High School Seniors Ready to Enter Workforce after Completing Firefighter and Basic EMT Courses
Press Release
Date: October 30, 2024
Contact: lgarrett@tctc.edu
By Lisa Garrett
High School Seniors Ready to Enter Workforce after Completing Firefighter and Basic EMT Courses
PENDLETON --- Randy Bowers became a certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) in 1977 when he was a senior in high school and was a volunteer at the rescue squad in Greenville, SC. The class was offered by TCTC and taught at the Pelzer Rescue Squad.
Forty-seven years later, Bowers, now president and CEO of Bowers Emergency Medical Services in Easley, is back in the classroom, this time as an adjunct instructor for TCTC, teaching a basic EMT class to young people who are exactly the age he was when he received his first certification.
After earning firefighter certificates last fall, this spring 11 students attended a three-hour Basic EMT class four days a week at the Anderson District 1 and 2 Career Center in Williamston. They are dual enrollment students from four different high schools in Anderson County: Powdersville, Wren, Belton-Honea Path and Palmetto. They are earning college credit while also acquiring valuable skills that will fill a critical need in today’s workforce.
TCTC’s EMT program is certified and regulated by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. Students learn skills, rules, and guidelines for providing emergency care. In addition to the classroom, they must complete 10 hours of ambulance rides with the Pickens County EMS.
Licensed by the state, EMTs and paramedics work full- or part-time or volunteer in city or county rescue squads and fire stations, separate EMS stations and private ambulance companies, as well as in hospitals and clinics.
Successful completion of the course qualifies them to take the National Registry certification examination and become certified in South Carolina. TCTC’s 200-hour program meets the current National Registry and SC DHEC/EMS standards.
It’s Bowers’ first time teaching young adults, and he is glad to see them entering the field that is both challenging and rewarding.
“There is an ongoing nationwide shortage of EMTs that got much worse after COVID,” he said. “EMT training is a great starting point for many and it allows you to continue to build on your skills. There are folks who stay in the field for their entire careers because they have that passion. One challenge we have is that many who work as EMTs want to advance in their studies and depart to pursue careers as paramedics, nurses, nurse practitioners and even doctors.”
EMTs often are the first on the scene to treat and transport the patient to the hospital. Bowers’ years of experience working as a community paramedic allow him to teach the students using personal, relatable situations that correspond to the subject matter in the textbook.
“I want them to be able to hit the ground running. It’s my job to get them ready to pass the National Registry exam,” he said.
“These students can graduate from high school and can get a job making $50,000 a year. That’s not a bad way to start life,” he said.
By earning firefighter and basic EMT certifications over the past year, students are ready for the workforce. Several completed high school graduation requirements and enrolled in this one class while working at local fire departments or at internships that provide on-the-job training.
It’s been a lifetime career goal for Jeremiah Hart and John Dickerson, both 18, and whose fathers were volunteer firefighters. Hart completed all of his high school requirements and Basic EMT is the only class he took this semester. He works full time at the Boiling Springs Fire Department.
Dickerson is an intern with the Anderson City Fire Department weekday mornings and attends the Basic EMT class in the afternoons. “It’s great hands-on experience every day,” said Dickerson, who also is a volunteer with Piercetown Fire Department.
“These certifications give us a head start at no cost,” said Hailey Handford, also 18. “We are graduating debt free,” she said. Tuition is paid by SC Wins and textbooks and materials are funded by a federal Perkins grant. “This is a great deal.”
“I can go anywhere in South Carolina and get a job,” said Dickerson. “This course really set us up for success.”
About Tri-County Technical College
Tri-County Technical College, a public two-year community and technical college serving Anderson, Oconee and Pickens Counties in South Carolina, enrolls more than 9,000 students annually and offers more than 70 major fields of study, including computer technology, business administration, mechatronics, nursing, and university transfer programs. Tri-County boasts the highest student success rate among two-year colleges in the state and ranks in the top one percent nationally for successful student transfers to four-year colleges and universities. To learn more, visit tctc.edu.
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