Kenmare ND - Features
Real People. Real Jobs. Real Adventures.
Thanks for reading some of the latest features about area people and events.
To view every page and read every word of The Kenmare News each week,
subscribe to our ONLINE EDITION!
Berthold Ambulance will pay for all EMT training for volunteers
The Berthold Ambulance Service is looking for men and women willing to volunteer their time to help their community, first to complete an EMT training course offered by Community Ambulance in Minot and then to serve the community for at least one year on the ambulance.
8/10/11 (Wed)
Next class begins September 12
By Caroline Downs
The Berthold Ambulance Service is looking for men and women willing to volunteer their time to help their community, first to complete an EMT training course offered by Community Ambulance in Minot and then to serve the community for at least one year on the ambulance.
The class costs $600 per person and runs mid-September through March. However, the Berthold Ambulance will cover the fees for every new volunteer, including some additional costs for travel and lodging related to testing.
If 10 or more people volunteer for the Berthold Ambulance, Community Ambulance will hold the course at a location in Berthold.
After an EMT is certified, additional training amounting to 48 hours over a two-year period is required, along with a 24-hour refresher course held during one weekend. Berthold Ambulance Service pays any fees related to continuing education for its volunteers.
“When you decide to do this, you have to be serious about it,” said longtime Berthold Ambulance EMT-B Carol Kilene. “You have to finish the class.”
The Berthold Ambulance Service holds meetings on the second Sunday of each month at Berthold Public School, unless a particular training activity requires a different schedule. The ambulance service is in the process of developing a support system with community residents who would be willing to provide child care, light housekeeping duties and other services for volunteers who are attending EMT class sessions, studying for the class or exams, or taking part on ambulance runs.
Ambulance volunteers may also soon receive a small compensation for their services, with Berthold Ambulance working on plans to pay a small amount for EMTs for being on call or for making ambulance runs.
According to law, courses designated for “first responders” will no longer be offered as of 2013. Individuals volunteering for community ambulance services will be required to be licensed as an EMT, advanced EMT or paramedic.
Persons interested in volunteering with the Berthold Ambulance now, or who have questions about the ambulance service or plans for the new support program, should call squad leader Clayton Fegley at 701-453-3621.
The next EMT training course will begin in Minot on September 12th and take place each Monday evening through March, with four additional sessions scheduled on Saturdays, to total the required 148 hours. Anyone who intends to take this class must contact Fegley no later than August 22nd.