Battling emergency responder shortages: 8 students complete IVCC paramedic training

Eight students who completed their paramedic training at the Illinois Valley Community College Ottawa Center last week aim to help the Illinois Valley fire and ambulance services battling staffing shortages.

The Ottawa Fire Department will gain five trained responders once they pass a national licensing exam the class prepared them for. Fire Chief Brian Bressner said that will strengthen the department’s coverage and alleviate overtime.

Paramedics are emergency medical technicians who are trained for more advanced procedures than EMTs. A staffing shortage has taken a bite out of EMT rosters at all proficiency levels, leaving some departments to scramble to hire personnel that they can train at the paramedic level, Bressner said.

Meanwhile, existing paramedics are stretched thin and department budgets are even thinner with overtime costs.

IVCC responded at a critical time to a need in its community, Bressner said. After hearing the concerns of local departments, the college and instructor Nick Fish arranged to expand the program to a second site and accelerate the schedule to get well-trained responders into the field faster.

Record-setting enrollment in IVCC’s basic EMT class this fall may point to the crisis easing slightly. With 20 signed up, Fish said, there was so much interest he opened a second class section. Expanding the EMT-level course at the Ottawa Center in the future is being discussed, he said.

Most of the eight paramedic course graduates are active first responders with Ottawa, Marseilles or Stark County fire or ambulance services.

Brothers Tristan and Caleb Beck have shared a lot of experiences in their lives, including their ambition to become first responders – a goal they credit to encouragement from their stepfather, a retired paramedic. They went through paramedic training shoulder to shoulder.

“It’s comfortable knowing we’re going through the same thing, and that we know each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” said Caleb Beck, who works for the Ottawa Fire Department.

Their careers are something they feel good about and take pride in – in being where they’re needed, the brothers said.

Brandon Bice and Lauren Bangert said they appreciated the convenience of attending class in Ottawa. Bice works for the Ottawa Fire Department, and Bangert works for the Marseilles Ambulance Service.

Watching what IVCC’s program has meant for Ottawa has roused the interest of his Illinois Valley colleagues in the program, Bressner said.

“Maybe we’re beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel,” the chief said.

The next paramedic class is scheduled to start in fall 2024. The next EMT class starts in January, with registration opening in November. Applicants must have completed EMT training before enrolling in the paramedic course.

Anyone with questions can call Fish at 815-224-0267.