Community giving is abundant on Lopez. This is a community filled with people who donate time, money, and effort to causes that help others in need. Whether it is a holiday box donated to a family struggling financially in the festive season, or a few dollars put into a fund for an ill neighbor, Lopezians look after their own.

This new year, the Lopez Fire Department is providing another avenue to give back. On Jan 8. the Fire Department will offer Washington State EMT Certificate training. Applications must be completed and handed in by Jan. 7, however drop-ins on Jan. 8 will be accommodated.

This is an opportunity that does not come often. Training happens approximately every three years, and allows interested parties to provide for their community with a whole new level of skill.

Not only that, but Marty Clark, paramedic firefighter and senior EMT instructor, said that being an EMT gives a sense of identity. “There have been a lot of studies about the value of volunteer work and people’s feeling of being themselves,” said Clark.

Clark has had a career defined by emergency services. Trained as an EMT in Colorado, she moved to Lopez in the 70s and was the first paramedic on the island. “It’s been a good career,” she said, “It’s a tight knit community, it motivates you to take care of each other and the community.”

The training is comprehensive, rigorous and as Clark said, “Intense.” “The curriculum comes through the Department of Health, we have to meet their requirements.” The class itself is a national curriculum, but the perquisites for the class are state-specific. In Washington, participants in the training must be at least age 18, be a high school graduate and be able to carry out physical duties.

Clark, however, said that people should not be intimidated by requirements or pace of the class, “We dont need to be super fit, we do things as a team and so we help each other out.

Clark adds that those who are squeamish about blood should not exclude themselves. “We dont get as much trauma here, we dont have trains or freeways, the sources of trauma. Like most agencies, most of the people we see are sick, not injured.” Clark said that some EMTs when first trained were cautious about dealing with injuries but adapted quickly, “You just get over things.”

The training is comprehensive, running from Jan. 8 to April 30, with participants learning a broad range of subjects from anatomy to practical skills. The class meets every Wednesday for three hours, and every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2:30 or 3 p.m. “It is a lot of work,” said Clark, “you do have to memorize a lot of stuff and there are a lot of practical skills to be learned.”

Following qualification, EMT skills are kept fresh with monthly training sessions on the first and third tuesday.

The commitment, however, is not without reward. Apart from the team work and sense of truly making a difference in the community, Clark said there are other benefits. After the initial training there is a $20 stipend for each additional training sessions and a $20 stipend for each call out.

EMT’s are provided with Air Lift Northwest helicopter health insurance. There is an annual banquet celebrating the EMT’s efforts and, depending on the length of a career, there are retirement programs offered. Clark adds that professional development is also encouraged through conferences. The travel and lodging expenses for these events are covered for all the EMTs.

Above all, Clark said, the EMT’s are recognized as a team of people with lives, jobs and families of their own. Flexibility is a major part of making the schedule work. EMTs are split into various teams and work a rotational schedule; working one week, then taking the next one or two weeks off. “we do recognize the EMTs are volunteers, we make allowances for work and family, the nice things about the team system is that the EMTs are good about trading time.”

For more information contact Clark at 468-2991, or pick up an application from the Fire Hall, 2228 Fisherman Bay Road.