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Volunteers irate at cancellation of EMT training
A daytime emergency medical technician [EMT] training program traditionally offered as an elective class at the county's public high schools is not being offered this year, angering the county's fire and rescue volunteers.Tom Marable, president of the Volunteer Fire and Rescue Organization, said his organization learned about the plan to suspend the program just before school started.
The news was especially distressing because the association provides some of the funding for the head of the training division and the EMT instructor's salary, Marable said.
“We had no advance notice at all, and we feel the [ Department of Fire and Emergency Services] dropped the ball [by not telling us sooner],” he said. “We're wondering why we have to transfer the money for [the instructor's] salary if they're not having the program.”
Even though some high school students have opted to take the EMT training which is being offered at night, the lack of a daytime program hurts the association's retention program, Marable said.
“Even if we are only getting five volunteer EMTs from the program, that's five EMTS the county doesn't have to hire,” he said.
According to Department of Fire and Emergency Services Chief Philip Myer, the class isn't being held for several reasons. For one thing, he said it became much more difficult for one person to do all of the training once Kettle Run High School opened this fall.
Myer said he'd requested another person to help with the teaching duties, but the request was denied.
School officials planned on hiring someone to teach the classes and even advertised for a full-time person to fill the position, Myer said. The plan fell through in July.
See the Fauquier Times-Democrat for the complete story...
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