WELDON — About 90 percent of people helped by fire and emergency medical services in Halifax and part of Northampton counties  are assisted by someone who has been trained at Halifax Community College.

Jacqueline Hough | Daily Herald Halifax Community College offers several continuing education programs for training and safety for firefighters, emergency medical personnel and industries. Kevin Kupietz, center, demonstrates CPR for a group of employees from Roanoke Valley Energy (RVE). Helping in to demonstrate CPR are RVE employees Rosemary Morris and Cliff “Boogie” Johnson. Advertisement

“It makes you pretty proud,” said Kevin Kupietz, fire service/EMS coordinator at HCC. “It is something that a lot of people don’t realize.

The college provides training for all fire departments and rescue squads in Halifax County and some in part of Northampton County. There are 23 fire departments and three rescue squads.

“Just about every night except Friday and Sunday, somewhere in the county there is a class being taught,” he said.

He oversees four major programs — Fire service, Emergency Medical Services, Emergency Management Services and Industrial Safety. Classes range from basic CPR and first aid for the community to advanced rescue scuba diving classes.

Last year, the college had over 66,000 man hours in training courses.  This includes anything from training personnel in vehicle extrications and loading patients into air ambulances to driving a fire truck safely or rappelling.

For example, an emergency medical technician-basic classes just started at the college. To achieve this status involves about 200  hours of training. Moving to intermediate status is another 300 plus hours, and to achieve paramedic level is about 1,000 hours.

“By time, a person is at the paramedic level, they have met the same requirements to earn an associate’s degree,” he said.

Safety plays a  a key in training, he said. “We want to make sure they are able to go back to their families after a call.”

The college also provides safety classes for several industries in the area. A custom plan is made for the individual company’s fire, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and first aid requirements.

There are no full-time instructors but they are more than 30 instructors on a part-time basis in different specialization’s and topics.

HCC program is one of the few that offers online classes.

“It’s a big help for those who work full-time,” he said.

Kupietz said he doesn’t look at those taking the classes as students but more as clients.

Kupietz has many years of experience as not only an instructor but as a firefighter, EMS personnel and state hazmat training.

He remembers what he was told when he was as a firefighter at the Roanoke Rapids Fire Department. “The chief said ‘it’s either in your blood or it’s not.’”

The Roanoke Rapids Fire Department and Weldon Fire Department are the only two departments in the area that have paid firefighters. Kupietz said for the rest are volunteers who do it for no pay.

“The training required of them is tremendous,” he said. “They spend a lot of time away from their family and friends.”

To stay current with his certifications, he volunteers with the Roanoke Rapids Fire Department, Gaston Rescue and the state hazmat team. This is in addition to his job as coordinator.

Kupietz said the national average for the amount of time a person works in emergency medical services or as a firefighter is about five years.

“But here, we have people who have done it for 30 years,” he said.

He added the a typical person doesn’t understand the amount of training unless they do it themselves.

“I have a really cool job,” Kupietz said. “In any given week, I can do anything.” Last weekend, he was at the river teaching a group about swift water rescue.

Kupietz and other instructors try to lead by example, he said. “Whatever we ask a student to do in training, we also do.”

He started at the college in 1997 as an instructor and has worked his way up. He has earned a master’s in occupational safety and has almost completed his doctorate in human services with a concentration in public safety.

Kupietz doesn’t see what he does as work.

“It is a great way to give back to the community,” he said.

One thing he sees is getting persons to volunteer. He said the median age in most fire departments is about 50 to 60. “It is hard to get the young people interested,” he said.

He added that times are different now with the economy and people sometimes working one or two jobs.

The Halifax County Firefighters Association offered a scholarship for an active fire fighter. “I hope it will bring in some interest,” he said.

Twenty years ago, ambulance crews acted more as morticians picking up victims than providing lifesaving services, he said.

“Now you have paramedics with more than 1,000 hours of training,” Kupietz said. “With the fire service, if you could drive a firetruck and pull a hose, you were a firefighter. Now things are much more different.”

Plus, for those in fire service and emergency medical services, he said, the training never ends. In his office, he picked up and opened a big three ring binder notebook filled certification certificates.

“This is just one of three binders,” Kupietz said. “It never ends.”

This also includes two book shelves of books in his office, three book shelves at home and two shelves in the classroom. All of these books help Kupietz stay current in his job. For him, the hard work is worth it. “All of this comes from desire to help people be good at what they do,” he said.