BAY MINETTE, Ala. — The ringing of the ambulance sirens. The immediate rush to save someone’s life after an accident.

These are just a few of the heart-racing moments that Faulkner State’s new paramedic courses prepare students for.

Created this past January on the Gulf Shores campus, the new paramedic program is open to students who complete the Basic EMT courses, taught by John Santa-Cruz. The paramedic program gives students hands-on experience to effectively deal with real-life crises.

Vince Parker, the course instructor, said this semester opened more than just text books — it opened doors.

“The students started their internships at both South Baldwin and Thomas hospitals,” Parker said. “The students are taught to deal with any type of emergency. If it can happen, we teach them how to handle it.”

The course is four semesters long, and upon graduation in May, students will sit for the National Registry exam. The exam concludes the program and allows students to settle in Alabama or surrounding states for job placement.

“There is an enormous paramedic shortage,” Parker said. “This field is expanding, so we are working to meet the educational needs.”

With a total of eight students this semester, Parker said he hopes the numbers will continue to expand. Parker said he would also like to see new courses added, including one that links the steps between EMT and paramedic status.

Fred Peace, who has been an EMT for Medstar since 1995, said the program is very beneficial in the medical profession.

“When you become the highest level of pre-hospital care, which is a paramedic, you get the greatest opportunities to help other people,” Peace said.

Robert Rowland, another student of the program who has been a Gulf Shores firefighter for two years, agreed with Peace.

“This program is more advanced than you would get out of the basic EMT classes,” Rowland said. “It gives us further knowledge and teaches us how to be involved with everything.”

Parker, who has had 19 years of EMS experience and almost 15 years experience educating paramedics and EMTs, knows how to get students to reach their greatest potential and defeat challenges.

“Mr. Parker builds confidence by giving us challenges we see as impossible. For instance, he wanted us to learn 26 drugs in one week, and we all thought it was impossible, but, he proved us wrong,” Peace said.

“Mr. Parker explains everything well, and he puts everything we learn into terms we understand,” said Kristen Folsom, who has worked with Medstar since 2006. “This is a great group with an excellent teacher.”

Parker said the program has had tremendous support from the community, including the fire departments of Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, and Foley, the community hospitals and Medstar Ambulance Service.

With continued support from the community and availability of courses at Faulkner State, students can further their educational and hands-on experience of the paramedic profession.