News Flash

Blazing fires and heroic rescues might be the first things that come to mind when you think of fire and rescue, but there's a critical skill that recruits need to master before graduating: emergency medical services. Brian Clingenpeel, the Community Outreach Coordinator for Fire and Rescue, estimates that 85% of the calls that the department responds to are for EMS.

I recently visited the regional training center as recruiting class 38 practiced the EMS skills they've been learning as part of their training. The group consists of recruits and instructors from Roanoke County, Roanoke City, and Salem.

One scenario that recruits faced on the day we visited was a gunshot wound. I joined in as the recruits assessed the patient and demonstrated how they stabilized injuries under the watchful eye of instructors. Vehicle crashes, falls, and infant airway obstructions were all covered at the lab stations the groups cycled through.

I had the distinct honor of being a prop for one group. Playing the role of a fall victim, the recruits learned different ways to lift me depending on the scenario (and I was only a little shocked when an instructor lifted me by my pants' cuff!)

During downtime between rotations, Whitney Kirker, one of the instructors from Roanoke County, shared some sage advice for the recruits about their training: “Be good at your job, work hard to be good at your job, and this job will be very rewarding.”

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Em Poertner is Roanoke County's Public Information Specialist. She hosts the Out of the Office podcast and Roam RoCo video series. You can email her at epoertner@roanokecountyva.gov.