By Meladi Brewer

DailyAdvocate.com

GREENVILLE — Spirit EMS invited high school students to their EMT Boot Camp in hopes of recruiting aspiring EMTs.

The boot camp was held at the Spirit EMS location in Greenville from July 24-28, and they were able to get a taste of local healthcare. Students are leaving boot camp CPR certified, Stop the Bleed trained, and completed suicide prevention training.

Scott Wolf, EMS educator at Spirit said the idea came from a group they deal with in Lafayette, Ind. that has been hosting a similar event for about seven years. He said they wanted to bring the idea to Darke County due to the lack of programs that are offered to area students that would expose them to a lot of different elements of EMS work.

The students were able to start day three with a demonstration by the Premier Health Miami Valley Hospital CareFlight. Students experienced the flight come in and out while performing medical scenarios running to and from the helicopter.

Attendees also had the opportunity to drive an ambulance through an obstacle course within the Spirit parking lot and interact with a variety of healthcare professionals. Those healthcare professionals not only allowed the students to ask question and gain hands-on experience, but they were able to educate them in real time due to having to make runs and take emergency calls since they were still on duty.

Those hands-on account of the runs the staff went on were relayed back to students, so they could hear the situation and know what procedures were put into place.

“The participants will leave this boot camp knowing the majority of the skills that are required to pass the EMT national registry,” Wolf said.

While talking to CareFlight staff, students were able to get a run down on safety, as it is important to watch out for teammates who are working solely on patients.

“We really got to advocate for safety of each other. Dead heroes can’t save lives,” the female teammate said.

She stressed that it is important to know when and where you can go to ensure you do not hurt yourself or others. She said it would also be bad to respond to an emergency and become one as well.

Other emergency vehicles were open for the group to view and ask questions about. Some students even dared to hold and play with the Jaws of Life during a demonstration.

“I’m glad Spirit is doing this,” Troy McDaniels said. “We’re getting older and aren’t able to replenish quickly enough.”

He said it is good to show the youth all the areas of the medical field available to them that are possible career options. Kyle Phillips, another employee, told the students that one of his favorite parts of being part of the Spirit EMS team is the family feel and being able to give back to the community.

“We’re like a big family. We do everything together,” Phillips said.

He even spoke about how, sometimes when they drive around, they will stop and play basketball with the kids in the neighborhood. He said to be able to have that experience is rewarding. All the staff agreed that Spirit needs a big thank you for hosting the event because there are not many around.

Students who attended the boot camp received a stethoscope and blood pressure cuff via a donation from one of Spirit’s generous donors. This year there were six consistent campers, and Spirit hopes to see an increase in numbers in the years to come.

For more information about Spirit EMS, visit their website at www.spiritmedicaltransport.com.

Spirit EMS is located at 5484 State Route 49 S., Greenville, with additional locations in Defiance, Houston, Sidney, Van Wert, Celina, and Liberty, Ind. Due to expanded needs for their services, Spirit is hiring for all locations. For more information on open positions or to apply, go to www.spiritmedicaltransport.com/job-openings.

To contact Daily Advocate Reporter Meladi Brewer, email [email protected].