Seated: Ryan Peters, Cody Rosinski, Hanson Schmid, Aris Bird, Sharyse Goodell, Christine Bradt, Jeff Morris, Dylan Clark; Standing: Instructor David Berkstresser, Joshua Peters, Brett Hoffman, Melissa Murphy, Bonnie Tracy, Michael Olney, Jim Tracy, Thomas Freeman, James Carroll, Barb Winslow, Scott Eisenhart, Scott Cornell, Jeffrey Abrial, Paul Mierek, Chad Burdick, Patrick Buck, Michael Rixford. Missing from photo are: Yuri Pashchuk, Lindsay Payne, Mary Roach, Scott Ward and Jenifer Temple. Courtesy photo.
By Marianne Christy
Volunteers from Woodgate, Old Forge, Eagle Bay, Raquette Lake, Otter Lake, Forest-port, Stittville, Western, and Remsen recently wrapped up five months of EMT class training at the Woodgate Volunteer Fire Department.
Of the 29 students enrolled in the class, 23 were seeking their basic EMT certifications while the remaining six received EMT refresher training.
Hosted by the Woodgate Fire Department, the course was instructed by David Berkstresser of Old Forge, and co-instructed by Elmer Miller.
“Upon successful completion of the course, participants will be ready to provide emergency medical services to the public. They will be able to do CPR, stop bleeding and bandage an injury, splint people’s broken bones, and administer oxygen, among other things, to anybody that’s sick or injured,” Berkstresser said.
The course is complete when a student passes the state test, then they are a Basic Emergency Medical Technician, said Berkstresser.
“It’s a New York State certification from the Department of Health, under the medical license of Lee Burns in Albany; and they actually practice medicine under that license,” he added.
The course is held in conjunction with Faxton-St. Luke’s EMS Education and the Department of Health.
As long as a student belongs to an ambulance or rescue squad, the Department of Health pays the tuition.
