Putnam County EMT Basic Students Receive Hands-on Training with Special Needs Students
‘Sometimes they can’t tell you what’s wrong,’ director says Putnam County EMS Director Andy Jackson strives to ensure his EMT basic students receive training beyond what’s addressed in the national curriculum by providing hands-on experience. Thursday was one of those lesson days. EMT students received training on how to handle emergencies involving people with special needs at the McNabb Fire Station. The class collaborated with special education students from Putnam County schools, and everyone involved ended up learning something new. “We go above and beyond the curriculum,” said Mark Hameister, parametric lead instructor. “We don’t think that’s enough. We want to put competent EMTs out and to do that we have to expand the curriculum and think beyond the national level.” Wendy Louis, an EMT and special education teacher, said she usually shows a PowerPoint presentation and tells some stories, but this year she asked Jackson about bringing her students to the EMT class. “We did a mo