Honolulu EMS graduates 10 EMTs amid staffing push

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Honolulu’s Emergency Medical Services Division is working to rebuild its workforce amid ongoing staffing shortages, officials said.

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Ten emergency medical technicians graduated Friday from the Honolulu EMS EMT Academy and are expected to begin responding to emergency calls this summer.

The class completed months of training at the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center, marking the first EMS academy cohort to train at that site since the program was reestablished within the department.

The graduates will join EMS’ 249-member frontline workforce as the division continues expanding emergency response units across Oahu.

“EMS right now is expanding at a rate that we’ve never seen before. So anytime we can recruit EMTs and paramedics, it’s always welcome,” said assistant chief of professional standards Korey Chock.

The academy is the seventh EMT class since the program was reestablished and is becoming a key pipeline for new hires as EMS works to increase staffing levels.

“We’re opening units at an unprecedented rate and we’re always needing people. This academy, along with what KCC is doing, helps bring in a lot more EMTs at a quicker pace to help with the opening of all these new units,” Chock said.

Graduates said the training was challenging but rewarding as they prepared to enter emergency response work.

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“I’m looking forward to working in town, getting crazy calls, but I really look forward to helping my own community and all of our communities on island,” EMT graduate Brystie Raspotnik said.

“I’m so proud of our class,” fellow graduate Karissa Sharpnack said. “It’s not as easy as you think it is, and we all got through it together. We all supported each other.”

Family members also celebrated the milestone.

“I’m most proud of her hard work, dedication, more than what we was when we was at that age,” said Ika Raspotnik, father of Brystie Raspotnik.

EMS has increased pay and expanded training opportunities in an effort to improve recruitment and retention, including programs aimed at helping recruits balance training with family responsibilities.

“If you look at this class, there’s a lot of moms too, right? They still need to be able to support their family and their kids,” Honolulu EMS paramedic Christopher Giacoboni said. “So it gives them the opportunity to come train and learn while being able to support the family at home.”

Another EMT academy class begins July 1 with 26 new EMTs, followed by 10 paramedics graduating just days later.

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