MONROE - Green County EMS gained a new batch of paramedics last month after 10 students completed their 15-month training course.
The students graduated after completing 1,000 hours of training - half classroom work and half clinical work, said Green County EMS Chief Dan Nufer.
This brings the total number of paramedics at Green County EMS to 14, Nufer said.
Nufer said GCEMS became a paramedic-level organization in September of last year. Before then, GCEMS was classified as an intermediate-level organization, with EMTs trained to standards of 1999.
"The 1999 standards required 350 hours of training," Nufer said. "But the paramedics could use that 350 hours to count toward their paramedic training."
As paramedics, the graduates are qualified to administer pain medication to patients, provide life support and resuscitate patients, among other things, Nufer said.
"We're able to bring the emergency room to patients," Nufer said.
Nufer said the paramedics will also have to take 100 hours of additional life-support training every two years to maintain their certification.
Before last September, the nearest paramedic-level first responder organizations were as far away as Madison, Janesville or Beloit, Nufer said.
"It was important that there was paramedic-level services here, just because there weren't any options nearby," Nufer said.
A more stringent level of paramedic services exists - critical care paramedic - but that level is primarily used for hospital-to-hospital transportation and is "probably a couple of years away," Nufer said.
"The most incredible thing about our paramedics is that all but one of them have full-time jobs," Nufer said. "They did their training and volunteer for us on top of working their actual jobs. They're just incredible."
The students graduated after completing 1,000 hours of training - half classroom work and half clinical work, said Green County EMS Chief Dan Nufer.
This brings the total number of paramedics at Green County EMS to 14, Nufer said.
Nufer said GCEMS became a paramedic-level organization in September of last year. Before then, GCEMS was classified as an intermediate-level organization, with EMTs trained to standards of 1999.
"The 1999 standards required 350 hours of training," Nufer said. "But the paramedics could use that 350 hours to count toward their paramedic training."
As paramedics, the graduates are qualified to administer pain medication to patients, provide life support and resuscitate patients, among other things, Nufer said.
"We're able to bring the emergency room to patients," Nufer said.
Nufer said the paramedics will also have to take 100 hours of additional life-support training every two years to maintain their certification.
Before last September, the nearest paramedic-level first responder organizations were as far away as Madison, Janesville or Beloit, Nufer said.
"It was important that there was paramedic-level services here, just because there weren't any options nearby," Nufer said.
A more stringent level of paramedic services exists - critical care paramedic - but that level is primarily used for hospital-to-hospital transportation and is "probably a couple of years away," Nufer said.
"The most incredible thing about our paramedics is that all but one of them have full-time jobs," Nufer said. "They did their training and volunteer for us on top of working their actual jobs. They're just incredible."