Milford High School will offer a new EMT pathway as a way to assist local fire companies
Milford High School will begin offering a new Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) pathway in an effort to address a lack of qualified individuals in the area. The new program was implemented at the request of the City of Milford and the Delaware Fire School.
“We were approached by the City of Milford and the Delaware Fire School,” Seth Buford, Milford High School Principal, said. “There is a huge need in the medical field right now, especially in our area of first responders. This is an opportunity for our students and our community. Any time we can provide our students the opportunity to leave high school with a full certification and employment opportunities, I am fully prepared to invest in that program.”
At several meetings, Carlisle Fire Company President Tor Hazzard and Chief Shawn Hinton advised City Council that the company, along with many throughout the state, was suffering from a lack of volunteers. In 2022, the fire company responded to 781 fire calls and 3,964 EMS calls, indicating that the area where they needed the most help was on the ambulance side of the company. At one meeting, Chief Hinton commented that the station had run 21 ambulance calls in 24 hours, the equivalent of one call per hour.
“When we have a third, fourth, fifth or sixth emergency in our district, Kent Center knows and can dispatch the next company,” Chief Hinton said in response to comments from the public about other stations having to cover Milford. “So, that’s why companies are coming into the district. When it comes to response times, it is not just volunteer needs. Every incident, every form of traffic or construction jeopardizes our response. It’s hard right now to get the inner city people to volunteer, to accept an application and then go forth with training. I will say in the City of Milford, we have some of the best firemen in the state. People want to come in and ride with us and come and work with us.”
The new pathway at MHS will include 157 hours of classroom instruction along with 10 patient contacts through collaboration with Carlisle and other neighboring companies.
“In this year long course offered during school hours, students will gain knowledge and hands-on experience treating patients in addition to local fire company ‘patient contact rides’,” Buford said. “They will need to take a certification examination at the end of the course. Successfully completing the course and the exam will give them full certification status in the state of Delaware.”
Students who are interested in entering the pathway should talk to their guidance counselor or Kate Lynch, Career Counselor. Anyone interested in volunteering for Carlisle Fire Company can visit their website at https://www.carlisle42.com, click on Contact Us and click on Recruitment or call 302-422-8001.
Share this Post