Colleges offer programs for EMTs, firefighters

When first responders — firefighters and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) — respond to a 911 call, they never know what they will find, and so they must be prepared for any and all situations.

Moreover, a growing trend is for firefighters to also be EMTs, yet EMTs remains a stand-alone career.

San Jacinto College and Houston Community College offer programs for both careers, with different levels, from EMT Basic, EMT Advanced, Paramedic and associate in degrees for EMTs and certificate and associates degrees for firefighters, all of which allow the graduate to work after testing for certification.

Whichever program the students are in, it is important for them to be in class and ready to learn.

“These are people’s lives, not a comma missed in English, so there are no cell phones in class, because students need to focus,” said Kristine Kern, instructor, EMS Program, San Jacinto College