By Delia Ruelas

Out of the original 25 members from the Civil Protection and Fire Department and the Ministry of Public Safety who initially enrolled in the first “Basic Level Prehospital Medical Care Academy,” only nine remain, pursuing certification.

The anticipated attrition was part of the academy’s focus on providing humanized and high-quality prehospital medical care, prioritizing quality over quantity of certified personnel.

Moreover, the academy is entirely free, and participants are not obligated to complete the certification.

According to Jorge Olvera Negrete, a volunteer with the Civil Protection and Fire Department and coordinator of the Basic Level Prehospital Medical Care Academy, the academy’s formation after three years was made possible with the support of Carlos Ames, the current director of Civil Protection and Fire.

The academy arose from the necessity driven by population and territorial growth, which correlates with rising medical emergencies. Training paramedics alongside firefighters enhances the quality of emergency response.

The paramedic training program consists of 41 learning modules covering topics such as personnel and patient safety, clinical patient evaluation, trauma patient evaluation, obstetric and gynecological patient evaluation, and psychological evaluation.

Participants have been certified in First Aid First Responder roles by the Ministry of Health and in international courses like Basic Life Support, with additional certification in post-traumatic stress disorder management for emergency services.

It is expected that the remaining participants will complete the Basic Level Prehospital Medical Care certification by November.