Clark County Fire responds to EMT shortage by recruiting, training its own
Free accelerated training offers Las Vegas Valley residents the opportunity for a new vocation
LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - The Clark County Fire Department needs around a hundred paramedics, but there’s a shortage of trained, certified emergency medical personnel nationwide.
So, CCFD’s taking matters into its own hands.
On Monday, the inaugural class of the department’s new EMT Academy hit the halfway mark. It’s been no walk in the park.
“I like the verbiage of ‘boot camp.’ It’s an accelerated course definitely, and so the sooner we can get the trained and nationally certified, taking their national registry test, the sooner we can find them employment and help them out,” says Assistant Chief Mack Travis, Jr., who’s in charge of recruitment for the department.
“The normal course is a little bit longer. This is an accelerated program which puts them under additional pressure which actually prepares them for the job at hand, so it’s a win-win.”
Part of the training involves rigorous, hands-on training, but it’s also by the book.
“Our students, they’re responsible for 32 chapters of a book that’s over 750 pages, they’re covering all that information in eight weeks,” Travis said. “So, from your basic assessments, medications, pharmacology, all of those things that it takes to actually touch a patient in the field, they’re learning the initial course of that.”
And he tells us, this is just the first cohort of many to come.
“Right now we have candidates, over 600 candidates, for the next several cohorts, but this program is going to be around for a few years, so the opportunities for additional citizens to apply and become part of the EMT Academy is always there.”
Travis says some applicants may view the academy as a career path, but he hopes they ultimately see it as a calling.
“Oh it’s one of the most rewarding jobs you could have, it’s self-gratifying on a daily basis. Each and every day you have the opportunity to make a positive impact on your community,” he says.
“People call 911 while experiencing the veritable worst day of their lives for us to come mitigate that or make that situation substantially better. That’s a self-gratifying responsibility that these students hopefully will get that opportunity in the near future.”
The academy has closed recruiting for the next several cohorts, but if you’re interested in learning more about the program, you can visit its website.
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