A little more than a year ago, Iola Fire Chief Corey Isbell faced an ongoing staff shortage that required a little outside-the-box thinking. He and city leaders introduced an eight-week Firefighter/EMT Academy in August 2023, hoping to find those who were interested in learning on the job. As long as they stayed with the department for two years, the training would be free.
A year later, all five who completed the course are still with the department. On Tuesday morning, they attended Week 6 training of a 12-week course for Advanced EMT. Then, they’ll take a test to earn national certification to advance to the next level.
“The Academy training was worth it,” Isbell said. “The first time you do something, you learn. I would love to do another one at some point. We’ve had interest but it takes a lot to do something like that.”
A FEMA grant provided the cost of the materials needed for the academy, and IFD’s Andy Hill completed certification to be an instructor.
Although Isbell doesn’t plan to offer another academy in the near future, he still has about three full-time positions to bring the department to full staff, which is about 31.
Those who completed the course said they appreciated the opportunity to receive on-the-job training. Otherwise, they likely would have had to bear the cost and time of taking college classes or finding a department in a larger community that offered a similar academy.
“Not many departments are able to do this, and being able to do it in a small town like Iola is really special,” Dakota Parker said. He’d recently left the military and found himself looking for a new career opportunity when he learned of the IFD’s Academy last summer.
Zachary Wilper volunteered as a firefighter for three years and wanted to join a department, but it would have taken a lot longer if he’d had to go through a more traditional path.
“When this opportunity came up, I jumped on it,” he said. “It got me where I wanted to be.”
Sage Shaughnessy had just graduated high school in May 2023 when his mother saw information about the academy in the Register. Shaughnessy hadn’t thought much about a career as a firefighter or EMT, but said he’s “very glad” he looked into the program.
Casey Weast was working as a salesman with B&W Trailer Hitches when he learned of the opportunity. Now, he plans to continue to develop his skills and pursue more certification. He’s taking the A-EMT class to “better support the community and give better care.”
Sarah Heisler had worked in daycare and healthcare but always wanted to be an EMT.
“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do from a young age. I never thought about being a firefighter,” she said, laughing a little as she recalled unexpected moments during training.
During the academy, trainees were required to perform such tasks as roll up and unspool fire hose, lug a 200-pound bag along the ground, carry a 135-pound barbell a set distance, and hammer a weighted I-beam along a sliding scale, before ending the test by carrying a length of hose to the top of the football stadium grandstand and then scaling a ladder.
“It’s been fun,” Heisler said. “I’ve learned a lot.”
