EMT Course Offered for Mining Industry

Pierpont Community & Technical College of Fairmont State University is offering a course designed to meet the mining industry's need for additional emergency medical technicians.

"This 60-hour Emergency Medical Technician-Mining (EMT-M) course provides an individual with the knowledge to provide basic emergency care during the first phases of an emergency," said Paul Schreffler, Director of Economic Development & Workforce Education for Pierpont C&TC. "It is specifically designed to bring expert emergency medical care to victims of emergencies within the mining environment and to safely transfer their care to emergency medical personnel for transportation to the proper facility."

The instructor for the program, Joe Swiger, emphasized the importance of this role in the industry.

"Miners qualified with the EMT-M certification frequently perform their duties in an unsupervised environment, in a great variety of circumstances and often under considerable physical and emotional stress," Swiger said. "The actions taken can mean the difference between life and death of the victim."

The course, providing West Virginia EMT-M certification, is based upon portions of the U.S. Department of Transportation curriculum, which is the standard for emergency medical technicians across the nation.

"This course can be taken by a currently employed miner who is seeking additional responsibility," Schreffler said. "It also provides an enhanced employment opportunity for a "Red Hat" apprentice, as mines are required to have at least one EMT-M certified miner for every 10 underground employees."

The course begins on April 2 and meets every Monday and Wednesday evening, from 5 to 9 p.m., until May 16, 2007. Classes are held at the Pierpont C&TC Center for Workforce Education, located on the ground floor of Veterans' Square on Adams Street, in downtown Fairmont. The EMT-M certification exam will be held on Saturday, May 19.

Tuition for the program is $250, which includes all required books and fees. Detailed information, class schedules and a registration form are available on the web at www.pierpont.edu/ce.

For more information, call the Pierpont C&TC Center for Workforce Education at (304) 367-4920. Class size is limited, and pre-registration is required.