“Dare to reach out your hand into the darkness, to pull another hand into the light.”
—Norman B. Rice
AVAILABLE TRAINING
CPR
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency lifesaving procedure performed when the heart stops beating. Immediate CPR can double or triple chances of survival after cardiac arrest.
Classes are offered at Lakeside Volunteer Rescue Squad by certified instructors throughout the year. Dependent on your needs classes are offered though the American Heart Association (AHA) or American Safety and Health Institute (ASHI). Contact us for CPR class dates or to schedule a class for your group.
Specialized Training
Volunteers may pursue other areas of interest through a variety of training classes. These classes include hazardous materials training, emergency vehicle operator course, vehicle extrication, instructor training and more. Courses are available through many sources such as the American Heart Association, VA Fire Programs, and Virginia Association of Volunteer Rescue Squads.
EMT
EMTs training provides students with knowledge of basic emergency medical care and transportation services. EMTs may be the first on scene to respond and have the basic skills and equipment to assess the situation and provide life-saving measures to the patient.
Classes are offered at or in conjunction with Lakeside Volunteer Rescue Squad and are usually taught by certified members. Dependent on how soon you need a class you may find one that meets you needs by visiting the Virginia Office of EMS’s Course Search Page. Check out our News section for course announcements.
Other Courses
There are a variety of other EMS education courses that help to create more well-rounded EMS providers. These classes go beyond initial EMS training in order to help providers learn more about particular areas of treatment. Some of these courses are offered by our partners throughout the area. Some courses may enable students to obtain continuing education units (CEUs).
Care LEVELS
Basic Life Support
After becoming certified in CPR, squad members are eligible to enroll in Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) class. This course requires a minimum of 144 hours of classroom and skills instruction and 10 hours of Clinical/Field rotations for a total of 154 hours of training.
Virginia certification requires successful completion of a standardized cognitive and psychomotor skills examination. EMT classes provide the foundation for emergency medical care. Students learn how to use oxygen, splint fractures, control bleeding, recognize heart attacks and strokes and much more. A lot of the instruction is “hands-on” so that students get to practice their skills rather than just read about them. They also take part in a brief field internship (usually 10 hours) observing in emergency rooms or on ambulances.
Many Students interested in earning college credit can enroll in EMT classes at a community college; however, these students will have to pay tuition.
Advanced Life Support
Emergency medicine has come a long way over the years. Advanced life support (the use of advanced airway techniques, drug therapy and electrical therapy) has become the standard of care for EMS systems across the nation. While many emergency calls can be satisfactorily handled by personnel with the EMT training, this advanced level leads many volunteers to pursue additional training.
The next level of advanced training is the Paramedic level. Paramedics are able to start I.V.s, administer medications, use advanced airways, interpret EKGs and administer electrical therapy.
As with EMT courses, paramedic students must participate in a combination of classroom and in-hospital experiences, and complete certifying exams at completion of the course.
There are several paramedic training programs in the Richmond area. Paramedic classes are offered by VCU Health, J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, and John Tyler Community College. The tuition for these classes varies.
