Amid ongoing complaints about ambulance response times, Lexington County is looking to kickstart young residents’ interest in EMS careers with an ongoing program.

For roughly 15 years, the Lexington County EMS Explorer Post, a branch of the Boy Scouts of America, has been giving 14 to 21 year olds the opportunity to gain hands-on experience as emergency medical service personnel.

“It gives kids an opportunity to learn more.” said Magen Hallman, the county’s deputy EMS chief. “It gives them an opportunity to kind of experience it without having to be fully committed to a career path.”

One Explorer, 17-year old Gage Williams, told the Chronicle that if you told her a year ago today she'd be interested in being an EMT she’d have thought you were lying. Williams said the program has helped her learn more about different career paths.

The year-round program allows anyone who has graduated eighth grade all the way up through 21-year-olds to gather hands-on experience, gain certificates, and ride along with EMS personnel. Hallman said any member of the post who is above 18 must go through different training as they are technically adults.

The deputy chief told the Chronicle that while the program is year-round, they tend to follow the school year schedule and use the summer time to focus on ride-alongs since members of the program have more free time.

Hallman said Lexington County EMS has hired about 10 Explorers to join its ranks. The program currently has 11 participants taking part, with two being high school graduates.

During the program, Explorers learn about CPR, hygiene, patient assessments, vital signs and basic medical skills like how to place a tourniquet. After members get their BLS Certification, which shows they are able to perform CPR, bag a patient, pass a written and skills test and a health provider course, and understand HIPAA compliance, they are able to participate in ride-alongs.

According to Hallman, these ride-alongs provide Explorers with the opportunity to get hands-on experience – for instance, they can perform CPR if necessary.

“They can actually see and gain knowledge with someone who can break down the process of how we do it, and you know what they saw and explain, this is why the treatment paths went this way,” Hallman said. “They get a lot more than just showing up and ‘Hey, this is what we do.’”

“They actually learn about the job and they get hands-on experience,” she added.

Hallman said the program doesn’t just help EMS but the entire medical field, positing that it gives students the ability to see patient care, gather leadership and communication skills, adding that after the program some Explorers go on to medical school.

But the program is obviously a boost for EMS, giving exposure to the career path, something schools can’t typically provide.

That’s exactly why Ava Yess, a junior at Gray Collegiate Academy, joined the Explorers. She told the Chronicle that she wanted to take a health science course, but her school doesn’t offer them.

“I was thinking about going into the medical field for my career and I thought this would help,” said Yess.

Marissa Chamberlain, a recent Pelion High School graduate, is also using the Explorers as an opportunity to further her knowledge and has been participating in the program for about a year and a half.

Though she was able to get CPR and first-aid certification through her school’s sports medicine course, Chamberlain said her experience in the program has been like nothing else.

“The program helps kids get out of their schools,” Chamberlain said. “A lot of schools don’t have this sort of thing. Athletic training is in the medical field but it’s a lot different than this.”