Beginning Jan. 4 through June 4, Wiscasset Ambulance Service will be hosting a basic EMT course in the Wiscasset municipal building. Registration is under way now and the class size is limited to 20. The deadline to enroll is Friday, Dec. 18.

Classes meet Monday and Thursday nights from 6 to 9 p.m. There are also a few Saturday classes scheduled as well that will meet from 9 a.m. to noon. The cost for the 120-hour course is $740. Tuition assistance may be available for Wiscasset residents with an interest in joining Wiscasset Ambulance Service. To enroll, contact either Wiscasset Ambulance Service at 882-8204, or Tri-County EMS based in Lewiston at 795-2880.

The instructor for the course will be Roger Quandt, an advanced EMT instructor/coordinator. Quandt is EMS director for the town of Westport Island and has been a member of Wiscasset Ambulance Service for six years.

Wiscasset residents can contact the Wiscasset town office during business hours for additional information regarding how they can receive a reduction in the cost of enrollment.

In an email to the newspaper, Quandt said the main purpose of the class is to add to the ambulance membership and to continue to provide affordable EMS services for Wiscasset and surrounding communities. The Wiscasset Ambulance Service presently has 16 licensed EMS members.

One prerequisite for the course is you must be at least 18, or have prior permission to participate from the Regional EMS office. CPR certification at the Health Care Provider level or Professional Rescuer level is encouraged but not required, as certification will be included in the course.

Before beginning the clinical portion of the course, students must show proof of immunization for mumps, measles, rubella, varicella, tetanus and Hepatitis B. Participants must also have had a recent TB test. The tuition includes an ID badge, a required, criminal background check and professional liability insurance.

Participants are required to purchase the following textbooks: Brady 13th ed. Emergency Care for EMT, Textbook, EMT Testing Package (online), BLS for Healthcare Providers Workbook, and the July 2015 Maine EMS Protocol Book. Text books can be purchased from Tri-County EMS, Inc. of Lewiston or through Amazon. Clinical sites to be visited during the program will include Bath and NorthEast Mobile Health Services.

For more information contact Roger Quandt at 692-7941 or email Rogerquandt@gmail.com.