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Guilford County EMS kicks off EMT Launchpad program

Ten people out of 400 applicants got a spot in the program. Each shared their own story about what brought them to the job.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — A delivery service hub manager, a nanny and the son of a heart attack victim are all among the people picked by Guilford County EMS for its new EMT Launchpad program.

10 people with no medical experience have the chance to become EMTs.

Tuesday was orientation for the highly competitive training course. More than 400 people applied and just 10 made the cut.

The department hopes they found the best of the best.

"It really allowed us to open up our hiring pool to people who previously were not an option for us," Scott Muthersbaugh said.

Muthersbaugh is the Public Information Officer for Guilford County Emergency Services.

EMS is short about 25 paramedics. The 10 EMTs in training hope to change that.

Nathan Acaim and Stephen Remole are two of those trainees. They're paid full-time while training for EMT certification.

"I thought I would come here and give it my best try," Acaim said.

"If I love it, maybe I'll make this a lifelong career," Remole said.

Both men dreamed of being EMTs for years. Acaim said it started when his dad died of a heart attack.

"I thought that if I could become an EMT and prevent that sort of feeling for other people, then I could contribute to the community," Acaim said.

Remole thought about pursuing a career in law enforcement or nursing until his goals changed while working at a grocery store.

"My first week working there I gave CPR to a customer, drug a dead man off the street, bandaged a knife wound and helped with a gunshot wound," Remole said. "That gave me the motivation to want to go into a public service where I would be able to help and respond to the call."

Muthersbaugh said it's that drive that made these students stand out among hundreds of applicants.

"They have the right attitude, we just have to train them from the medical standpoint and I feel like there's a lot of success that will come from that," Muthersbaugh said.

The course will take four months to complete. Their first ride-along could be as soon as Friday.

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