By Karl Kell
Times-Picayune (New Orleans)
Copyright 2007 The Times-Picayune Publishing Company
New Orleans, La. — Firefighters from Fire District No. 4 in Mandeville averages more than 4,800 calls for assistance a year with about 80 percent involving the need for emergency medical services. That demand will get some help from Delgado Community College’s Department of Emergency Medical Services Education program, which is expanding to the north shore.
Delgado’s new EMS training program held its official open house on May 16 at the college’s new training center at 1800 N. Northlake Drive, in Mandeville. Delgado offers the only nationally accredited EMS program in the area and one of only three in the state.
Following Hurricane Katrina, the fire district mandated that all of its firefighters be certified as paramedics and be able to assist in all types of medical emergencies.
“Our firefighters are often the first responders in almost any medical crisis,” said Frank Jordan, the district’s EMT director. “Last year we began to seek a workable solution to meet our needs in developing paramedic training and contacted Delgado in New Orleans.”
At the same time, Delgado had initiated plans to expand to the north shore but had trouble locating suitable space, said Sharmaine Hughes, a registered nurse and program director of the school’s Department of EMS Education.
“The partnership between Delgado and District 4 has been a win-win for all and will greatly assist in meeting a critical area of need,” she added. Delgado has developed a new EMS training program and began piloting it with District 4 in Mandeville with 16 firefighter students.
The first class began in sparse settings in a FEMA trailer behind the District 4 fire station along Louisiana 59 last summer.
At the open house, the public was able to tour the new center and take in demonstrations by firefighters and the students.
The 6,000-square-foot training building features three large, fully equipped classrooms, a computer center, a simulation lab and three large garage bays for vehicle training. The complex sits on four acres with eight additional acres available for expansion.
“We also have more than $250,000 worth of state-of-the-art simulation equipment in our lab area,” Hughes said.
The ongoing joint training programs at the new campus includes firefighter training as well as continuing education credit for current paramedics. Later this year, Delgado will offer to the general public a basic EMT training course and eventually will offer general classes relating to anatomy and physiology, wellness, medical terms and EKG.
During the open house, training chief Marty Latino and training officers Bob Hecker, David Murden and Ken Salzer led demonstrations of the equipment and introduced “SIM Man,” an anatomically correct computer model that simulates an adult male.
Latino said that SIM Man is the closest to a human anyone can get and can be programmed by the instructors to exhibit signs of all types of injuries or medical-related problems.
The model also reacts to the treatment provided by the students that is similar to what the paramedics would face.
The students are able to monitor all of SIM Man’s vital signs and provide treatments including injections, defibrillation and tracheotomies.
“His responses will replicate the symptoms of the injury or illness similar to what we see in the field including even vomiting,” Hecker said.
The lab training room also includes cameras that record videos of how the student handled the situation for later review or critique. “It is the closest you can come to reality with real-time feedback for the student,” Murden said.
In addition to SIM Man, the students also can respond and treat in similar training situations SIM Child and SIM Infant. All of the equipment at the new facility is the same as or similar to what is used in the emergency vehicles and at north shore hospitals.
Harold Gaspard, dean of Delgado’s Allied Health Program, will serve as the interim north shore dean.
District 4, with 96 full-time firefighters, covers a 78-square-mile area surrounding Mandeville and operates stations on Girod Street in old Mandeville, along Louisiana 22 and in Big Branch.
About one-third of its personnel have already been training and are certified as paramedics. Jordan added that the district is currently accepting applications for new firefighter positions.