equipment, training software, and training props.  The equipment will aid the department in conducting classroom and hands on training at their fire station, and will better equip the site for fire and EMS certification courses.

• $247,200 to the Patch Grove Fire Department for the purchase of a Pumper-Tanker.  The new truck will be equipped with a 1250 gallon-per-minute pump and a 2,000 gallon tank, and will replace a 40-year old engine as Patch Grove's only pumper.

• $244,500 to the Wauzeka Fire Department, for the purchase of a Pumper-Tanker.  The new truck will replace a 50-year old engine and will serve as Wauzeka's first-due pumper.

• $52,185 to the Fennimore Fire Department, for the purchase of firefighting equipment including turnout gear, nozzles, hose, and other basic equipment.  The grant will also purchase an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) for the department.

Grant County Emergency Management and the Grant County Center on Aging have teamed up to create the Grant County Special Needs Registry specifically for those individuals with critical health and medical conditions.  The registry is completely voluntary and has been established for those who may require special assistance during an emergency or disaster such as flooding, severe weather, or other emergencies affecting their community or neighborhood.

Click here for more information regarding the registry

Click here for an Application