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Firefighters in training
Tad Schoon and Tim Young, both of the Rifle Fire Protection District, received their EMT training from Colorado Mountain College.
A partnership created by the Rifle Fire Protection District and Colorado Mountain College’s West Garfield Campus is hoping to make it easier for potential firefighters to get the training they need.
The two entities have teamed up to offer scholarships for emergency medical technician training to individuals who agree to commit to at least one year of volunteering or, if an opening is available, work as part-time paid staff at the station.
Two other Garfield County fire districts – Carbondale and Parachute – also offer similar scholarships.
“If you’re coming off the street with zero experience and you want to do something in fire service, it’s difficult,” said Rifle Fire Chief Mike Morgan. “But with basic EMT certification (through CMC classes) you’re that much further ahead.”
The arrangement between the fire station and the college came out of a need to attract more volunteer and part-time firefighters to Rifle’s station. Morgan said he doesn’t have a problem filling his full-time firefighter slots; currently the district employs 22 full-time staff. However, he said there are between 15 to 20 part-time personnel and about 22 volunteers – and he needs more.
Morgan said the CMC scholarship program provides benefits all the way around.
“We ask everyone to go through the interview process just as you would in a volunteer or hiring process,” he said. “And if you’re the caliber of person we need, we ask you to give one year of service to us in exchange for us paying course costs. It’s a great opportunity to start a career in the fire service.”
Morgan said scholarships with a working condition are a popular form of recruitment in emergency service fields. But it isn’t an opportunity for just anybody.
“You have to be someone who genuinely wants to help someone else out,” said Ken McCracken, CMC associate professor and EMS education director for CMC’s Roaring Fork and West Garfield campuses. “You can’t just be someone who likes red lights and sirens. That’s a very minor part of what we do. The major part is helping your neighbor. It’s a heavy responsibility.”
McCracken said he generally has between 12 and 24 people take basic EMT classes. Entry-level certification requires 150 hours of course and field work, which breaks down to a full semester of Tuesday and Thursday classes from 6-9:30 p.m., and six Saturdays from 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Courses in anatomy and physiology take up six hours of instruction, according to McCracken. Students learn how the cardiovascular and respiratory systems work, as well as what happens when a bone breaks – and why. They learn how to assess a patient: Determine the nature of an injury or illness and reading signs. Thirty hours are spent on field rotations – in clinics, working with fire agencies and running on ambulances.
“It’s a pretty heavy commitment,” said McCracken, “but you have quite a skill set by the time you’re finished.”
Contact McCracken at 319-5747 or the Rifle Fire Protection District at 625-1243 with questions. For more information on this and other CMC courses, go to coloradomtn.edu, or call the West Garfield Campus at 625-1871.
The two entities have teamed up to offer scholarships for emergency medical technician training to individuals who agree to commit to at least one year of volunteering or, if an opening is available, work as part-time paid staff at the station.
Two other Garfield County fire districts – Carbondale and Parachute – also offer similar scholarships.
“If you’re coming off the street with zero experience and you want to do something in fire service, it’s difficult,” said Rifle Fire Chief Mike Morgan. “But with basic EMT certification (through CMC classes) you’re that much further ahead.”
The arrangement between the fire station and the college came out of a need to attract more volunteer and part-time firefighters to Rifle’s station. Morgan said he doesn’t have a problem filling his full-time firefighter slots; currently the district employs 22 full-time staff. However, he said there are between 15 to 20 part-time personnel and about 22 volunteers – and he needs more.
Morgan said the CMC scholarship program provides benefits all the way around.
“We ask everyone to go through the interview process just as you would in a volunteer or hiring process,” he said. “And if you’re the caliber of person we need, we ask you to give one year of service to us in exchange for us paying course costs. It’s a great opportunity to start a career in the fire service.”
Morgan said scholarships with a working condition are a popular form of recruitment in emergency service fields. But it isn’t an opportunity for just anybody.
“You have to be someone who genuinely wants to help someone else out,” said Ken McCracken, CMC associate professor and EMS education director for CMC’s Roaring Fork and West Garfield campuses. “You can’t just be someone who likes red lights and sirens. That’s a very minor part of what we do. The major part is helping your neighbor. It’s a heavy responsibility.”
McCracken said he generally has between 12 and 24 people take basic EMT classes. Entry-level certification requires 150 hours of course and field work, which breaks down to a full semester of Tuesday and Thursday classes from 6-9:30 p.m., and six Saturdays from 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Courses in anatomy and physiology take up six hours of instruction, according to McCracken. Students learn how the cardiovascular and respiratory systems work, as well as what happens when a bone breaks – and why. They learn how to assess a patient: Determine the nature of an injury or illness and reading signs. Thirty hours are spent on field rotations – in clinics, working with fire agencies and running on ambulances.
“It’s a pretty heavy commitment,” said McCracken, “but you have quite a skill set by the time you’re finished.”
Contact McCracken at 319-5747 or the Rifle Fire Protection District at 625-1243 with questions. For more information on this and other CMC courses, go to coloradomtn.edu, or call the West Garfield Campus at 625-1871.
