News

It only took one class during junior year through Opportunities in Emergency Care to steer Anas Sumrin’s future direction. Last year, he became an Emergency Medical Technician – a certification he earned at Spring Lake Park High School. Now, as a senior, Anas is interning at the Fridley Fire Department where he takes a primary role in patient care on medical calls.

Since starting his position in October, Anas spends nearly 30 hours per week as an intern at the Fridley Fire Station. There have been an abundance of opportunities to get real, hands-on experiences in the medical field.

“I have used the CPR skills I was taught in the classroom, how to properly ventilate a patient who isn’t able to breathe on their own, and how to move a patient from their bed into a device used to take them down a flight of stairs,” says Anas.

All of his training was made possible through the Opportunities in Emergency Care (OEC) program. Students can take courses to become certified as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Emergency Medical Responder (EMR), Nursing Assistant, Firefighter and more.

Opportunities in Emergency Care is part of Spring Lake Park High School’s Career and College Pathway for Health & Human Services. Two other pathways – Business & Entrepreneurship and Technology, Engineering & Design – also support career exploration and skill development in growing sectors. Many courses offer college credit opportunities or certifications.

In a visit to the Fridley Fire Department, Anas shares more about what led to this dream internship at the fire department, how it’s going so far and what’s to come in the future.

What got you interested in the firefighting field?

Taking Emergency Medical Technician course my junior year exposed me to the world of Emergency Medical Services. I knew I wanted to do something related to medicine in some form, but I hadn’t decided what. When the opportunity to intern at the Fridley Fire Department was shared with me, I decided it would be a good way to help me decide. The main thing that solidified my choice was the community outreach aspect of the job. 

Tell us about how your internship/job shadow has been going?

My internship is going great! I help out with truck/station checks (making sure everything is ready for any call we may get). I help with whatever the duty crew has to do around the station that day, and I am able to take the primary role in patient care on medical calls because of the EMT Certification I got through the emergency care program. A few of the things I’ve learned are how to stabilize and raise a semi-trailer off of a car on an accident scene, how to refill self-contained breathing apparatus tanks, and what happens when a structure fire occurs in another city and we are requested for a specific piece of apparatus. Currently I work Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 3-10 p.m. and Saturdays from 2-10 p.m.

How did your experience in Career and College Pathways at Spring Lake Park High School prepare you for this internship?

If I hadn’t taken OEC, I wouldn’t have known that I wanted to go into the first responder field. Taking Emergency Medical Technician is the main reason I was able to obtain the internship because it requires being either a nationally registered EMT, or a Firefighter 1 in the state of Minnesota. I have my EMT and will be working on my Firefighter 1 in the third trimester this year. My teachers, Bill Neiss and John Lindstrom, have guided me through the program and helped me figure out where I want to end up after college. 

What kinds of things have you learned in the classroom that have applied to your on-the-job experience?

I can honestly say that I have used 90 percent of the skills I learned in EMT; the only reason I haven’t used the other 10 percent is because I haven’t had to yet. I have used the CPR skills I was taught in the classroom, how to properly ventilate a patient who isn’t able to breathe on their own, and how to move a patient from their bed into a device used to take them down a flight of stairs called a Stair-Chair. 

Any plans after high school yet or still exploring?

As of now, I plan on going to Century College for their Paramedic/Fire Science Degree Program to help me get to my final goal of being a career firefighter.

Learn more about Career and College Readiness at Spring Lake Park High School and the opportunities and support to explore and discover paths for the future.