Overton County receiving a $12,500 reimbursement from Tennessee Workforce Development for advanced medical training for emergency personnel.
Overton Ambulance Services Director Chris Masiongale said the state organization provides up to $2,500 per employee to assist with the costs of higher education. Masiongale said the funding applies to emergency medical technicians moving into advanced classes and those pursuing paramedic certification.
“Education is power, and we want our folks to have as much of it as we possibly can,” Masiongale said. “It just helps for, you know tuition is extremely high, and to send a paramedic to school these days, it’s around $10 to $12,000.”
Masiongale said the reimbursement process requires the county to submit employee timesheets and payroll documentation to verify the hours worked. Masiongale said the state then calculates the specific reimbursement amount based on those hourly rates.
“The problem in the state of Tennessee is that we have been losing and retiring more licensed EMS than we have been putting out new licenses,” Masiongale said. “And so we are in a deficit. The EMS worker is a valued, we’ll call it a commodity, but a very valued individual. They’re very highly trained, they undergo a great deal of stress through a daily routine.”
Masiongale said the department currently operates in a high-stress environment where staff members work 12-hour shifts. Masiongale said the volume of calls has increased to between 500 and 600 runs per month.
“And being able to reimburse the county $2,500 per student is just absolutely amazing,” Masiongale said. “Like I said, that’s tax dollars that we’re saving. And then you see that reward whenever those folks are out there working in the field and they are helping people and saving a life.”
Masiongale said four employees completed training through the program this year, with more scheduled to begin classes in January. Masiongale said the department is also sending personnel to specialized training for critical care and community paramedicine.
“It was referenced this morning, actually, when I was at a meeting, that basically when the ambulance rolls up these days, you’ve got a miniature emergency room back there and you’ve got some highly skilled individuals,” Masiongale said. “Now we have cardiac monitors, and we’re able to do external pacing, we are able to do EKGs, administer medications, do advanced airways and basic airways. It’s just the skills that these folks possess is immense.”
Masiongale said recruiting remains difficult because rural counties must compete with private sector wages and neighboring emergency services. Masiongale said the county relies on its benefits package and competitive hourly rates to attract local residents to the profession.
“The EMS is a job, it’s a calling and it is a job, but at the same time, it takes that special person to take this training and go out and help others,” Masiongale said. “And we want to have a good hourly rate and we have to compete with other counties.”
Masiongale said the county recently signed up for a state youth program that allows students to shadow emergency workers and earn an hourly rate. Masiongale said the program is designed to introduce high school students to the field to build a local pipeline for future first responders.
