Ambulance Corps Moves Training To Roomy Kendro Facility

By John Voket

Working in the bright, roomy classroom and storage area at the Newtown Ambulance Association’s new training facility may make longtime volunteers feel like they have been freed from solitary confinement. The local ambulance corps, the front line personnel who are administered by the separate Newtown Ambulance Association, had been training until recently in the cramped ambulance garage on Main Street.

But thanks to an arrangement with the Kendro Lab Products, the corps recently relocated all training classes and related storage of equipment to the manufacturing company’s retired training building. The standalone single-story commercial building is adjacent to Newtown municipal and school board offices, which relocated to the main Kendro plant building about a year ago when the Fairfield Hills campus offices closed for environmental remediation.

According to Ambulance Corps Chief Liz Caine, the new wide open spaces are much more conducive to learning the increasingly complex skills required by volunteer personnel who respond to a wide range of medical and crisis calls each year.

“The existing ambulance garage is inadequate for just about everything related to our training, so having the opportunity to move all our training-related equipment and personnel to this new location alleviates a lot of pressure at the garage,” Ms Caine said.

The collateral benefit of the move has freed up bunk areas for overnight ambulance volunteers who want to be close to the rigs to respond immediately when dispatched, instead of first driving to the garage to get the apparatus, she said. Until the new space became available, the lack of storage space in the garage forced the corps to stuff equipment into the modest bunk rooms from floor to ceiling.

It was not uncommon in recent years to find training dummies laid out on bunks intended for the comfort of volunteers.

“We would always want our people to respond from the headquarters but if they can’t fit in the bunk room they are forced to respond here or directly to the call from their homes, which can cost valuable minutes,” she said. “Over the years the training and the equipment we required has become so elaborate that we ran out of space. This new building was a godsend.”

Crowded Out

Besides the cramped interior bunk space in the garage, a small combination kitchen and common area had to be adapted for training. The space, which could only comfortably accommodate about a dozen people, forced trainees into the hallway and garage bays when classes swelled to more than 20 or 30 candidates.

“This new location is much more welcoming to new recruits,” Ms Caine said. “When we had large classes, it was even difficult for them to find a place to park at the old garage.”

With a Junior Corps now numbering more than 75 members, the acquisition of new space at Kendro came none too soon. Typically, every member of the corps, including juniors, must find space for themselves at mandatory monthly training meetings, corps volunteer Laurie Viellette said.

“Those meetings, where we would do things like update CPR qualifications, teach about blood borne pathogens and other required procedures, would be packed,” Ms Viellette said.

Once the corps completes relocating all its training and classroom supplies to the Peck’s Road building, a new partitioned office will be framed for the corps’ executive board members, the chief, assistant chief, and other officers.

“Now the garage has social space for the crews. It’s definitely a more comfortable environment,” Ms Caine added.

She believes the new facility will help the corps attract even more volunteers who might otherwise feel uncomfortable in a cramped training situation. Ms Vielette said typical training for a base-grade emergency medical technician (EMT) requires a minimum of three months of classroom training, twice a week, before they are ready to attempt the state certification exam.

“The benefit to the volunteer is once they take and pass the state practical and national registry exam, they can transfer their skills to any volunteer association in the country, or go to work for a paid ambulance or emergency medical service,” Ms Caine said.

The local corps has numerous volunteers who work for busy paid services, and also welcomes a handful of paramedics to its ranks. These advanced emergency response professionals offer a wealth of experience they are typically eager to share with up and coming volunteers, Ms Viellette said.

“These are great teachers who really help our new people succeed,” she said.

Volume Attracts Pros

Ms Caine said the Newtown Corps has such a good reputation, and is so busy that it attracts nonresidents who request to volunteer here, even some who are full-time paid EMTs and paramedics in regional municipalities.

“It’s a positive experience for anyone because of our high call volume, and the diversity of our calls,” she said. Ms Caine said several Newtown volunteers come from Redding, where that community’s ambulance averages 200 calls annually.

“Newtown’s crew is responding to almost 2,000 calls a year, so paid service personnel want to come to Newtown to get more hands-on experience,” she said. Approximately 15 percent of Newtown’s corps is comprised of out-of-towners.

Besides the training and experience, Ms Caine said the corps makes every effort to provide underwriting for continuing education and conference opportunities to help keep as many members as possible on the cutting edge of emergency medical technology and practices. Local taxpayers also help underwrite the cost of replacement ambulance rigs every three to five years, as well as paramedic intercept service, which is provided by an outside vendor.

“The town is very good to us,” Ms Caine said. “Our members are able to access a lot of advanced outside training, and we can also afford to bring in outside authorities when necessary for training.”

Upon acceptance into the corps, following an application and interview process, each individual is assigned an experienced training mentor and works side-by-side with them until there is a mutual feeling of comfort. Every trainee is also required to take the necessary commercial driving test so virtually any responder can transport the ambulance to call scenes.

In the event a volunteer finds the frontline experience is not right for him/her, the ambulance corps still has plenty of duties that will keep any volunteer busy.

“Even individuals who learn they can’t deal with on-scene situations can play a really important role in the corps,” Ms Caine said.