By Jannette Pippin
The Daily News
JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — Southwest High School junior Alex Norris has plans to take on a career in emergency services as both a firefighter and paramedic and has had the benefit of training for each while still in high school.
Norris is a student in the school’s firefighter technology program, now in its fourth year at Southwest, and the new EMT program, which is in its first year. The Career Technical Education (CTE) programs provide students with an opportunity to earn firefighter credentials from the Office of the State Fire Marshal and emergency medical credentials from the Office of Emergency Medical Services, giving them a head start when pursuing careers in either field, or both.
“I think the programs are a really great idea,” Norris said. “They are opening doors for all of us and creating job opportunities.”
Norris has another year of high school to complete but is already making plans to continue his training after graduation and is serving as a volunteer with Nine Mile Volunteer Fire Department.
The training the students have received during the school year was put to the test Monday as they participated in an exercise during which they responded to a mock crash scene.
The scenario: a 56-year-old man crashes with his 6-month-old grandchild in a car seat in the backseat. The man was attempting to drive the baby to the hospital rather than calling 911 for help after the baby began having trouble breathing. When the baby began gasping for air in the car, the grandfather panics and crashes, leaving both of the occupants of the car trapped inside.
The students quickly went to work.
Students with the firefighter program stabilized the vehicle, popped open the hood of the car to disconnect the battery and cut power to the airbags, and began the task of extricating the mannequin victims from the car. As they worked, a pair was ready nearby with the firehose should the car catch on fire.
The EMT students worked to assess the condition of the victims inside and stood by to provide treatment as soon as they could be removed from the vehicle. The baby, which was in respiratory distress, was the first extricated.
On the ground, EMT students received instruction on treatment procedures, including giving CPR to the baby.
The crash scene is one that firefighters and EMTs could see at any time, and the scenario of the grandfather taking to the road in an emergency situation rather than calling 911 and waiting for EMTs to arrive is just as possible.
“It happens; it’s not uncommon at all,” said Haws Run Rescue Assistant Chief Mike Caley.
Caley was among the volunteers on hand to assist with the mock crash exercise.
After it was complete, Caley thanked the students for their efforts and noted the importance of them all working together to respond to the same situation.
“It doesn’t matter if you are fire or if you are EMT; it’s about teamwork, it’s about communication,” Caley said.
Southwest junior Kody Pierce plans to carry on a family tradition of fire service and said the program at the school gives them a “head start” on achieving certification.
“I come from a family of firefighters. It’s something that just comes natural,” Pierce said.
Pierce said firefighting is never the same each day and you never know what to expect. That’s what makes training exercises like Monday’s so important.
“The training is important because when something comes up you know what your plan of attack is step by step,” Pierce said.
Paige Henderson, a senior in the EMT program, said the exercise provided valuable hands-on experience.
“Everything was very helpful. It was very realistic and put us in a real-life situation,” Henderson said.
As the students tackled various tasks, John Flemming, who teaches health sciences and the EMT program, and Mike Koonce, who served as a firefighter for the City of Jacksonville for 31 years and now teaches the firefighter technology program at Southwest, provided instruction for the students.
Some, he hopes, will seek a career in the emergency services.
“There is a great market for EMTs and firefighters,” Koonce said.
But if they don’t, the skills they learn are ones that they can carry with them throughout life, Koonce said.
Henderson didn’t take the class with plans for a career as an EMT, but said she has enjoyed it; and even if it is not her career choice, she may volunteer with a department.
Onslow County Fire Marshal Brian Kelly said volunteers are a much-needed part of the county’s fire and rescue departments and he hopes the programs at Southwest High School will help bring up a new generation of recruits.
“This program is a huge benefit for us,” Kelly said. “It not only turns out potential paid firefighters but it also turns out potential volunteers.”
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