BY JEFF CHUDZINSKI
North Country This Week

MASSENA — Massena professional fire fighters Mike Kelso and Justin Niles have successfully completed the New York State emergency medical technician basic exam.

The two firefighters passed the exams after nearly six months of class work and exams, which culminated in the final NYS written and skills exam, officials say.

“Currently, we now have one third (3/9) of the career staff trained to the EMT-B level. We hope to further send additional members to this much needed and life saving training in the future to ensure the fire station has an EMT on duty 24/7 and to help offset the shortage of emergency medical providers in the community and nation as a whole,” officials said.

Officials say the training will allow firefighters to better understand emergency situations and necessities better, allowing them to work more efficiently with the Massena Rescue Squad on emergency scenes.

“Another benefit of this additional level of training is that in the event that a first responder EMS program is started in the future, our members will be able to assist Massena Rescue if they were to need additional medical help on scene,” officials added.

The Massena Rescue Squad and Fire Departments are both operated by the Village of Massena government after the rescue squad was transferred to from the Town of Massena on January 1, 2022.