By Matthew Thompson
Charleston Daily Mail (West Virginia)
Copyright 2006 Charleston Newspapers
The Kanawha County Ambulance Authority has created new positions of field-training officers designed to provide more education for paramedics.
The department is the first ambulance authority in the state to offer the positions.
Mike Jarrett, public information officer for the ambulance authority, introduced the first four employees selected for the jobs Wednesday.
“We have tested and tested these guys,” Jarrett said. “And the best has been selected.”
The first four officers are Erica Payne, 28, of St Albans, Tennille Davis, 29, of Belle, Rich Meadows, 34, of Huntington, and David Kidd, 42, of Hamlin.
The officers will start their new jobs immediately. Jarrett said there would be a total of 12 field-training officers on staff by 2007.
Kim Johnson, education director of the ambulance authority, said the officers would work as an extension of her department. The training officers, who are paramedics and registered nurses, will accompany co-workers out in the field to determine what improvements can be made to the service.
“They are going to serve as a resource for our office because we can’t always be out in the field,” Johnson said. “They are going to know exactly what’s going on, so we can come up with a plan to help educate to make improvements if necessary.”
A series of tests was scheduled to determine what knowledge and problem solving skills the employees have on the job. During the sessions, the chosen few were asked to give impromptu lectures on certain subjects.
“I walked in and they just handed me Powerpoint presentation and told me to start teaching,” said Tennille Davis, a seven-year veteran of the department. “It caught me off guard, but I felt confident.”
The testing procedures also included review sessions by authority personnel, including management and fellow paramedics and registered nurses.
Each candidate had to score at least an 80 percent overall to be qualified for the position.
“It was challenging,” said Rich Meadows, a registered nurse in the department. “It wasn’t just one aspect of the job that they looked at.”
The new jobs come on the heels of a large number of calls and demand for employees in the department.
The authority receives 4,500 ambulance calls per month and transports 63,000 patients a year.
Johnson said that’s a lot of work for an authority that employs 250 individuals.
The department also received help from the recent renewal of the property tax excess levy supporting bus and ambulance service. Last month, the levy passed with voters by a record 85 percent approval mark.
When the renewal was up four years ago, it squeaked to approval by only 22 votes.
Of the $13 million generated from the levy, $4.38 million goes to the Kanawha County ambulance service.
The authority also has expanded its Brooks Street offices to service the high call demand and employee growth.
Last September, the ambulance authority purchased the old Cleveland Plant & Flower Co. building next to the ambulance headquarters. Officials are currently renovating the facility, which will be used as a garage to store the authority’s fleet of 52 vehicles.
“We are expanding our abilities both here and out in the field,” Jarrett said. “We believe this is what the public wants to see from its EMS.”