Summary
Sheriff's office reported strong demand for a new junior deputy academy and early success for a flight card program that routes deputies trained as EMTs to certain medical calls, freeing EMS resources.
The county’s new junior deputy academy drew heavy interest and a long waiting list after registration filled within two days, county law‑enforcement staff told the Public Safety and Emergency Services Committee.
Sheriff’s office staff said the program gave youth hands‑on exposure to law‑enforcement work and civics with participation from state police, the county attorney’s office, probation and local EMS. Officials said they are considering adding more sessions next year to meet demand.
Separately, staff reported that the county’s flight card program — which places deputies with medical training on patrol to respond to certain calls — has already responded to at least one patient call per day while on duty and achieved five refusal‑of‑medical requests during its initial weeks. Staff described calls attended by flight card deputies that included trauma, motor‑vehicle accidents, seizures, cardiac events and falls; in several instances deputies determined transport to EMS was not required, helping keep EMS units available for other needs.
The sheriff’s office said it will send a few more deputies to EMT school in the fall and winter and hopes to expand the program later in the year.
Why it matters: the youth program is a civic‑engagement and recruitment tool, while the flight card program is intended to preserve EMS availability by dispatching medically trained deputies to low‑acuity calls. Officials characterized early data as meeting the programs’ goals and signaled plans to expand training and program capacity.
What’s next: the sheriff’s office will consider additional junior‑academy sessions and continue EMT training for deputies as the county evaluates scaling the flight card model.
