TX Firefighters Taking Paramedic Training to Ease Staffing Shortfall

Four firefighters with Jacksonville Fire Department are now taking paramedic classes in an effort to alleviate shortages in their area.

With Texas facing staffing issues since the pandemic, state legislators allocate $21.7M, according to KLTV.

Firefighters Blake Wilson, Carson Ezell, Kooper Hand, and Sam Stiles started the program a few weeks ago after the department obtained a $31,800 state grant. 

“As much as firefighters don’t want to admit it, fires are probably two percent of the job, EMS is 98 percent of it. So it takes a load off of some of these guys if we can run double medic trucks because that takes a load off the paramedic running all the calls by himself.” said Kooper Hand.

EMS coordinator, Alicia Whetsell says Jacksonville is a fire-based EMS department that employs firefighter/EMTs. Medics are allowed to provide a higher level of care. 

“That gives the provider more advanced things for our patients that are having strokes, heart attacks, things like that. So by going to paramedic, that enables us in the community to provide much higher level of care for all of our citizens that we care for.” said Whetsell.

Hand told the reporter: “In the fire service, they always say the day you stop learning is the day you need to hang up you bunker coat and retire. So you know there’s always room for improvement. There’s always room to learn.”