Saturday Soapbox | Investment in EMT training more than pays for itself

As a 17-year-old, I became a "paid on-call" volunteer firefighter through West Valley Fire Department's Cadet program and received the training to become a firefighter and first responder. The following year, I became an emergency medical technician.

I owe the West Valley Fire Department, many of the firefighters and command staff, the community and this particular training for instilling in me many of the traits that make me who I am today: a caring, competent and confident health care professional (my wonderful patients tell me so) who has made a difference in the lives of many and even saved the lives of some.

I have had the pleasure to serve as a volunteer and then a career firefighter/EMT, as a registered nurse working in med-surg and pediatrics, on a disaster response team and now in labor and delivery. I am proud to say that there are more than a few people out there who are alive today because of me, and the training I have received -- beginning with EMT, at what was then West Valley Station 1.

They also trained me to teach CPR -- I have taught more than 1,000 people CPR, first aid, wilderness first aid, and how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED). These include friends, family members, doctors, nurses, teachers, day care providers, camp counselors, members of the U.S. Congress, construction and utility workers and many others.

As a child passenger safety technician, I have checked hundreds of infant seats and taught parents how to keep their children safe. I have taught fire prevention programs to school children and members of the community, I have conducted fire extinguisher training courses, and I have trained new first responders. Many of these courses have been given on my own time.

At this point, you might think I sound boastful, and you would be right, but I'm not bragging about my own accomplishments, for I have simply been in the right place at the right time, doing my job. I am, however, bragging about the West Valley Fire Department for seeing in me, the potential to institute change.

Now the state Legislature wants to assess a fee for EMT training. It is estimated that it will cost $3,000 a year to provide this training. Can you really put a price on the number of lives that could be saved as a result? The ripple effect is far reaching.

I am thankful that West Valley invested in me, and I am just one person. Imagine the effect that all of the trained personnel has had on the community. How about the whole county? The whole state? I think that the investment you make in your emergency medical service providers today will continue to pay the community back for years to come.

* Melissa Tillett is a registered nurse who lives in Yakima.