Last week wrapped up an intense accelerated Emergency Medical Technician-Basic (EMT-B) class provided by Motlow State Community College (MSCC) for personnel from Murfreesboro and La Vergne Fire Rescue Departments.

The eight-weeks class was provided to students through a partnership with MSCC formed to better provide emergency medical response in Murfreesboro and Rutherford County.

The students were trained on how to perform basic patient assessment; how to assess and treat life-threatening traumatic injuries; how to assess and treat medical emergencies, to include diabetic emergencies and chest pain; and how to assist with emergency childbirth outside the hospital. There are 30 specific skills that each students demonstrated proficiency of during the final skills test.

After testing and passing the National Registry Exam, successful students will apply for licensing as a Tennessee state EMT.

The instructors for the course are current District Chiefs with Nashville Fire Department's Emergency Medical Division, Alana Brown and Andrew Neill. Together, they have over 40 years of combined experience and were selected by Program Director Drew Hooker to instruct the course based on their experience in a fire department-based delivery of emergency medical services to the public. Both Chiefs have extensive credentials.

Brown and Neill also taught Murfreesboro's pilot in-house class which produced over 21 EMTs in February 2017.

"We have been blessed with the opportunity to receive quality medical training right here in Murfreesboro," said MFRD Fire Rescue Chief Mark Foulks. "We are also appreciative of Bradley Academy and its staff for the ability to host these classes at their facility."

The advanced (AEMT) portion of the class will begin in January of 2019. This will bring MFRD closer to achieving the department's three year goal for training its Firefighters as EMTs and AEMTs at the Doug Young Public Safety Training Facility. As for La Vergne, the department will now have three more AEMTS on each of three shifts, an average of one AEMT per station.

"This class was a great opportunity for both departments," said City of La Vergne Interim Fire Chief Chris Clark. "We are grateful for the chance to work with Motlow and their awesome instructors." Clark went on to say, "It is only a matter of time and these students will be hitting the streets utilizing the skills they were taught to save lives in our communities."

"The partnership between each of the organizations remains strong to provide the quality EMS education needed for Rutherford County. I am proud of the work the students, instructors, and administrators have done to provide this course. This training will directly improve the care the citizens of Murfreesboro and La Vergne receive," said Motlow EMS Program Director Drew Hooker.