By Jenn Smith
The Berkshire Eagle
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — On Thursday evening, a group of young emergency medical technicians-to-be headed to class — at the Berkshire Mall.
In February, the Williamstown-based Village Ambulance Service forged a unique partnership with the mall to begin offering a 135-hour EMT-Basic training program there. It includes lectures two nights a week, plus Saturday hands-on training.
Village Ambulance General Manager Shawn Godfrey, who is a National Registered EMT-Paramedic and certified instructor/coordinator, contacted the mall about the program.
The Berkshire Mall has traditionally offered a space called the Community Room to public nonprofit programs since the mall opened in 1988.
But based on the size of the group and the need to set up training equipment like CPR mannequins and stations to practice checking vital signs, Joseph Scelsi, general manager of the mall, offered the group the former CVS store space. It yields almost 3,000 square feet to host class and laboratory sessions in.
Godfrey said he learned that, according to the Massachusetts Office of Emergency Medical Services, the Village Ambu lance EMT-Basic training group is the first of its kind to ever hold a class in a mall setting.
The CVS mall store has been closed since January 2007, with the space leased out intermittently to season retail outfits. Now the EMT program has a more permanent place to train.
“When we first started to offer training we were kind of a mobile classroom, and had to spend class time setting things up and breaking them down. This helps a lot,” said paramedic supervisor Christine Isca. She, along with intermediate EMTs Michelle Sawicky and Jake Pyra help Godfrey instruct the 15-member class.
“We’ve got a great relationship with most of the emergency management people we work with, so we saw this as a good thing, especially when Shawn mentioned the shortage of EMTs,” Scelsi said.
Class member Chris Mendrek is a firefighter from the town of Warren, who commutes more than an hour and a half to take the class.
“There’s a shortage of EMTs in my town,” he said. Mendrek said by becoming an EMT, he may be able to cut down on delays in helping people get the care that they need.
No one in the class said they were bothered by having a course at the mall. In fact the majority of students, who are from Pittsfield, said they appreciate the central location, which also may be a factor in making the program viable.
Sheri Jennison of Sandis field, was going to take a class at another location, but it got canceled because a lack of students signed up for it.
In fact, Godfrey said the group will partner with North Adams to offer the final exam for the basic program at the mall classroom; a minimum of 20 EMT candidates are required to administer the exam.
Ultimately, the program is a chance for more community members to advance themselves.
Jared Amuso of Pittsfield, for example, recently returned from a military tour in Afghanistan and will be studying criminal justice at Berkshire Community College.
“This will be helpful for me to know, because most of the time, police officers are first responders,” he said.
Copyright 2012 The Berkshire Eagle