In an ongoing bid to thwart the nationwide trend of dwindling first responders, the Allegheny-Kiski Health Foundation has announced its fourth round of free emergency medical technician training.
Classes are expected to begin in March at the facility on Acee Drive.
“We’re all so short-handed,” Citizens Hose Supervisor Jim Erb said. “This helps tremendously.”
John Pastorek, president of the Harrison-based foundation, said his group will pay about $20,000 for up to 20 student certifications.
In a 2018 report, the Pennsylvania Fire and Emergency Services Institute estimated the number of paid EMS totaled 17,000 in the state, down from a high of about 30,000 — a 43% decrease.
According to the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania, more than 2,600 EMTs allowed their certifications to expire in 2021.
Free certification by the foundation already has turned out 60 new emergency responders, something Erb said is desperately needed in the face of funding shortages and worker shortages.
A bonus is that classes are offered several nights a week, right at the foundation’s office. Students don’t have to travel to Monroeville or Indiana, where certifications typically are offered, Pastorek said.
In the past, the EMT course was taught by Community College of Allegheny County adjunct professor Randi Shank. Classes have run from 6 to 10 p.m. two nights a week and last about five months.
Graduates are certified for ground-level entry and can work anywhere.
In recent years, the number of emergency medical service (ambulance) agencies in Pennsylvania was about 1,278 — a 22% decrease from 1,645 agencies statewide in 2013, according to the Pennsylvania Fire and Emergency Services Institute.
Upcoming classes at the foundation require no skill set or medical background from students.
The course includes textbook learning along with hands-on projects.
Graduation enters people into a wide-open medical field. Some people who take the class might go on to become paramedics or physical assistants.
“If you’re a firefighter, maybe you want to be able to expand your help on-scene,” Pastorek said.
