The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Home and School Association President, wrestling club coordinator, mom. These are just a few of the titles Kristy Taylor holds, and recently, she added yet another title to the list: Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). 

Kristy is no stranger to the busy world of emergency response. Her husband, Jason, has been a part of the Columbia-Walla Walla County Fire District 2 for at least five years, volunteering as a firefighter.

"Being at home, I would hear his (Jason's) scanner go off all of the time, requesting EMS services," Taylor said, when asked what inspired her to volunteer. "They don't have very many EMT's available. I do all of this stuff, I run the HASA and the wrestling club, but I wanted to do something more. What better way to help than to help someone in trouble."

Kristy's journey to becoming an EMT started with an application, like many jobs. After completing the application, Kristy had to interview with Fire District #2 Interim Chief Colter Mohney, and the district association. 

"They asked how I felt going into someone's home on the worst day of their life. If they benefit from me coming in, I am all for it," Kristy said as she recalled some memorable interview moments. 

CWWCFD2 directed Kristy to Walla Walla Community College's Emergency Medical Technician courses. The fire district was able to help with financial aid for her training and her books and supplies. 

The three-month course is held at the college three hours a night, four days a week. Kristy said that she would get off of work and go straight to school. When she wasn't at school, she could be found studying. Kristy mentioned that College Place is working to develop an online course for people interested in becoming an EMT but require flexibility in the schedule.

"It's a tough class and a grueling course. It takes a lot of dedication," Kristy said.

The course prepares students for the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians exam. This exam sets the standard for EMT's across the nation. Kristy took the exam in January on her birthday, and passed with flying colors. She is looking forward to gaining more experience through ride-along training.

Kristy encourages anyone interested in becoming an EMT to reach out and explore their options. Right now, CWWCFD2 has five EMT's on the roster, but they are all volunteers with full time jobs. The more volunteers the district has, the better they will be able to respond.

Right now, CWWCFD2 is unable to transport patients; responders are only able to stabilize patients until another district can respond. 

"It delays a person's care, not being able to transport them right away," Kristy mentioned. 

Kristy's husband, Jason Taylor, said that volunteers are not required to attend every single meeting. Though it is highly encouraged to attend as many meetings and calls as possible, the district only requires a person to attend 20 percent of the meetings, and 20 percent of the calls. 

"We are kind of Columbia County Fire District #3's back up. Anytime they have shown up to help us, they show up in good numbers. Whenever we show up to help them, we usually have four or five people show up," Jason said. 

If you are interested in volunteering for the fire department, Jason and Kristy both encourage you to reach out to the department. The more dedicated volunteers the department has, the better service the district can offer the community. 

Volunteer applications can be found at wfd2.org, or by contacting anyone currently on the fire department.