Joining Washington Ambulance and getting involved with EMS

Joining Washington Ambulance and getting involved with EMS

Volunteering in EMS can be rewarding and self fulfilling; it gives you an opportunity particpate in your community and fill an important role for the town where your live. All of our members are volunteers and we do not charge for our services. We are fortunate to be supported by the Lion's Club in Washington and appreciate their continued support through the years. Washington Ambulance is an EMT level service and we are always looking for EMT's and MRT's to round out our roster.

Our members come from many different professions and we are fortunate to have a diverse membership that allows for an individual's strengths to benefit the organization. Some of our members are also members of Washington Volunteer Fire Department and take on a dual responsibility for our community.

We are always looking for people interested in helping their community and joining Washington Ambulance.

If you are interested in joining Washington Ambulance or would like to find out how you can help your community, please email us at washingtonambulance@charter.net

For a list of upcoming classes for the State of Connecticut, please visit the State of Connecticut EMS website for EMS course listings.

There are different levels of certification for EMS in Connecticut:

Paramedic - As of 2006, there were 1,820 licensed Paramedics in the state of Connecticut. It typically takes a Paramedic two years of very intensive training to receive their certification. They are trained in ALS (Advanced Life Saving) skills such as IV therapy, medication administration, and intubation. They become the "eyes and ears" of the ER Physician in the field and provide life saving intervention when needed. Washington Ambulance is supported by Medic 4 out of New Milford Hospital.

EMT Intermediate (Emergency Medical Technician) - As of 2006, there were 913 licensed EMT I's in the state of Connecticut. An EMT-I is typically trained in IV therapy; they can establish an IV with a patient when the situation requires it.

EMT Basic (Emergency Medical Technician) - As of 2006, there were 10,696 licensed EMT B's in the state of Connecticut. Washington Ambulance is an EMT-B service. As such, there are certain requirements that we must maintain and the total time committment of our members exceeds 2000 hours a year. Our goal as an EMT-B service is to get to the patient safely & quickly, administer the appropriate care, and transport the patient to the nearest hospital. We are trained in all the use of all of the items located on the Apparatus page.

MRT (Medical Response Technician) - As of 2006, there were 6,279 licensed MRT's in the state of Connecticut. Many Fireman are MRT's and some of our members are also MRT's. They fulfill an important link in the EMS system as they are typically First Responders and frequently drive the ambulance. In addition, the Connecticut State Police have another 1,229 licensed MRT's.