PORT TOWNSEND — East Jefferson Fire Rescue will host a three-month training course for emergency medical technician candidates.
The $900 course will begin Tuesday, Jan. 5, at the East Jefferson Fire Rescue station at 9193 Rhody Drive in Chimacum.
It will run through March 26, with classes from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays and from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays — all at the fire station in Chimacum.
The classroom program is available to anyone who wishes to become an emergency medical technician, but to sit for the national exam and become certified by the state Department of Health, a candidate must be sponsored by an emergency medical services agency, law enforcement agency, business with an organized industrial safety team or be a senior emergency medical services instructor who is unable to be associated with the approved agencies above, according to a press release from the fire department.
Others may take the class, but must become affiliated before becoming certified.
Emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics are distinguished by the level of training required and degree of medical intervention allowed.
EMTs receive 167 hours of classroom education, supplemented by 12 hours of clinical time.
Upon becoming certified, EMTs respond to basic life support calls and assist in advanced life support.
For those interested in eventually becoming a medic, EMT certification and in-field experience is a precursor, the fire department said.
Medic students acquire extensive training in the field under the direct supervision of experienced paramedics and average 700 patient contacts and between 1,100 and 2,500 additional hours of instruction prior to receiving certification.
Medics perform advanced life support treatments including drug administration and tracheal intubation.
For more information, or to apply for the course, call the fire department at 360-385-2626 or see www.ejfr.org.