Cobb County unveils new paramedic training school

New paramedic training school unveiled in Cobb County

Cobb County will soon have more paramedics responding to emergencies. This is thanks to a new partnership between the fire department and metro Atlanta ambulance.

MARIETTA, Ga. - Cobb County is launching a new paramedic training school aimed at addressing a critical shortage of advanced emergency medical responders.

What we know:

County commissioners gave final approval Tuesday night to the school, a joint effort between Cobb County Fire and Emergency Services and MetroAtlanta Ambulance Service. The program will be housed at Cobb Fire’s Training Center and is set to begin classes in September.

The program will be open to Cobb County firefighters, employees with MetroAtlanta Ambulance, and—when space allows—personnel from other municipal fire departments across Cobb.

All Cobb firefighters are already required to be certified emergency medical technicians. Moving from EMT to paramedic typically takes 12 to 18 months. The new school will allow the department to train twice as many paramedics each year.

The cost savings is also significant. Firefighters will pay just $650 for the course, compared to the roughly $6,500 price tag of similar training programs elsewhere.

What they're saying:

"We’ve realized we’re not training as many paramedics as what we really need to respond to the number of emergencies in the community," said Nick Adams, Cobb County Fire EMS Division Chief.

"This is going to make a huge difference," Adams said. "Having more paramedics on the street is going to save more lives."

Still, Adams emphasized the main goal: "What’s most important is having more paramedics respond to life-threatening emergencies."

What's next:

In addition to expanding emergency medical capacity, officials say the school could also help attract new recruits to the department.