[August 2008]

In the battle to save lives after an accident or sudden illness, Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) are the front-line soldiers. Riding on ambulances, stabilizing and providing basic first aid to patients, the EMT is likely to provide the first and sometimes most important medical care a patient receives.
  
Unfortunately, the Big Sandy area is experiencing a shortage of these critical personnel. Because of the expense and lengthy time commitment involved in required EMT training, new EMTs are scarce, and existing ones find themselves working long shifts.
  
To combat these problems, Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program, Inc. (EKCEP) and Big Sandy Area Community Action Program (Big Sandy Area CAP) are working with DHP Ambulance Service to help fund a new training program that is already making progress in building the area’s EMT ranks.
  
The program, which recently finished its first class, has been so successful that another training class is scheduled to start Aug. 20.
             
Phillip Elliott, DHP owner and president, said he approached EKCEP and Big Sandy Area CAP about starting a training program because there is a “tremendous shortage” of EMTs in the area, so much so that many of his current employees work a 72-hour week.
  
Much of the problem lies with the traditional training process, Elliott said.
  
Not only do the classes cost about $550 per person, but it is also tough for people to manage the classes, study time, and ambulance ride-alongs while holding down full-time jobs. The majority of people drop out before the curriculum ends, Elliott said.
  
“Generally, when you get a class of 20 you might end up with 6 or 7 at the end that stuck it out and took the EMT licensing test,” he said.
  
These problems were on Elliott’s mind when he attended a presentation promoting training assistance and other services available from EKCEP and Big Sandy Area CAP’s Business Solutions services at First Commonwealth Bank, where Elliott is also an employee.
  
He was intrigued, and after the presentation he approached EKCEP and Big Sandy Area CAP officials to ask if they could help DHP.
  
EKCEP and Big Sandy Area CAP worked out a customized training contract in which EKCEP would pay the costs for the class for up to 50 people, or $30,500, according to Joyce Wilcox, Business Services coordinator for Big Sandy Area CAP.
  
The agencies also hosted a job fair for DHP on Jan. 9 at the Big Sandy Community and Technical College campus in Paintsville to attract and screen applicants using EKCEP’s JobFit online job matching system.
  
Big Sandy Area CAP screened DHP’s best employees prior to that event to develop a profile to use as a guide during the JobFit screening.
  
DHP then used JobFit to compare that profile to profiles of applicants’ skills and abilities. Applicants with close matches to the company profile were referred to DHP for job interviews.
  
“The idea is you’re getting applicants who are similar in nature to your top employees,” Elliott said.
  
Marc Tarver, an EMT instructor and owner of Advanced Emergency Training Associates, said the benefits of the JobFit screening process were evident in the successful performance of the class.
  
“We have had a really good group,” said Tarver, who also taught the training class. “The pre-interview screening was a wonderful thing.”
  
As part of the training arrangement, Elliott agreed to hire the candidates full-time while they were training, paying them a salary of $6.50 an hour during the training period and offering $8 an hour once they become certified EMTs. The trainees also signed a contract to work for DHP for at least one year upon becoming EMTs.
  
Putting new EMTs in the workforce will not only provide local people with good-paying jobs serving the community, but it will also reduce the workload of DHP employees, and reduce the overtime the company pays so it can offer a better standard pay rate, Elliott said.
  
“I think this is just a perfect win-win situation for everybody,” he said.
  
The first EMT training class began in March and ended in July. Elliott said by paying employees as they trained, the company was able to keep more people in the class.
  
About 15 people started and 10 have stuck it out to the end to take the first of two required tests, a practical skills assessment, he said. All 10 of them passed that first test. Gina Tarver, DHP director, said that the ones who did drop out of the program did so because they either got another job, or for health or personal reasons such as getting married.z
 
During the class, the group learned such EMT skills as oxygen therapy, traction, splinting, and airway clearing. They also learned to assist paramedics—who have a higher level of training—in more advanced procedures.
  
Gina Tarver, DHP director, said trainees spent three days a week in the classroom. On the other two days they accompanied EMT crews on emergency runs, observing and then providing hands-on assistance as their skills grew. They also worked in both the billing and dispatch areas of the ambulance service to help them get a good idea of the full scope of what the company does.
  
During one of the final classes on July 16, students demonstrated what they had learned as they took part in a simulated accident scenario. Dwayne Madore, an assistant instructor, played the injury victim, and the EMT trainees quickly and efficiently secured him to a backboard so he could be transported with a reduced risk of spinal injuries.
  
After the demonstration, Donald Hill, 22, and Emily Evans, 27, said they appreciated the opportunity to get involved in the medical field.
  
“I want to be helpful in the community,” Evans said.
  
Both agreed they had learned a great deal.
  
“It has been a really good class,” Hill said, rattling off a list of interesting topics the class had covered such as anatomy, allergies, bone fractures, splints, and medication effects.
 
Elliott said becoming an EMT is a good career opportunity. Some EMTs can make between $25,000 and $30,000 a year, he said.
  
It is also a career with a built-in path of progression, Elliott said, noting EMTs can train to become paramedics.
  
Elliott encouraged people interested in enrolling in the upcoming second EMT training class starting Aug. 20 to call DHP at 606-886-9845 or 877-886-6555. People can also contact Joyce Wilcox at Big Sandy Area CAP at 606-886-2948 to check about enrolling.
  
Elliott also encouraged other local businesses to take advantage of the Business Solutions services provided by EKCEP and Big Sandy Area CAP.
  
“I can’t say enough about the people and the program. It has been excellent,” he said. “I’d recommend it highly.”
  
For more information on Business Solutions services available at little or no cost to employers in the Big Sandy area, contact Joyce Wilcox at 606-886-2948.