By EMS1 Staff
WAKE COUNTY, N.C. — A county is holding an EMS camp for teens in the hopes that it will increase recruitment amongst younger people in the wake of a paramedic shortage.
WRAL reported that Wake County’s two-week summer camp will teach high schoolers how to treat patients in a simulation environment. Students will learn about bleeding control, airway management, rescue techniques and mass casualty response.
Community outreach assistant chief Jeffrey Hammerstein said recruitment needs to be increased as the county faces a growing 911 call volume.
“We know we have to attract local people in the community at a younger age before they’ve made all the decisions about what they want to do and try to guide them toward EMS as a possible career,” he said.
Hammerstein hopes the camp will change the number of recruits that apply to paramedic school.