DUBLIN — Imagine this scene: You are driving on the N.C. 87 bypass when you hear screeching tires, the blast of a car horn, and the crushing of metal against metal. Your car is jolted on the passenger side by another car spinning out of control. Suddenly, you are being pushed off the road, your right front tire spraying gravel and grass against your window as you are hurled toward an embankment.
Every time the Bladen County 911 Central Office dispatches an emergency vehicle to the scene of an accident, highly trained rescue personnel bolt into action to save your life.
Donald Bryan, director of the Emergency Medical Services program at Bladen Community College describes it this way: “Emergency rescue people see you at your worst, when you are panicked, sick, or hurt. We train our students to reach the highest possible levels of skill and compassion.”
In 2015, Bladen Community College trained and graduated 3,000 people to serve as emergency services workers. Emergency Services encompasses EMS, In-Service Law Enforcement, and Fire Training. Of those students enrolled in Paramedic training in 2015, a record 93 percent passed the certification exam on their first try.
”Our faculty has a caring attitude,” remarks Bryan. “Everyone works to assure the success of our students.”
Typically, EMT-Basic classes begin each semester and continue for four and one-half months. The Basic EMT level includes life-saving skills, ambulance driving, and patient care in the ambulance. Students may receive certification at this level or advance to the Intermediate and Paramedic levels.
The Paramedic level of EMS is for adults who will commit to nearly 1200 hours of training and are prepared to really make a difference.
“There are 596 hours in the classroom,” explains Bryan. “Five hundred hours in an emergency room or on an ambulance, and 96 hours of study in anatomy and physiology.”
“Our curriculum is first-class,” said BCC biology and chemistry instructor William Resseguie. “We value our students and their commitment to the program. The faculty is dedicated to graduating the highest level of skilled emergency workers for this community and others.”
Bladen Community College now offers the Emergency Medical Services Bridge Program which allows paramedics to graduate with a two-year degree in Emergency Medical Science with only 10 additional classes which are offered online as well as in the classroom.
Firefighting classes at the College trained over 1100 men and women in the last two semesters. Students interested in firefighting are trained in driver operation, pump operation, handling hazardous materials, and CPR. Bladen Community College also provides in-service law enforcement training which can involve mandatory yearly training, and hands-on training with firearms.
“The Emergency Medical Science program at Bladen Community College is perfect for students who want to help others and work in the medical field,” Bryan said.
For information about the EMS program at Bladen Community College, contact Bryan at 910-879-5629.
Cathy Kinlaw is the public information officer for Bladen Community College.