Lexington's latest paramedic class helping to keep up with City's growth

Nearly $1 million dollars in federal grant money will be used to help Lexington expand its paramedicine program. These dollars will go to support the latest cadre of paramedic students.

There are 33 members in the current paramedic class. The grant funds advanced emergency medical training and certification. EMS Training Coordinator Patty Howard says some 15 hundred course hours are in addition to riding time on the ambulance. Howard said it’s about teaching preparedness for emergency care in the streets.

“So, what do they need to know to respond to cardiac arrest? What do they need to know to respond to a football injury? What do they need to know if someone is having difficulty breathing? What if they have to deliver a baby.?” Asked Howard.

Lexington Fire Chief Jason Wells said increasing capacity in paramedicine is needed to keep up with overall City growth. Chief Wells said a dip in emergency calls came during the peak of COVID, but that’s not the case now.

“As community paramedicine has sort of hit capacity with what they can manage and our community continues to grow, those numbers are trending back up, so it’s a significant number of calls every year. Every ambulance in Lexington is very busy. So, we have to keep pace with that,” said Wells.

About half of the firefighters in the Lexington Fire Department are also certified paramedics. Responding with Narcan to reverse drug overdoses is part of the paramedic’s job. Chief Wells said the number of calls for that is “moderate” compared to what’s seen in some other communities. Patty Howard said adding trained paramedics could provide enough personnel to staff another ambulance.

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