In need of EMT volunteers, local fire stations look to UD students

After emergency medical technician Mia Natale showed the two University of Delaware students the ambulance's boxes of naloxone and explained how the drug works on heroin overdoses, she pointed out the non-negotiables of their ride–along.

"You have to wear a traffic vest. We need you to stay safe," she said. "Oh, and don't take pictures."

The students were starting their six-hour shift, during which they could witness a handful of calls, including EMTs transporting people with cardiac arrest,helping victims of car accidents and reviving Delawareans who overdosed.

It's not the standard college fare, but the University of Delaware, in partnership with local fire companies, has launched a course for students to become EMT volunteers. This class comes at a time when the fire companies are struggling to balance a high volume of calls — made worseby the opioid crisis — with a limited numbers of EMTs.

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The goal is for these students, many of whom plan to go into the medical field, to become local EMT volunteers. Safety officials hope these students will work throughout the state for a couple years in college and gain real world experience that will strengthen their applicationsto medical or physician assistant schools.

In all three counties, emergency medical service officials said 2016 had the highest volume of calls in the last decade, according to the Delaware Emergency Medical Services Oversight Council.

The council's recent annual report said that Delaware the First State has been affected by the national shortage of EMT volunteers and he demand for these services is expected to increase as the state's population ages.

There are currently about 1,500 EMTs in the state, the report said.

Nationally, the most common age of EMS volunteers is between 20 and 45. However, many people in that age group are also juggling volunteer hours with long work hours and time with their families, the report said.

Matthew Gajdos, a senior instructor at the Delaware State Fire School, points to heroin and opioid problems as a root cause for the increase in calls.

In 2016, 308 Delawareans died from overdoses. The rise of fentanyl, a synthetic painkiller about 50 times more powerful than heroin, claimed the lives of 120 people.

"It's always been an issue but it has never been this bad," Gajdos said.

Because of this, volunteers have faced stringent training demands and more intense time commitments, Gajdos said.

The fear of burnout among EMTs has led fire companies nationwide to look for ways to combat the shortage, he said. Other states have created similar volunteer programs with colleges, including the University of Maryland, College Park.

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"We looked at all these things going on in the country, why not here in Delaware?," Gajdos said.

The course, which would normally run for several months at the fire school, is squeezed into five weeks during UD's winter and summer sessions.

Esther Biswas-Fiss, chair of UD's Department of Medical Laboratory Services, called the relationship "serendipitous" because the department has been looking for ways students can get real world medical experience.

It's become increasingly common for graduate schools, particularly physician assistant programs, to require students to complete a certain number of patient-contact hours or other interactions in which students provide care to patients.

Depending on the school, it can range from 50 to 2,000 patient contact hours, she said.

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But UD's course isn't the typical college class, and some students might not be eligible to enroll. Biswas-Fiss said the students undergo state and federal background checks, a requirement to become an EMT.

Students attend the class from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, studying anatomy, CPR, triage and medical assessment from EMTs and firefighters.

At night, the students hang out at one of the Christiana Fire and Aetna Hose Hook & Ladder companies' stations to observe calls with the EMTs. Depending on the situation, the students might have the chance to check a person's vitals, including blood pressure and heart rate. They also must have 10 patient-contact hours.

At the end of the winter session, the students take the national certification exam to become an EMT.

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Kathryn Dwyer, a sophomore, enrolled in the class because she plans to go to physician assistant school after graduation. Before the course, Dwyer said she didn't realize how much EMTs do and what they're capable of doing.

On a recent night, Dwyer found herself too interested to leave Aetna station No.8, one of the busiest, after a six hour shift. So she stayed — and ended up leaving 12 hours later.

After experiencing seven calls in one night, Dwyer said she's found a new appreciation for EMTs, who are often on the front lines of medicine.

"Stuff gets thrown at you," she said. "You have to be ready."

Contact Meredith Newman at (302) 324-2386 or at mnewman@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @merenewman.