Junior EMS squad takes home trophy
By John Joyce
Published in News on September 14, 2015 1:46 PM
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The Fremont Junior Rescue Squad recently took first place in a statewide competition held in Hickory. From left are Leroia McCall, 15, Mikayla Crawford, 15, Alexis Brown, 17, Katie Brown, 17, Brenna Flanagan, 15 and Haley Lassiter, 15.
FREMONT -- When you first meet the members of the Fremont Junior Rescue Squad, you might be a little surprised.
They look like high school students, yet they speak like hardened veterans.
"We pulled up on scene and there were three black tags," Alexis Brown said, referring to the statewide competition the squad participated in last weekend in Hickory.
Ms. Brown, 17, is the captain of the six-person squad -- all girls -- who brought home first-place in the contest that pitted junior rescue squads from cities and towns all over North Carolina against one another.
Ms. Brown, and her sister, Katie, 15, handled the bulk of the scenario at the N.C. Association of Rescue and EMS National Convention and Competition.
Six other teams competed against Fremont, with a written test to break any potential ties. The test scores were not needed.
"We were dispatched to a shooting at a political rally. Law enforcement had been on scene, and the shooter had been detained," Alexis Brown said. Three victims were dead on arrival, one uninjured and one with bullet wounds to the leg and chest.
She handled scene assessment and retrieved the necessary equipment while her sister assessed the victims.
The remaining four squad members -- "bystanders" in the scenario -- were tasked with helping move the victims once ready and later got to play the role of victims for other teams in the competition.
"We follow along with what they're doing also, in case one of them were to pass out or something, we could go in and take their place. Finish their role if they didn't finish," Leroia McCall said.
Ms. McCall, 15, and Mikayla Crawford, 15, were ready to jump in should the Brown sisters need them.
"So we have to make sure we know how to do (Alexis') part and (Katie's) part, because they both have different things they have to do for the patient," Ms. Crawford said.
The Fremont squad performed as a unit, implementing the teamwork, skill set and knowledge given to them by their advisers, Chief Randy Lassiter, his wife and registered nurse Stephanie Lassiter, and Assistant Chief Jeremiah Goodson.
Like police or fire explorers, the junior medics train with professional medics in classroom scenarios and in live exercises to learn the fundamentals of the trade. Many go on to become paramedics or emergency medical technicians. Those who do not, or who do not venture into other realms of the medical field such as nursing or radiology, take with them the life-lessons and skills they develop in the program.
"They actually get to ride the ambulance, too, and get first-hand experience with a real victim," Mrs. Lassiter said.
Most of the young woman of Fremont Rescue are sophomores at Charles B. Aycock High School. They must maintain a C average or better to remain on the squad.
Young people ages 13 to 18 with an interest in the medical field or who simply like to help people are encouraged to join. There is no fee for membership and most of the equipment and money for travel to competitions and exercises is obtained through fundraisers put on by the girls themselves. The program does have a van so if transportation is a concern for some parents, fear not. Lassiter and Goodson are used to getting phone calls from people needing a ride. They do, after all, work on an ambulance.