Chilton County Emergency Management Agency/Homeland Security will conduct a state Department of Transportation First Responder Course beginning Jan. 11.

The course is co-sponsored by Gap of the Mountain Fire Department and will be held at the fire department, located at 786 County Road 55.
The course will provide the training necessary to volunteer with a local EMS unit.

Topics covered will include how to treat heart attack, stroke and accident victims. It will train the students in the care of fractures, soft tissue injuries, emergency childbirth and many other medical emergencies. Classes on the topics of incident command and recognizing and identifying hazardous materials will also be provided. The course will include lectures, Powerpoint presentations and hands-on training.

The course is made available free of charge through a grant from the Alabama Department of Homeland Security and the governor’s Office of Faith Based and Community Affairs.

Bill Collum, director of the Chilton County EMA/Homeland Security, will be the instructor for the course. Collum has 40 years of experience in emergency work, including service in the U.S. Coast Guard, volunteer fire service, ambulance service, emergency medical service and EMA/Homeland Security.

The course is recommended for those who might want to volunteer with one of Chilton County’s volunteer fire/EMS units but is not limited to those people. It will provide valuable training for anyone who might find themselves in a position to offer emergency medical treatment to the sick or injured.

For more information about the course or to register, call the county EMA/Homeland Security office at 755-0900 or 312-1296.