CHENEY – The Fire Department’s fledgling emergency medical services cadet training program received a financial shot in the arm recently with a one-time $5,000 grant from Providence Health Care.
The program is a collaboration between the department and Eastern Washington University to help students interested in a medical career receive real-world learning and training while also expanding the number of trained personnel capable of responding to emergencies in the city. Students who complete the coursework and field training receive national certification as an emergency medical technician — EMT.
Started in spring 2019, six cadets have already gone through the first two phases of the program, but have had their training stalled due to a lack of basic personal protective equipment and EMS supplies, thanks partly to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. In awarding the grant, Providence officials recognized the situation and extended their support to Cheney’s program.
“Providence seeks to support organizations who share our vision to create healthier communities together,” Providence Community Health investment manager Sara Clements-Sampson wrote in the award letter. “We would like to designate this grant to support operating expenses necessary for this program to continue addressing this identified need.”
According to information on the program, 73 percent of Cheney Fire Department calls are medical-related. The department averages over 1,500 calls for service per month.
To meet this need and provide field training and hands-on experience, Cheney Fire Chief Tom Jenkins said they reached out to EWU faculty, staff and career counselors, receiving recommendations on prospective students who already had the instruction as well as maturity to handle the work. Battalion Chief Jeff Anderson sought and received his certification as a senior EMT evaluator in order to teach the program, and the collaborated with Spokane County Fire District 3 to provide the training facility at their Presley Drive headquarters in Cheney.
The class started this past winter with 20-22 students, Jenkins said, including firefighters from District 3 and Cheney Fire along with six EWU students. The robust, three-month coursework involved 180 hours of class time, requirement to pass all quizzes, midterms and finals with no less than an 80 percent and passage of a final practical skills exam according to Washington Department of Health standards.
The trainees must successfully complete the National Registry test before being allowed to begin field work with the Fire Department. Once completed, the EWU cadets would be scheduled to work a minimum of 36 hours per month, depending on their class load and other work schedules, and attend a monthly EMS training night.
Jenkins said the EWU students were in the process of finishing their coursework when the Covid-19 pandemic hit in March. They completed all of their training requirements by June, but haven’t been able to take their national certification tests yet due to the facilities being shutdown by the virus restrictions.
“We’re assuming the six will pass their certification boards,” Jenkins said. “As soon as they do, we’re going to bring them on board.”
The goal of the program is to eventually maintain a “core” of 12 EMS cadets at the department. The cadets will provide “dedicated standby units for large EWU events” including sports, concerts and other gatherings while potentially staffing a “detox center” on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
Jenkins said cadets in the program will always work in conjunction with a trained firefighter from the department.
“We will never get to the point where a student goes out alone,” he added. “The goal is to provide a mentor for them.”
John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].
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