Posted:
February 06, 2023“I wanted to work on my skills to become the best in my profession.”
Alum Ella DeVine has always wanted to be a First Responder. A former Century College Post-Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) and Northeast Metro 916 student, Ella has a strong drive and work ethic—it’s in her genes. She’s unflappable and calm in a crisis situation.
She comes from a family that is committed to public service. Although many of her relatives are police officers, Ella knew that she didn’t want to follow the exact same career path, so she looked for other options.
Northeast Metro’s 916 EMT Training
She found the perfect solution—EMT training was offered through the Northeast Metro 916 EMT program, located at Century College. After she finished her PSEO program at Century, Ella knew that she wanted a hands-on learning experience in the trades She quickly signed on and was committed to learning as much as she could. “I began staying late and arriving early to practice. I love the EMT field,” Ella enthuses.
Commitment to Learning EMT Skills
In Ella’s EMT training, doing ride-alongs with local EMT professionals are required. She was interested in the work done by firefighting professionals, and she wanted to participate in as many ride-alongs as possible, so she contacted every fire station that she could. Roseville FD was the first to respond to her, and she also went to the Fire departments at Vadnais Heights, Cottage Grove, White Bear Lake, Maplewood, and Woodbury.
On the Fast-Track to a High-Demand Career
Ella kept scheduling her ride-alongs with Roseville FD. The Roseville staff knew her and admired her work ethic, and Ella eventually applied for and was accepted into their Cadet program. On the calls, she took vitals, among other duties. As a cadet, Ella was on the fast track to become a Fire Medic within a year.
She just recently accepted a full-time time Firefighter-EMT position with the Maplewood FD, and will be starting in March, 2023..
She graduated in June 2022, and is currently in the Paramedic Fire Science program at Century College,a program that she would highly recommend to others. “Century College and 916 made it possible for me to get on track to reaching my career goals,” she says.
Ella plans on becoming a full-time fire medic, and she’s looking into technical rescue. “Technical rescue means learning to rescue people in confined spaces,” Ella notes, “It’s more athletic, and I’m prepared for that. I’ve been rock climbing since I was 6 years old.”
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