Van Far Ambulance District

There are reported power outages in Farber, Perry, Laddonia, London and Frankfurt. If you are in the affected areas, please feel free to update this post when your power comes back on. That way maybe people can get a rough timeline of what to expect.

Wishing you peace on this solemn day of rememberance.

Graduates of the Van-Far Ambulance District’s EMT class will provide backup (Corrected version of article published in last week's Aug. 13, 2020, issue of The V...andalia Leader) By Barry Dalton [email protected] Nine students graduated from Van-Far Ambulance District’s EMT class on Aug. 10. A graduation ceremony, attended by family and friends, was held at the district’s Vandalia station. The course, which normally takes about six months, began Jan. 14 but was paused for 10 weeks because of COVID. During the ceremony, Van-Far Ambulance District Administrator Wendy Hull told the students, We had a lot of tears, a lot of laughs. It’s been a lot of fun, and I’m sure you all are glad it’s over. The class was for students who plan to work as EMTs in Missouri or eventually become paramedics. Students who complete the course may now do a practical and written test for the state to get licensed. You have to be an EMT to work on the ambulance or if you want to further your education and be a paramedic, said Hull, who is also a paramedic. The class was provided free of charge in exchange for one-year agreements by the students to provide backup support to the district. They can help us with extra calls, doing transfers or extra hands when we need it on scene, Hull said. The district first had to become a training entity before it could offer the course. Training took place at the district station, where the trainees will work when needed. The station has a classroom, living quarters, including four bedrooms, storage rooms, an office and a bay for two ambulances. Hull taught the course along with Jason Bostic, who was the primary course instructor. It was exciting to see a new generation of students, Bostic said. It’s fun for me to kind of watch me 20 years ago. The hands-on course included medical equipment training, CPR, first aid, driving the ambulance safely and basic life support training. These teachers, they were great, trainee Samantha Day said. They helped us when we were frustrated and ready to give up sometimes. A mock drill was also conducted near the end of the course with the help of volunteers from the Vandalia Fire Department. Bostic, who is also a paramedic for the district, said the purpose of the drill was to teach the students how to care for traumatic injuries at a chaotic scene. I think my favorite was the mock accident, that helped us a lot, trainee Victoria Huff said. The station has five full-time staff and eight part-time staff who work in 24- and 48-hour shifts to keep the station open 24-7, 365 days a year. The ambulance district transports some patients to hospitals in Pike County, Hannibal and Mexico, but it sometimes takes patients to Columbia. When we take people to Columbia, it takes that unit out of service for quite awhile, Hull said. We have to rely on our adjoining counties to help us out, and we’d rather take care of it ourselves. That’s the whole point, to have more people here in town to take a backup call if we need it. A new course is currently being planned for October but the district is no longer able to offer it for free. Anyone interested in a career as an emergency medical professional is encouraged to contact the district for details. Pictured are, back row from left to right, Administrator Wendy Hull, Instructor Jason Bostic, Samantha Day, Kathlyn Dawson, Aisha Ezela Warren, Heaven Pallard, Kaitlin Wells and Clinton Schanbach. Front row: Casey Smith, Suzanna Johnson and Victoria Huff.

Congratulations to the 2020 EMT class! They have graduated and are currently in the process of taking the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technician exams. We wish them the best and are looking forward to their continued success. Well done, everyone!