Copyright 2006 Dayton Newspapers, Inc.
By JIM DeBROSSE
Dayton Daily News (Ohio)
BEAVERCREEK, Ohio —Your ambulance is called to the scene of an explosion near an office building on a hot, humid day at 11:20 a.m. On arrival, you find two people lying in the street with injuries. A fire engine and a police cruiser arrive. Bystanders begin to flock to the scene.
As the senior emergency medical technician, you’re in control of directing the police officer, one firefighter and a paramedic. The clock is running and lives are at stake. What do you have your team do first?
If you’ve been taking the EMT-PLUS online training, you’ll be ready to jump right into the game — the video game, that is.
The virtual scenario above is one of many real-life interactive video exercises designed to help train EMTs at www.emtplus.com, any time of day or night. Players make decisions on how to muster resources and assess and treat patients. When it’s over, a cyber tutor lets the player know how well he or she performed.
EMT-PLUS, for Emergency Medical Technician Practice, Learn and Use System, is a new online instructional product from JXT Applications Inc., a Beavercreek-based software development firm that specializes in training military personnel and first responders.
The Web site provides not only interactive lessons but references and other electronic aids that can be downloaded to a PDA or laptop for use in the field. EMTs work at their own pace to earn Continuing Education Credits. JXT is an approved EMS Continuing Education provider in Ohio. The program also has been submitted for national accreditation.
Charles Wiltrout, executive director of the Miami Valley Fire/EMS Alliance, said EMTPLUS provides fire and EMS departments a flexible, userfriendly tool for keeping their crews up-to-date on technical knowledge. “In some of the busier departments, a three-hour training class might be interrupted by two or three (emergency) runs,” he said.
With online courses, crew members can train individually and on their own schedules.
EMTs completing the trial course by June 30 earn free continuing education credits.
For more information, call (937) 306-5003, Ext. 217, or e-mail Bobbi Gearhardt at rgearhardt@jxtai.com.