Fourteen new graduates will be serving Bridgeport and Fairfield as emergency medical technicians with the help of the Earn While You Learn program by the American Medical Response Inc.
On Wednesday, Bridgeport’s AMR celebrated the graduating class on their accomplishments.
Bill Schietinger, regional director for AMR, said the EWYL program has been helping them to boost EMT recruiting.
“The Earn While You Learn will hire them at minimum wage as an EMT student and then we have state instructors that come in and train them to become an EMT, over 13 weeks. Once they're done with that program, they take the state exam, become a certified EMT, promote them and pay them at EMT rate,” Schietinger said.
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This year marks the program's seventh year, having helped recruit over 50 EMTs for Bridgeport’s AMR.
Bridgeport Police Chief Roderick Porter addressed the graduating class, welcoming them to the field of public service.
“There’s no more rewarding field than being in public service because you really get to impact people's lives and show that you care. Especially, as it relates to AMR, we see people in need so you’re really coming into a field that you really get to make some strong impact on individuals lives,” said Chief Porter.
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Jacob Belko, one of this year’s graduates, shared his excitement on completing the course.
“I really applied myself to the best of my ability. I’m just happy a lot of my fellow classmates made it as well. I didn’t think we’d have such a large graduating class,” Belko said.
The graduate class will be serving Bridgeport and Fairfield to help tackle an increase of 911 calls related to traumatic events.
AMR graduate Ahjolee Bolden said she is ready to hit the ground running in her new field.
“Having someone else's life in my hands is a different feeling 'cause I help people now but now I’m actually helping save lives, like CPR on-demand, hands-on things. I’m ready for it all,” Bolden said.
