Look to Them in an Emergency

CLINTON:

    They have witnessed a patient who, near death, miraculously returns to the living, a young woman who sustained severe injuries after being hit by a car, and lots and lots of blood. Chris Anderson, Carlos Peralta, and Cooper Westerkamp, all seniors at The Morgan School in Clinton, are newly certified emergency medical technicians, or EMTs.

    It all began last year when Anderson signed up for the school’s Job Shadow Program run by Clinton Youth & Family Service Bureau and funded by Middlesex United Way. The program matches juniors with a local businessperson in their career choice that they can “shadow” for a day to get a real-time sense of the actual job.

    Anderson, who wants to pursue a career in the trauma and medical field, thought that spending a day with the Clinton Volunteer Fire Department and emergency personnel would help him gain insight into his chosen field.

    “They showed me all around the station and explained the equipment, and then we went on a call responding to a car accident,” explained Anderson. “It was exciting and I definitely felt more of an understanding of what I wanted to do in the future.”

    Morgan School Guidance office secretary Diana Brochu knew of Anderson’s job shadow experience, and also knew that both Peralta and Westerkamp had expressed similar interests.

    “One day I opened up the mail and saw a brochure for ‘How to Become an EMT,’” noted Brochu.

    The course was offered from Heffernan Associates Consulting in Branford.

    “We gave the information to the boys and they signed up and paid for the course on their own. The Job Shadow Program helped pay for their car expenses,” said Andrea Kaye, program coordinator at Clinton Youth & Family Service Bureau.

    The two-month course began in June and was held three nights a week in the evenings. It consisted of more than 130 hours of instruction.

    Westerkamp, who wants to be a nurse anesthetist, said course instructor Shaun Heffernan, a paramedic with many years of experience, instilled in him a “you can do it attitude.”  

    “We were definitely the youngest in the class,” added Peralta, 17, who wants to be a doctor.

    They all learned the medical procedures for trauma victims, how to protect themselves in an emergency situation, how to reduce their own stress level, how to think fast on their feet, and much more.

    “We learned the ABCs of assessing a victim–Airway, Breathing, and Circulation,” said Peralta.

    “Maintaining our personal safety in an emergency is also very important,” he added.

    All three heard stories of how EMTs have been held at gunpoint or assaulted by an intoxicated person. 

    “We have to be smart and not be a hero,” said Westerkamp, who was taught to respond to calls with a partner and not be afraid to call in law enforcement.

    As part of their course requirements, all three worked two, five-hour shifts at the emergency room (ER) at Yale-New Haven Hospital. It was in the ER that Anderson saw a 50-year old woman “flat-line” on the table.

    “They had to intubate her and shock her, and her heart beat returned,” said Anderson.

    The future for all three includes the national practical test that is part of the state registry for EMTs. Beyond that, Anderson and Peralta have applied to UConn; Westerkamp is planning to attend Quinnipiac University.

    “Becoming an EMT will help us be prepared for our fields,” added Peralta.

Pictured: Using his new skills to check his friend’s vital signs, Cooper Westerkamp, right, works on Carlos Peralta, center, while Chris Anderson, left, smiles for the camera. All three Morgan School seniors recently became emergency medical technicians, or EMTs.

Photo by Fay Abrahamsson