New class gives Kings Mountain students EMT certification

A new class at Kings Mountain High School aims to introduce young people to a career in emergency services.

With the start of the 2022-23 school year, Kings Mountain High School will offer an EMT class for seniors. Students who complete the class will be able to test for and potentially earn their basic EMT certification.

The class is being offered thanks to a partnership between the high school, Cleveland County Emergency Services and Cleveland Community College.

"This will be the first of its kind in Cleveland County. We’ve got 13 seniors signed up for it," said Dustin Morehead, Kings Mountain High School principal.

“The goal for the class is to bring an awareness to the field we are in. Right now, there’s a shortage of people for everybody," said Tommy McNeilly, EMS director for Cleveland County.

Morehead said the school began looking at adding an EMT program to its offerings earlier this year, with the goal of helping students already volunteering with emergency services move into a full-time job down the line.

"We’ve got 1,200 kids, and I can think of several who volunteer with fire departments and rescue squads. I thought this could be a good thing for them to be exposed to that, maybe find a job," he said. "Obviously there is a need in our community for emergency response workers. I think a lot of folks are looking for workers, and they are no exception."

The class will be taught by David Trammel, former director of operations at the now-closed Shelby Rescue Squad.

According to McNeilly, the course is split into two components. The first focuses on general practices as an EMT. The second part of the course focuses on general care, trauma management, airway maneuvers, oxygen administration and similar tasks.

Morehead said students who complete the course will be able to fast track their way into a college program to complete their paramedic certification. Alternatively, McNeilly said the EMT certification students earn will let them start working straight out of school.

"They will be able to come work for us or anywhere else in the state," he said.

For students who are not interested in working as an EMT or paramedic, but who are hoping to pursue a career in a medical field, McNeilly said the course can provide valuable skills.

"I think it provides a good basis of knowledge for any field. It lets you know what to do if an emergency happens," he said. "Most of the schools in North Carolina will give you preferential treatment for entry if you have your EMT. We have an individual working with us right now who just got into medical school in Spartanburg and we have two others that I think are going to PA school right now and it definitely helped them get into school."

McNeilly said the class is being trialed at Kings Mountain High School, but if there is an interest from other schools, it could be expanded across the district.

This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: EMT class coming to Kings Mountain High School.