OREGON—We never want to need them, but we’re always glad they’re around when a challenge arises—emergency medical technicians and incident medical specialists are critical components of fire and all hazard preparedness. Wildland firefighters who are qualified as line EMTs and work on the fireline are critical for quickly stabilizing injuries, buying precious time for a patient to be transported to a clinic or hospital where they can receive higher levels of care.

Each year, incident medical specialists gather to learn the latest information on emergency medical care in the field and to train on life-saving skills and interventions. This year was no exception, marking more than 50 years of annual training. The USDA Forest Service Region 6 Incident Medical Specialist program hosted its annual training in April, opening the training to other regional employees credentialed by the Forest Service as emergency medical technicians.

Staffed worked through scenarios including car accidents, burn and fall victims and other medical emergencies. They partnered with Quincy and Columbia high schools in Washington state, and eight students volunteered to be “patients” throughout the scenarios. Incident medical specialists then used their skills to “treat” the patients by performing necessary medical care.

Students ranged from members of school fire science programs to drama students, all wanted to give back to their community in some way. For the five students enrolled in the fire science program, this learning opportunity provided a way to meet professionals in the field many of them hope to pursue careers in.

Three of the students are graduating this year and already have conditional job offers back home. Seniors Adan Sanchez and Marcelo Moreno have accepted conditional offers to begin their wildland fire careers as engine crew members with the Washington Department of Natural Resources, and both are also working on their certifications as emergency medical responder. Senior Genesis Cuara Franco is also working on her emergency medical responder certification and will soon start her career as a fuels technician with the Bureau of Land Management.

The three drama students from Columbia High School enjoyed acting as patients and used their drama skills to help incident medical specialists ensure they were interacting with their patients in a professional manner.

All students appreciated the opportunity to try out some of the equipment, learn from certified EMTs and paramedics, and provide incident medical specialists with patients to practice important life-saving skills on.

This long-standing training is both a way for incident medical specialists and EMTs to keep up to date and an avenue for students to learn more and interact with professionals in the field.

Learn more about the Forest Service Emergency Medical Services program here. Information about the fireline qualified EMT position is available on the National Wildfire Coordinating Group website.