First Responder (EMT Training) at the College Park Volunteer Fire Department
- gphscholars
- 7 days ago
- 2 min read
Presenter: Sasan Mirzoyev, Public Health Science, Global Public Health Scholars
For my service-learning practicum, I volunteered at the College Park Volunteer Fire Department. As a probationary member, I underwent Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) training. My training included completing mandatory weekly shift nights (from 7PM-7AM) and station-specific drills to learn skills that could be applied on calls when riding on the ambulance in the local College Park and surrounding community. I am also in the process of completing the class required to achieve full certification, offered by the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute (MFRI). Being on the front lines exposed me to a variety of patients and situations - and I realized how important it is to treat each person according to state protocols, while also respecting their wishes. The unexpected nature of emergencies quickly taught me that, when on shift, it is important to always be ready and prepared for anything! This experience was extremely rewarding and taught me so much - and supplemented things I learned as part of the Global Public Health Scholars program. Seeing, with my own eyes, the conditions that patients experience helped me understand the issues that populations face so frequently - from diabetic complications to mental health issues. Additionally, the importance of community-based approaches within the field of public health are no stranger to EMTs: being able to see patients as people, and not numbers, is a critical aspect of being successful and effective in the field. Realizing that people may suffer from factors external to their immediate health complications, within the social determinants of health, helped me adjust how I evaluated and treated each and
every situation. As I continue this experience, and use it to build my future experiences in a medical and public-health oriented setting, I am driven to focus on people - and help them get better, beyond the clinical setting!
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