Powder River Emergency Medical Class Offerings Update

By PR County Director of Emergency Medical Service Operations Adam Johnson

Powder River EMS is happy to announce the completion of a basic life support training day on February 18th that was highly successful. As well, on Monday, February 20th, Powder River EMS Captain Cressi Johnson and EMS Lieutenant Chad Harrington completed the Basic Life Support Instructor training program.

This increases life-saving skills training to community members by increasing the number of instructors in the county. With additional instructors, emergency medical service system level coverage can be met without interruption to students or those in need of EMS services. Current offerings for upcoming classes:

HeartSaver First Aid/CPR/ AED: Course offerings are being reviewed and information will be updated to community members as soon as possible.

Basic Life Support (BLS) CPR: March 18th am class 8am – 12pm, pm class 1pm – 5pm and April 22nd am class 8am – 12pm, PM class 1pm – 5pm. Basic Life Support refresher training is available upon request and at the availability of instructors.

Emergency Medical Responder (EMR): Class 1 – March 21st through April 27th 2023 6pm – 10pm currently 30 seats available, Class 2 accelerated – May 6th – May 21st 2023 8am – 5pm currently 30 seats available.

Emergency Medical Technician (EMT): September 5th through December 12th 2023 with 30 seats available. Classes with be held on Tuesday evenings from 6pm – 10pm and Saturdays from 8am – 6pm.

Advanced courses: Advanced course offerings such as Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) along with refresher training are offered on a to-be-determined schedule to advanced providers and practitioners for the community.

Those interested in attending the Emergency Medical Responder class will need to complete a student application located on the Powder River EMS County webpage and ensure they have a current and valid CPR card prior to enrollment. To ensure appropriate foundational training of responders those wishing to attend Emergency Medical Technician training will need to complete the Emergency Medical Responder course prior to starting the EMT course. Upon completion of training students attending EMR or EMT training will be able to test at the National Registry level allowing them to possess a Montana state license and national registration as an emergency medical service member.

Current basic course costs: Initial Basic Life Support CPR $50.00, Basic Life Support CPR Refresher $25.00, Emergency Medical Responder $450.00, Emergency Medical Technician $1,200. Contact for refresher training courses.

If interested in training please contact Powder River County Director of Emergency Medical Service Operations Adam Johnson at [email protected] to discuss courses, submit student application, confirm location, advanced provider course costs, financial assistance if needed, and to claim a seat. Depending on class sizes, trainings can occur in the county building or the community center.