FARMINGTON — The Regional School Unit 9 Foster Career and Technical Education Center has implemented two new courses this school year, a law enforcement and an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) program.

“We’ve been looking to start the law enforcement program for several years now,” Director Melissa Williams said in a phone interview. “It’s been a big need in our community and we’ve been working a lot with our local, public safety folks in particular.”

To add new programs to the Foster Tech. Center, Williams explained that a substantial amount of labor-market research must be conducted to demonstrate the need for training students in a particular field. The 18-month preparation process also includes gathering community input and coordinating with advisory and curriculum boards. 

Instructor Matt Brann said that the new, one-year program is designed around 20 standards that are set by the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. All of Maine’s 28 career technical centers follow these standards when offering a law enforcement program. 

It’s a good program obviously for those who are definitely interested in law enforcement. It gives them great exposure,” Brann said during a phone interview.

Brann himself participated in a similar program when he was in high school which led to his 15-year career in law enforcement, serving the Farmington Police Department for five years and now the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department as a patrol sergeant.

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Instruction includes patrol-related training such as OUI detection, traffic violations, methods of arrest and learning about state and federal laws. Brann has also brought in guest speakers like State Trooper Reid Bond who spoke about his investigative work which was of particular interest to 16-year-old Winnie Larochelle, one of the 13 students enrolled in the program.

“I took this course because I have always wanted to be a detective. I want to make sure that will be all the work that comes with it. I still have an interest in it,” Larochelle wrote in an email. “I took this course to make sure I still love it as much as I thought I did, and I still do. This course is so much fun even though it is just one day a week, Mr. Brann makes the one day in person so much fun.”

Normally, Foster Tech. courses would meet every other day for four hours of hands-on instruction but the pandemic and RSU 9’s hybrid schedule has narrowed in-person instruction to one day a week.

“That is a real constraint to their learning and their programming in many ways,” Williams said, but noted that some students are thriving in remote learning.

The one day a week schedule was a major consideration factor for Larochelle who lives in Rangeley and has to wake up at 5 a.m. for the bus to the Foster Tech. Center. She spent the summer going back and forth as to whether enrolling in the program was worth it during the pandemic.

“My advisory actually made me give it two weeks and thank gosh she did because it is my favorite class this year,” Larochelle said.

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Despite the lack of in-person days at the career and technical center, EMT Instructor Oliver Mackenzie said that he is confident students will be prepared for their licensing exam.

“For the most part, I think we’re doing well. I’ve taught a few EMT programs outside of here semester style and curriculum wise, we’re maybe two weeks behind than I’d like us to be but not behind enough that they wouldn’t be eligible to test,” Mackenzie said during a Zoom interview.

Students must be a minimum of 16-years-old to enroll in the program and are eligible for the Maine EMT license if they pass their exam. Those who are aged 18 or above can take the national exam for a license that is valid in all 50 states and Canada.

The law enforcement program does not provide certification due to the 21-year-old age requirement to become a police officer. However, students do leave the course with a first aid and CPR certification and in the spring there is an opportunity to earn college credit by taking introduction to criminal justice with Central Maine Community College.

Williams also plans on implementing college credit into the Foster Tech. course within the next two years.

“The idea is that these students are doing their pre-work to be able to go onto the criminal justice academy or to a community college in whatever field they’re looking at,” Williams said. 

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Foster Tech. also offers the opportunity to be dual certified by enrolling in the EMT program and the firefighting course which 17-year-old Tucker Tardif is currently taking advantage of as one of Mackenzie’s nine EMT students.

“I enrolled in the EMT program at Foster Tech. because I am a Firefighter and nearly all full-time career fire departments require their employees to be cross-trained as EMS providers,” Tardif wrote in an email. “I want to be prepared so I can be hired as a Firefighter/EMT immediately after graduating and better serve my community and state. I also just have a general interest in Emergency Medical Services and enjoy working with patients and responding to emergencies.”

Mackenzie explained that the EMT course includes logistical preparation as to how first responders coordinate with other public safety responders to disasters, hands-on response training, and also a substantial amount of medical bookwork for learning how to identify a patient’s cause of symptoms and needs. The intense medical studies aspect of the course is what 16-year-old Emma Jacot-Descombes finds so engaging.

“My favorite part of the class is probably the lecturing/note taking/learning about the body. I love it so much that on most lecture days, I’ll re-teach all of the material from that day to my mom just because I find it so intriguing,” Jacot-Descombes wrote in an email. “I am also currently taking anatomy & physiology at Rangeley School, so there is a lot of subject overlap between that and my EMT course. I love seeing how everything comes together from what I’ve learned at Rangeley and what I’ve learned at Fosters. Overall, I can say with complete certainty that I am infatuated with the course.” 

By taking advantage of Foster Tech. Center’s programming, high school students have the potential to earn up to 30 college credits in addition to the numerous field-specific certification opportunities. Williams also noted that one of the major benefits of Foster Tech. are the instructors who serve as role-models to students.

“There are so many more students in need of some real, healthy relationships with some adults and that’s one of the beauties of a career and technical education program is that our instructors have that luxury of four hours every other day with their students and so they build really great relationships,” Williams said.

 

 

 

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