The Howard County Ambulance District is hoping to offer an EMT class. Two instructors from the University of Missouri last week presented preliminary plans to hold a class in Howard County. The presentation was made to the Howard County Ambulance Board on Thursday.

The board indicated its need for educated and professional staff. Indeed, emergency medical services across the state have aging personnel and need younger generations to step into those roles.

“You guys are the same as many rural counties in the state of Missouri,” said Christine McCloud, the EMT education program director. Offering these classes is a way to sustain the profession, she said. “Most of your population is over 50. We have to find a way that we can get people to come here and to work, and to keep our profession going.”

McCloud explained that MU was awarded monies through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), part of which is to provide EMS education to rural Missourians. “Howard County couldn’t be a more perfect spot for that,” she said.

This is not the first time the district has pursued holding such a class in Fayette. The board discussed the idea more than a year ago, but the COVID-19 pandemic put the effort on hold.

The class would be presented by a collaboration between the ambulance district, Central Methodist University, and University of Missouri EMS Education. The class would be held partially online, and partially in person. The benefit of the online portion, McCloud said, is that students can attend the class any time of the day. Most of the typical students would include college or high school students, or other first responders, who all have work or school obligations during the day. The online portion of the class could be completed during evenings or weekends.

The practical sections of classes would likely be held at the ambulance base in Fayette or Central Methodist University. Students could also attend their ambulance ride-alongs with Howard County personnel.

Classes typically run over a 19-week period, but the class offered here would likely be consolidated into 15 weeks. The cost is estimated to cost up to $2,109 per student. The price includes tuition and application fees, along with charges for background checks, drug testing, and required immunizations.

While that cost could be a barrier to entry for potential students, the district is considering the idea of paying for the class in exchange for a period of contracted service here upon licensure. Some students could benefit from state programs that could cover the $1,000 tuition price. The Veterans Administration may also help cover costs.

Frank Flaspohler, director of the ambulance district, said he would like to offer the class to local high school students. “When they graduate they have an EMT license,” he explained.

Other students would likely be local fire department personnel. 

“For long-term survival for the ambulance service, we have to come up with an EMT class somehow,” Flaspohler said.

Classes could start as soon as May 27. In the future, McCloud said she hopes future grants will allow advanced EMT and paramedic classes.