July 29, 2019 3:30 am.
The Glide Rural Fire Protection District is welcoming 4 new Emergency Medical Technicians to its team.
The new members are Corey Fenton, Corin Kelly, Jill Whelchel and Lonnie Wibberding.
A release from the district said EMT’s are the backbone of an ambulance crew. They receive medical training that enables them to respond to many types of life-threatening emergencies. In rural locations like Glide, they are often the first responders to arrive. Glide Fire’s EMT’s are all volunteers.
Becoming licensed as an EMT in Oregon requires candidates to pass a series of classes and exams, including rigorous practical skills tests and a national exam. EMT students practice on each other, including splinting, back-boarding and even giving injections using sterile saline. Two other requirements include performing 12-hour shifts on an ambulance and in a hospital emergency department.
Glide Fire serves about 4,200 residents over a 25-square-mile area in rural central Douglas County. The district responded to 561 calls in 2018. That is the highest annual call volume since Glide Fire was formed in 1973.
Currently Glide Fire has 23 adult volunteers and 4 teen explorers.
For more information on the Glide Rural Fire Protection District go to www.glidefire.org.