BLACK RIVER — Sometimes, soldiers need civilians to train them for combat. The Black River Ambulance Squad will teach 11 Fort Drum soldiers the skills needed to perform emergency medical care in real-world situations.
At the squad's monthly meeting Wednesday, Capt. Seth Holland of the 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team told the board of directors that there are two clear benefits: the village will have more personnel to respond to calls, and the soldiers will get much-needed real-world training.
"When I came back from Iraq this last time, there's a big discrepancy in what the Army teaches the medics and what I actually need them to know to go into combat," Capt. Holland said. "And one of the big themes is I had to deal with trauma, I had to deal with a patient, and I'd prefer them not to do that the first time in combat. That's how this program kind of developed, to make sure that doesn't happen."
It's common for soldiers to volunteer with the Black River squad and others in the area, but there has never been an established partnership on this scale.
"We're kind of like the testing ground for this kind of scale," said Alan C. Gaines, assistant director of operations for the rescue squad. "It's really a win-win situation for the community."
Lt. Col. Heyward G. Hutson III, the battalion's commander, initiated the partnership and has been organizing the program with the squad for the past five months, according to Mr. Gaines.
"He has opened doors for us so my medics can get trained and we can also give back to the community," Capt. Holland said.
The program could expand beyond the Black River Ambulance Squad if it is successful.
"The division doesn't want to throw their hat in until they see how we make this happen," Capt. Holland said.
Mr. Gaines said the only thing that can slow the program down at this point is deployment. Capt. Holland told the board of directors that the unit can be "boots on ground anywhere in the world in 96 hours."
The squad's financial officer, William E. Lamb, hopes the partnership will be a lasting one.
"I'd like to think that the doors are going to be swinging wide open down the road for many years," he said.
Director of Operations Jeffrey S. Lieberman, a paramedic, is glad to have more help.
"My opinion is it doesn't matter if it's a civilian or a soldier as long as it's somebody that's going to come in and help out," he said. "Volunteers are few and far between these days."
The Black River Ambulance Squad is made up entirely of volunteers, and Mr. Lieberman said he would like to keep it that way.
Mr. Gaines said the soldiers were not required to join.
Eight of the nine medics who have been voted in so far have completed EMT-Basic training and are state certified, yet few of them actually have been in the back of an ambulance. Capt. Holland is a physician's assistant and is not yet a trained EMT, so he will supervise. Two more soldiers are expected to apply after returning from West Point.
All members except Capt. Holland are attending Jefferson Community College, Watertown, to take an EMT-Intermediate course. Mr. Lieberman said he hopes they also will take the Critical Care course, which follows the Intermediate course.