Aug. 19, 2010

GETTYSBURG – High school students in one Adams County school district will get a chance to give back to their community while learning valuable skills.

Starting this fall, up to 12 Fairfield High School students will participate in an emergency medical services (EMS) program. They will learn the basics of being an emergency medical technician (EMT), including information on the human body, vital signs and how to deal with medical emergencies.

The program is a new partnership between the HACC-Gettysburg Campus, Fairfield Area School District, and Fairfield Fire and EMS.

“With this program, kids will learn a lot about their own bodies and what goes on in real life as far as injury and illness,” said Neal Abrams, captain of the Fairfield Fire and EMS. “This will be a real morale booster as they learn how to do this.”

            Abrams is especially happy about the partnership because it will bring volunteers into the local EMS system. “These kids can join the fire department as junior members, and at our Tuesday night training sessions, we can help them out with their coursework and they can ride the ambulance with us,” he said. “It will be a great way for them to get some experience that can help them get a job when they get out of high school.”

            Shannon Harvey, executive dean of academic affairs at the Gettysburg Campus, agrees. “Career pathway programs like this one in EMS allow students to develop high-demand career skills that support their success in the workforce and give them a competitive edge,” she said.

            The noncredit class, which will meet for the first and second marking periods at the high school, will be taught by Patsy Fiorenza, one of HACC’s adjunct faculty and a seasoned EMS instructor. Students will study cardiac and respiratory emergencies, CPR, chest and abdominal injuries, allergies, poisonings, behavior and environmental emergencies, injuries of the head, neck and spine and more.

            “The course is very community driven,” said Mike Tonkay, EMS education specialist at HACC’s Sen. John Shumaker Public Safety Center that runs EMT classes in eight counties.

“The Fairfield Fire Company is footing the tuition bill for these students in hopes that they will come back and run with them and give back to the community in that way. It’s a great cooperative effort, giving back to a small community that’s struggling to get volunteers,” Tonkay said.

            Heather Swope, Fairfield High School guidance counselor, agreed: “A lot of our students like to help and be involved in the community, and this is a great way to tie our students into that.”

            Many of the prospective students have indicated their hope of using the program as an entry point into the healthcare field, Tonkay said. Upon completion of the course, they will be certified by the Pennsylvania Department of Health as emergency medical technicians, he said.

            “We did some research and found that once a student has their EMT certification, they may work on their college campus as an EMT,” Swope said. “Our students see this as an opportunity to get paid in the future.”

            The students also will receive information about career preparation available at HACC, such as the paramedic-EMT certificate and associate in arts degree, Tonkay said. HACC runs a similar program with high school students in the Northern (York County) School District, which has been very successful, he said.

    Abrams was the driving force behind the program, having been involved with a similar, successful program with Montgomery County (Md.) Community College years ago. “I always had it in the back of my mind that I’d like to do the same here. I met Bill Chain, superintendent of the Fairfield School District, and gave him the idea and he thought it was terrific and contacted HACC,” he said. “I think it’s the start of something really great.”