Clarke County Hospital will be offering First Responders Training starting February 6.

A First Responder is a trained volunteer who is likely to be among the first people to arrive and assist at the scene of an emergency.  The primary focus of a First Responder is to initiate immediate lifesaving care to critical patients who access the Emergency Medical System (EMS).  This individual possesses the basic knowledge and skills necessary to provide lifesaving interventions while awaiting additional EMS response and to assist higher level personnel at the scene. First Responders function as part of a comprehensive EMS response, under medical oversight.

Currently Murray and Woodburn have volunteer First Responder programs in their communities and Osceola is currently working on establishing a program of their own. To help augment and support other county efforts, the hospital is offering First Responder Training to prepare local first responders to add support in emergencies throughout Clarke County.

Clarke County Hospital’s First Responder course is 64 hours in length and will require testing to become certified once the course is completed. Application spots are limited and while the cost of similar first responder programs can be as much as $750.00, the program through Clarke County Hospital offers full scholarships that are available through the application and links provided below (and to the right) for a select period of time. Course training dates will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting February 6th and ending March 29th. The class will run evenings from 6-10 PM at Clarke County Hospital.

A full flyer outlining the Clarke County Hospital First Responder Program, including requirements for the class as well as pricing and scheduling through SWCC can be downloaded by clicking this link or by clicking the image to the left.

 To register for the training, please CLICK HERE (you will be taken to the SWCC Web site for registration information and form).


To download the scholarship application form, you can visit www.clarkehosp.org and click under the “Quick Links” section labeled Emergency First Responder Application. The application deadline is Friday, February 2nd. Or click the application image to the right for an immediate link.

For questions or for more information on becoming a volunteer First Responder, please contact Erin Dykes, Clarke County Hospital Chief Nursing Officer at edykes@clarkehosp.org or call 641.342.5389.