Vets offered EMT course
CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. » The Saratoga County Emergency Council will offer a free emergency medical technician (EMT) certification course to military veterans starting this fall.
Classes will be held at the Clifton Park & Halfmoon Emergency Corps station, 15 Crossing Blvd. This is the second time the veterans’ certification program has been offered by the council. The initial course had a full roster of applicants and was held in the fall of 2015.
EMTs are clinicians trained to respond quickly to emergency situations regarding medical issues, traumatic injuries and accident scenes. The course is free to U.S. military veterans and will be taught by Saratoga County Emergency Medical Service instructors who are paramedics and EMTs. Most are also military veterans themselves.
The ultimate aim of the course instruction is to prepare students for every aspect of a career in emergency medicine while also enhancing their personal growth. In addition to the certification course work, the program will include professional development including support and counseling referrals, access to local veteran focused resources, and career consulting which includes resume building and interview preparation.
Russell Coonradt, an instructional coordinator with the Saratoga County Emergency Medical Services Council and a Navy veteran, said the review of the initial group of students in the first course found the program had a positive impact on those transitioning out of military service.
“The first course went really well,” he said. “The students performed extremely well in the practical skills stations. That’s unheard of. We had 14 that got certified. Some of them volunteer with Clifton Park & Halfmoon Emergency Corps, some work in the field, and others are in law enforcement and use their skills there.”
Classes start Sept. 19. The classes are given Tuesday and Thursday nights until March 15. In order to participate in the program applicants must have served in a military combat zone or completed initial obligation. Applicants must also attend the information session and submit an application with an accompanying DD-214 form.
Course alumni, and U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Pierre Brown said, “Learning in this environment, with our shared military service, has given me a comfort that I wouldn’t feel elsewhere. I’m driven to succeed (in the EMS field) because I haven’t felt such a strong sense of purpose since leaving the military.”
Coonradt — a former U.S. Navy Corpsman, Petty Officer Second Class — understands that strong sense of purpose.
“Becoming an EMT can give veterans an opportunity at meaningful employment,” he said. “You feel like you are making a difference, like you did while in service.”
Registration for the class is at the Saratoga County EMS Council website, www.saratogaems. org/register.
For more course information, contact Coonradt via email at emtveteran@ gmail.com.