National Guard Graduation For Putnam County Accelerated EMT Program

National Guard members from all over the state graduated from Putnam County’s Accelerated EMT Class at The Barn at Tilly Foster Farm on Friday, March 11.
The class, made up of 20 National Guards members and one civilian, came from as far away as Monroe County and Suffolk County. They studied intensely for six weeks, including Saturdays and evenings, to meet the demanding requirements of the New York State EMT Program that usually take six months to fulfill.
“Your hard work and dedication set an example,” said County Executive MaryEllen Odell. “Our county and the National Guard are better off for each of you having completed training that will help keep the public safe.”
The class was taught by professionals from the Putnam County Bureau of Emergency Services. Staff from the county’s contractor Ambulnz helped with the training.
“Some of the staff at Ambulnz volunteered on their days off to help out during the accelerated EMT class in assisting me with lectures and practical skills,” said Ann M. Daros, coordinator of EMS Education in the Putnam County Bureau of Emergency Services. “Some of the paramedics that have come to Putnam are not only excellent at what they do every day in providing care to our community, they are also well-educated and trained in pediatric ICU, patients with special needs and orthopedics.”
Daros spoke at the lunch at Tilly Foster Farm, noting that those who go through Putnam County’s EMT Training Program have a high passing rate in the state exam and that the program is successful in putting providers in ambulances either as volunteers or in a paid service.
“It is never a small undertaking to produce a quality, NYS EMS course, even under normal circumstances, and we were definitely not under normal circumstances,” Daros said. “We were faced with the daunting task of making it happen in six weeks. In fact, that’s something it’s never been done before in the history of Putnam County.”