By EMS1 Staff
MUSCLE SHOALS, Ala. — The Helen Keller Hospital donated an ambulance to the Northwest-Shoals Community College for education and training purposes.
According to Times Daily, the hospital donated a 2007 Ford ambulance to benefit the schools’ EMS and paramedic programs, which did not have an ambulance for nearly a year and a half.
“This just allows so much more in-depth orientation into the field for these students,” EMS Program Director Chris DeMorse said.
The donated ambulance used to serve as the backup unit for the hospital. It now gives students a more rounded education by allowing instructors to present realistic simulations to students on campus.
“This fills a definite, very obvious need, but beyond that it’s really good for career recruitment to have this and be able to offer this extensive training,” DeMorse said. “The students will get oriented to driving it and get a good operational understanding.”
The EMS program utilizes a campus apartment to set up simulations and training scenarios that students can train. A training scenario includes responded to a scene, giving treatment and transporting the “victims” to the hospital.
“We have a great partnership, and this is a great way to give back to the school and invest in our community by doing what we can to help them produce great EMTs and paramedics,” Helen Keller Hospital EMS Director Bruce Carson said.