Cherokee County
Fire & Emergency Services
Fire & Emergency Services
Twenty-one firefighters completed the Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services (CCFES) Paramedic Program last month. These students were recognized in a graduation ceremony on August 31, 2023, at Victory Hall at the Buzz, located in Veterans Park. The 2022-2023 CCFES Paramedic Program is in in-house accredited program that firefighters with CCFES and some neighboring fire departments are able to participate in to increase their knowledge, skills, and abilities in the pre-hospital medical field.
The paramedic program last over a year and includes 650 classroom and lab hours and 422 clinical hours for each student. Curriculum covered in the paramedic program includes anatomy and physiology, cardiology, medication familiarization, and various medical procedures. The program builds on Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) training and teaches skills such as advanced airway management, EKG interpretation, medication administration, and other skills needed to perform lifesaving interventions to patients with medical and traumatic emergencies.
The class as a whole completed 3,839 adult patient assessments, 1,786 geriatric patient assessments, and 933 pediatric patient assessments. Skills performed by the class included 413 live endotracheal intubations, over 1000 endotracheal intubations in the lab, over 1400 medication administrations, and over 1600 intravenous (IV) cannulations.
Robert (Lance) Tompkins was recognized with the Jill Mabley, MD Star of Life Award for his outstanding achievements in the program. This award is named after longtime medical director for CCFES, Doctor Jill Mabley.
Upon completion of the paramedic program, students complete a written and psychomotor exam administered by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT). Once certified by NREMT, students are able to become licensed to work as Paramedics in the State of Georgia.
Every CCFES ambulance is staffed with at least 1 paramedic per shift and many fire engines have paramedics working on them daily as well. The next CCFES Paramedic Program begins in November.