Group forms to booster EMS enrollments at high school level

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Ken Loveless, contractor and former District Five school board member who is currently looking to regain that seat, organized a meeting of concerned citizens and elected officials recently to discuss a course of action to promote training of and recruiting potential EMS workers at a high school level.

The meeting was attended by David Prigge, Sr., Director of Career and Technical Education at School District Five; Cathy Huddle, District Five school board member; Charli Wessinger, Lexington County councilwoman; EMS Director Brian Hood of Lexington County along with members of a concerned citizens group that wants to see reforms made in EMS performance around Chapin.

Prigge stated that the only school offering a course in the EMT program is Irmo High School and that it is possible to expand into other schools with the best solution being the Center for Advanced Technical Studies (CATE). “There are some real possibilities there,” said Prigge. “We have the room to set up a complete ambulance scenario for the classes.”

He said that the CATE center made sense because it would draw from all the schools without any stigma being attached to where the program is currently being held.

One of the topics was about marketing the program as early as elementary school including CPR training.

Prigge stated that enrollment is low but that they do graduate students from the program.

“If we can train candidates to fill the early levels of EMS it would make a world of difference,” said Loveless. “This would free up 3rd level EMS workers who have the training to administer drugs and identify the different trauma treatments.”