EVERETT — Two Everett firefighters got to share their training grounds with a class of paramedics last week.
The Everett Fire Department hosted a high-risk rescue simulation put on by the Medic One Foundation, a Seattle-based nonprofit.
About 18 students in the paramedic training class took part, including Everett’s own.
The training focused on providing medical care for people who are trapped at high angles or in confined spaces, including cave-ins.
Paramedics learn to help trapped people until they can be pulled free, said Jerry Ehrler, education coordinator for the Medic One Paramedic Training Program.
More importantly, rescue crews learn how to communicate and work together in high-stress situations with a lot of variables, he said.
Everett’s training grounds include lots of practical tools, such as confined space tunnels, he said. The tunnels simulate the claustrophobic, uncomfortable conditions of a real-life rescue.
They’ve been doing the training in Everett once a year for about seven years, he said.
“We had a great day,” he said. “It was chilly, but pretty much everyone was in full bunking gear.”
The Medic One Foundation has given the Everett Fire Department $24,000 in grants for medical equipment since 2001, executive director Jan Sprake said.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.
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