BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Three emergency vehicles are parked in their bays at the Fair Haven Rescue Squad, but a shortage of EMTs means only one of these ambulances is staffed 24/7.
“If that crew is out on a 911 call, and a second 911 call comes in, it would be nice to have somebody in the area, more people in the area, to come in and shift coverage for a second call or to help with the initial call if its serious enough,” said Sean Galvin, Deputy Chief of the Fair Haven Rescue Squad.
He also hopes to be part of a possible solution. The department recently secured a two-bedroom apartment to rent out to EMT-trained college students in exchange for working a few shifts at the station.
“It would provide us a recurring hiring pool, that as the students that are involved with it graduate and move out of the area, especially word of mouth that they have been doing this, we would likely get entry-level students wanting to participate in the program,’ said Chief Galvin.
The difficulties of EMT recruitment and retention is nothing new and has been a challenge for first responders across our region for years. Many cite additional training hours and the intensity of the education as part of the reason.
“There’s a lot of care and a lot of timely care that can happen in the pre-hospital setting, and all of that has just continued to increase or drive up the training and education requirements,” said Will Moran, Director at the Vermont EMS Office.
officials say any new ideas leading to higher recruitment could be a big bonus for rescue stations.
“There’s very few people in high school that go well when I get out of school I want to be an EMT. We have to make it a liveable wage or find other ways to draw people into the service,” said Chief Galvin.
Galvin says they’re hoping to recruit two interested Castleton students for the upcoming fall semester.