You are here: Home / Archives for EMT

More EMTs Needed to Assist With Wildfire Emergencies States Veteran Firefighter Touched by Tragedy

July 19, 2010 By admin_emtclassesorg Leave a Comment

More skilled Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) are needed to assist with medical emergencies involving wildfire personnel, expressed experienced wildland firefighter Rob Palmer. His concerns over the disproportionate lack of qualified emergency service professionals, such as Richmond EMTs, assigned to wildland firefighting teams were expressed in a July 23 article published by Scripps Howard News Service. The story profiled plans to improve the rescue efforts of firefighters who become injured or endangered while battling California wildland blazes.

Sadly, Palmer knows first-hand the devastating risks faced by wildland firefighters. His younger brother Andrew was killed on July 25, 2008, while battling a wildfire in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest in Northern California. Andrew was a rookie firefighter from Washington state when he was dispatched to California to assist with the blaze in the state’s largest national forest.

Paramedic Saving lifeJust 18-years-old, Andrew died due to severe blood loss after debris from a collapsing pine tree hit and severely injured his leg. Much of the blood loss occurred during the 3 hours and 20 minutes it took to remove and transport Andrew from the accident scene to the airport in nearby Redding, California. Rob Palmer believes valuable time was lost during the prolonged rescue effort, due in part to a lack of qualified emergency services personnel immediately available to respond to his brother’s emergency.

Since the tragedy, Palmer has retired from firefighting in order to campaign for improvements to the emergency response plans for treating and rescuing wildland firefighters. His research and proposed changes are outlined in his 8-page proposal for national wildland fire reform titled “The Palmer Perspective.”

One of his key suggestions is to increase the number of skilled emergency service professionals assigned to assist with wildfire emergencies. According to Palmer, the National Wildfire Coordinating Group requires only one emergency service professional for every 499 wildland fire personnel. He identifies this figure as “the lowest medical ratio in the industry.” By comparison, says Palmer in his interview with Scripps Howard News Service, there are two to four EMTs for every 22 high school football players. Palmer recommends having at least one EMT for every 10 wildland firefighting team members.

As the summer months heat up and fire dangers increase throughout California, highly-trained wildland firefighters will prepare for the precarious job of combating dangerous and often widespread wildfires. Skilled emergency services professionals such as Sacramento EMTs are needed to help treat wildland firefighters during medical emergencies.

If you’ve considered pursuing an exciting a reward role in the healthcare field, consider an in-demand job as an Emergency Medical Technician. Whether you’re thinking of working as a San Jose EMT or a paramedic in Fremont, Unitek Education offers extensive emergency service training that can help jumpstart your career.

For additional information on Rob and Andy Palmer, and the wildland firefighting field, please visit:

http://wildfiretoday.com/documents/Palmer_perspective.pdf

http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/55134

http://www.nwcg.gov/index.htm

Filed Under: EMT Certification Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

EMT Paramedic Training /emergency medical technician training

March 25, 2010 By admin_emtclassesorg Leave a Comment

EMT Paramedic Training /emergency medical technician training

EMT paramedic training is an intense program that requires people to have strong leadership, math, science, and problem solving skills.  If these areas have always been your strengths, than you might be a prime candidate to complete an EMT paramedic training program.  However, if you have never done any work as a first responder to emergencies, such as with the fire department or in an emergency room, then you will probably want to put in some time in this lesser area before taking the plunge to get your paramedic’s certification.

NursesOne reason that it is a good idea to get experience in the field first is that there are some aspects of a first responder’s job that you might not be able to handle, even though the thought of helping people who are in need sounds like a rewarding job to you right now.  First, you will have to help people who are in the worst shape of their entire lives.  They are usually in a crisis situation where they are upset and are likely to treat you with disrespect in one way or another.  It is not that people mean to do this, but they are usually so upset and scared that they forget to treat you as they normally would, and expect instant results instead.

Another aspect of a first responder’s job that may not appeal to you is that patients often throw up on the way to the hospital. Luckily you were taught how to handle these events as part of the emergency medical technician training that you received when you took your classes online.

