{"id":1605,"date":"2026-06-20T04:35:25","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T04:35:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=1605"},"modified":"2026-06-20T04:35:25","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T04:35:25","slug":"honolulu-ems-graduates-10-emts-amid-staffing-push","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=1605","title":{"rendered":"Honolulu EMS graduates 10 EMTs amid staffing push"},"content":{"rendered":"
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HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Honolulu\u2019s Emergency Medical Services Division is working to rebuild its workforce amid ongoing staffing shortages, officials said. <\/p>\n

Read more Police arrest 5 juveniles, 9 e-bikes recovered in West Oahu enforcement operation<\/a><\/p>\n

Ten emergency medical technicians graduated Friday from the Honolulu EMS EMT Academy and are expected to begin responding to emergency calls this summer.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The graduates will join EMS\u2019 249-member frontline workforce as the division continues expanding emergency response units across Oahu.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u201cEMS right now is expanding at a rate that we\u2019ve never seen before. So anytime we can recruit EMTs and paramedics, it\u2019s always welcome,\u201d said assistant chief of professional standards Korey Chock.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re opening units at an unprecedented rate and we\u2019re 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,\u201d Chock said.<\/p>\n

Graduates said the training was challenging but rewarding as they prepared to enter emergency response work.<\/p>\n

Read more Water main leak prompts lane closures on N. Vineyard Blvd in Kalihi<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m 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,\u201d EMT graduate Brystie Raspotnik said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so proud of our class,\u201d fellow graduate Karissa Sharpnack said. \u201cIt\u2019s not as easy as you think it is, and we all got through it together. We all supported each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

Family members also celebrated the milestone.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m most proud of her hard work, dedication, more than what we was when we was at that age,\u201d said Ika Raspotnik, father of Brystie Raspotnik.<\/p>\n

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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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you look at this class, there\u2019s a lot of moms too, right? They still need to be able to support their family and their kids,\u201d Honolulu EMS paramedic Christopher Giacoboni said. \u201cSo it gives them the opportunity to come train and learn while being able to support the family at home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another EMT academy class begins July 1 with 26 new EMTs, followed by 10 paramedics graduating just days later.<\/p>\n

Read more City begins pavement repairs along California Avenue<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The graduates will join EMS\u2019 249-member frontline workforce as the division continues expanding emergency response units across Oahu.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1604,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nHonolulu EMS graduates 10 EMTs amid staffing push - Hawaii Moving Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=1605\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Honolulu EMS graduates 10 EMTs amid staffing push - Hawaii Moving Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The graduates will join EMS\u2019 249-member frontline workforce as the division continues expanding emergency response units across Oahu.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=1605\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Hawaii Moving Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-20T04:35:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=1605#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=1605\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/590d72f16cb0f571fd45812a3c7ea1d0\"},\"headline\":\"Honolulu EMS graduates 10 EMTs amid staffing push\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-20T04:35:25+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=1605\"},\"wordCount\":455,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=1605#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/b19f7e92405bacff1c96c2bfcab4c9dc.avif\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=1605#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=1605\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=1605\",\"name\":\"Honolulu EMS graduates 10 EMTs amid staffing push - 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