Feedback Requested: EMT-B Class with Tactical Focus

[Karen Bartuch]

WTA Instructor, John Mack (Illinois Sate Police), is trying to put together an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)-B course to be held at Malcolm X College in Chicago. It would be a state certified course, 120 hours long (one full semester). The course will cover the usual EMT curriculum but will be geared toward the tactical officer and/or tactical application of emergency medicine.

There would also be an optional follow-up course that is 24 hours long which would allow you to do more advanced techniques such as intubation, etc and possibly some work at one of the hospitals as part of the course. 

Certainly the trend as of late is to have law enforcement trained up on medical tactics. We know here in Chicago that the ambulance or paramedics are not going near a scene unless it is secure. Getting this certification would not be to necessarily treat citizens (as we are limited by our employers with this) but to treat yourself (just because you are shot or injured the fight is not over) or your partner or fellow officers. A good example is the North Hollywood shootout which lasted almost 45 minutes. Officers were out-gunned for an extended amount of time therefore wounded officers had to wait for medical attention. 

Mack is looking for feedback on the interest level for this course, what days and hours would work best and any other thoughts on this course. Please post in the comments section below. Thanks.

[Karen Bartuch]

Yes, we are still working on it. Lots of logistics involved but we are def going to make it happen.

[Raul]

Is this still in the works?

[John Mack]

Still working on it, trying to address some of the funding issues.   looking like a fall start.    I will update as I get more.

[Kenneth Mescall]

So where do we stand on this?

[John Mack]

Update:  Good evening.  I met with representatives of Malcolm X college last week.  We are working on the following issues:  We are trying to get the class down from 16 weeks to approximately 10 weeks.  The approximately 120 hour curriculum would remain the same but would be spread over 3 days a week, and we could start early (6-7 am to 9-10 am on two weekdays) then a little later on Saturdays. The cost per person is approximately $650.00 for the class, and $300 ish for books / supplies. That said, we are working on reducing the cost per person with a combination of negotiations with the school and  grant/ donations. 

Not sure what the final number would look like at this point, but we will work to get it to a reasonable figure. The outcome of the course is that all participants would be eligible to sit for the national exam (which allows you to transfer the license in the event you relocate any where in the country). The administrators of the program will submit a training agenda to the department of health and once approved, we could start.  (I'm told that it takes approximately 60 days to ramp up a class)The attendance requirements are strict, so I am looking for feed back on whether we should start in the spring or wait till the fall.    Keep in mind that if this works out the way we think it will, there will be additional classes in the future.

[denise robinson]

great icea...mornings work for me....

[John Mack]

The meeting is set for next week.  I will discuss scheduling options with them and let everyone know. The goal is flexibility, but I like the idea of getting it done.

[Kenneth Mescall]

I went to a paramedic program where we were in class 8 hours a day for a couple of months.  Any chance of doing that for say a week so we could get a third of the classroom out of the way.  That way, we could just drop a couple of days of time to get a majority of the classroom out of the way and give us flexibility in getting in the rest of the hours in.  Any possibility?

[John Mack]

I'm working on some meetings in the next week or so with the individuals that can make this happen so we can start fleshing it out.  We have a lot of interest both from the perspective of students and also experienced instructors and practitioners willing to volunteer to help with the instruction.  The goal is to provide all of the required  curriculum but in a police friendly schedule format. We would also like to provide some expanded hands on practical opportunities.  I'm thinking some weekday mornings and Saturdays, but we will poll all interested to determine the best format. Once we get the first one down, the rest will be easy.  I will keep Karen and all of you posted in this thread.    Stay safe.

[Demeka D. Strickland]

I believe this would be a great course to offer to first responders. I would definitely be interested. I work 3rd watch so classes during the day would work for me.