Rescue Department Training Requirements

Rescue workers, like many professionals, must go through a vast amount of training initially to get a license to practice and then yearly to keep their license and skills active. The State of Maine oversees the licensing of emergency medical personnel and grants licenses to different levels of training.

The levels of training are:
        First Responder
        Emergency Medical Technician-Basic (EMT-B)
        Emergency Medical Technician-Intermediate (EMT-I) and
        Paramedic (EMT-P).

The majority of the medics  on the Cumberland Rescue are licensed to the EMT-B. To become an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT-B) you must receive at least 110 hours of classroom certified training. In addition, you must gain several hours of field experience before you are licensed. EMT-B performs basic first aid such as splinting, bleeding control,  oxygen administration along with a variety of other basic life support techniques.

The next step up is the EMT-Intermediate and then EMT-Paramedic. The EMT-Intermediate is trained as an EMT-Basic, in addition they have skills to defibrillate, start IV's, deliver certain medications and place advanced airways. Paramedics are trained in all the skills of the EMT-B and EMT-I, plus they have a variety of drugs they can administer and perform some more invasive surgical maneuvers.

The Town of Cumberland is currently striving to ensure there is a paramedic on all serious emergency calls.