By Matthew Spolar
The Concord Monitor
CONCORD, N.H. — After the indictment of a Concord man accused of falsely re- certifying emergency medical technicians, EMS instructors in New Hampshire say they worry the situation has damaged the public’s trust and state authorities are taking steps to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
“This is a huge black eye in New Hampshire and every EMS instructor-coordinator out there who is competent, caring and trustworthy... is really upset that one bad apple made us look bad,” said Clay Odell, chief of the Bureau of Emergency Medical Services.
Leo Nault, 50, of Josiah Bartlett Road was indicted in Massachusetts earlier this month following a months-long investigation into state-mandated refresher courses he claimed to have administered for hundreds of EMTs from Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Nault submitted the EMTs for recertification but in fact “rarely taught the course in full, and sometimes not at all,” Massachusetts authorities alleged.
In New Hampshire, state authorities have identified 81 EMTs believed to have been falsely re-certified by Nault. So far, 39 have been given yearlong license suspensions for fraudulently renewing their certifications, a process they must go through every two years.
Odell said that as a result of the investigation, which began in May, he has begun the creation of “an ad hoc committee to look at avoiding or reducing the chance of an episode like this happening in the future.” Odell said he recommended the group’s formation to Safety Commissioner John Barthelmes, and he has asked EMS professionals from across the state to join.
Additionally, Odell said his bureau will likely try to increase the amount of in-person audits performed on classes throughout the state.
“If one of our people shows up and the place is locked and there are no cars there, then they’ll know something’s up,” Odell said. However, he noted that “we don’t have a huge number of resources, so trying to get to all the EMT courses to audit them is a challenge.”
No Concord EMTs were involved in the scheme, fire Chief Dan Andrus said. Odell said most of the EMTs that Nault claimed to have taught were concentrated in Rockingham County and along the state’s southern tier.
Sally Becker, who teaches EMT refresher courses on Manchester Street in Concord, said the investigation into Nault’s classes has been the talk of the state’s emergency medical services community.
Becker, who is also a volunteer EMT with the Webster and Penacook squads, said she was angered not just by Nault’s alleged scheme but by the 81 EMTs who authorities say signed up for the fraudulent recertification.
“They had to know,” Becker said. “They were lucky they got a year. If I was in charge, they would have been gone.”
Odell said that many of the EMTs likely knew what they were doing when they allegedly signed up for classes that never occurred or that they didn’t complete in full. However, he said some have contended that they were misled by trusting an authority figure like Nault to make sure what they were doing was above board.
In order to become an EMS instructor in New Hampshire, candidates must complete 100 hours of training, Odell said. Afterward, they are mentored for 20 hours of teaching time. Just like regular EMTs, they also must meet certain requirements every two years to be recertified in their role as instructors.
Odell noted that the refresher courses are not the only requirement for recertification. EMTs must also complete a practical exam overseen by state evaluators and an online, open-book protocol exam, he said.
George Calligandes, operations manager for Tri-Town Ambulance in Pembroke who also teaches refresher courses, said he doesn’t believe the public safety was threatened by Nault’s alleged scheme.
“These were not initial training programs,” he said. "(The students) were people who were doing this for many years.”
But Chuck Hemeon, a Danville instructor who teaches Concord’s EMTs, said the recertification classes are critical to ensuring that rescue workers are up-to-date on the latest in protocol and medical advancements.
“It’s really more a practice, not a science,” he said. “It’s forever changing — there’s new equipment, there are new techniques.”
Copyright 2010 ProQuest Information and Learning
All Rights Reserved
ProQuest SuperText
Copyright 2010 Concord Monitor/Sunday Monitor