Sometimes this response by a patient is in response to their fear, while other times it is because of their illness or is a response to medication.  In any case, you will be the one responsible to clean it up and make sure that the patient stays as sanitary as possible on the way to the hospital.  Patients also have a tendency to defecate under certain conditions, which you also have to be able to deal with in the close quarters of the ambulance.

Finally, and probably the area that turns most people away from becoming a paramedic, is the fact that patients die on the way to the hospital.  This is a difficult situation for anyone to face, and you will have to be able to deal with the fact that you will not be able to save every patient that you are called to assist.  Sometimes the patients will already be dead when you get to the scene, while other times they might die while you are still trying to perform CPR on them.  Their ribs will sometimes break in the process of doing CPR, and you have to be able to process these horrible situations and still carry on with your job.

If after a year or two you still think that EMT paramedic training is for you, then you can start into an associate’s degree program that will give you the training you need to be the leader in the ambulance, telling the basic EMT’s what to do, and becoming the expert in medications and patient care.

rogram that will work best for you.

You are going to learn how to isolate broken bones, and how to use a backboard and neck brace for patients who might have a spinal or neck injury.  At an EMT college there are courses and programs that will even teach you how to safely move patients from a stretcher to a bed so that you do not injure yourself or the patient when doing so.

Your emergency medical training will teach you how to multitask with ease and you will be ready to roll on an ambulance call once you have mastered the coursework and passed all of the tests. If you are ready to challenge yourself to do your best and be the best then there is an EMT program online that is ready for you.

Filed Under: EMT Careers Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Thinking about Becoming an EMT?

March 7, 2010 By admin_emtclassesorg Leave a Comment

Jobs are scarce and pay is often low but things are looking up for people who want a service oriented career. Have you ever thought about signing up for an EMT program and becoming a certified EMT? If you have then you are thinking about a field that has opportunities for advancement and plenty of challenges and excitement each day that you are on the job.

When you consider that you also begin this line of work with a solid starting salary of $25,000+ it starts to seem like things are indeed looking up. The initial training for you to become an EMT at a basic level can be accomplished in just a matter of a few months. And let’s not overlook the fact that you are going to get some much needed, on the job experience along with your EMT program courses.

There are some things that you need to be aware of when thinking about becoming an EMT. EMTs are the first responders on the scene of some terrible accidents and emergency situations. As such, they have to face blood, broken bones, illnesses, body fluids, and even death. The job is very physical as well, requiring bodies to be moved and lifted, CPR to be administered and more. However, because EMTs have to face these things, it is a highly rewarding position, since they save people’s lives on a regular basis, and give comfort to those they meet.

Becoming Certified

There are many EMT programs that can help you get started as an emergency medical technician. You can find EMTAmbulance program outlines and courses by browsing online. Then you can decide which one is best suited for you.

You should determine which specific EMT program will best provide the basic knowledge that you need as an entry level EMT. Online courses are especially convenient if you have to work other jobs while training to become an EMT. The great benefit of an EMT program that features online training is that you are allowed to complete the coursework at your own pace.

Another way to take EMT program courses is through community colleges or technical colleges. These schools also work with you if you need to continue working another job while going to school. There are usually financial aid opportunities and scholarships available at most schools, plus the classes are usually scheduled at all times of the day and evening so that you can find a schedule that works for you.

If you are interested in pursuing higher levels of EMT training, you might want to look for an EMT program that leads to becoming a paramedic. Then you will need to continue your studies at a community college or four year school. Paramedic training requires more difficult coursework, such as classes in advanced anatomy and physiology and there are many practical, hands-on elements that are involved. People who want to become a paramedic often pursue this dream after gaining experience in the field for a couple of years at a basic or intermediate EMT level.

Paramedics have more knowledge of the different medications that can be utilized while in transit; are taught how to insert a variety of IV’s for life-saving fluids, and know how to use all of the advanced life support, emergency response equipment that is available in the ambulances.

They are also the ones that the nurses and doctors will look to when they need detailed information when the patient arrives at the hospital so that they are clear about the situation. Certain 911 calls can also require the services of a trained, skilled paramedic. Pursuing an EMT program will provide you with the necessary coursework that can be the bridge you need to move into nursing or another medical field at a later date.

Filed Under: EMT Certification Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,