Class Held in Conjunction with Faithful Guardian Training Center
ROME, Ga., Dec. 20, 2022 – A group of first responders graduated Monday from an Advanced EMT training class held at Atrium Health Floyd Emergency Medical Services (EMS) through a partnership with Temple-based Faithful Guardian Training Center.
Eleven of the 14 graduates are already Atrium Health Floyd EMS teammates seeking to upgrade their expertise through the year-long program. Two of the graduates are with the Rome Fire Department.
Working with the Faithful Guardian Training Center (FGTC) streamlines the certification process, and that agency can provide additional instructors if needed. It was the first group of graduates who went through a joint program with FGTC at Atrium Health Floyd.
With an emphasis on real-world training and current industry requirements, FGTC helps train public safety personnel throughout Georgia and the southeast.
Lt. Dusty Johnson was the instructor for the class and Capt. Greg Goedert is the education coordinator for EMS.
“You are the calm in the midst of chaos," Bud Owens, executive director Atrium Health Floyd EMS, told the graduates. “While the things you learn in this class are vitally important, you also have to make sure you really care about people. You are interacting with people during a crucial time, and they will often take their cue from how you respond to them."
Thomas Woodruff, president of Faithful Guardian, said the students were asked to learn more than 3,000 pages of technical information.
“You have a cherished role as first responders," Woodruff told the group.
The graduates included Skylar Blankenship, Clay Cantrell, Lexi Craig, Corey Evans, Steven Dozier, Candace Foster, Cole Holland, Chris Locklear, Charlie Meeks, Nick O'Neal, Brice Pence, Adam Sutton, Bradley Ward and Mason Woodard.
About Atrium Health Floyd
Since 1942, Floyd, now Atrium Health Floyd, has worked to provide affordable, accessible care in northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama. Today, Atrium Health Floyd is a leading medical provider and economic force. As part of the largest, integrated, nonprofit health system in the southeast, it is also able to tap into some of the nation's leading medical experts and specialists with Atrium Health, allowing it to provide the best care close to home – including advanced innovations in virtual medicine and care. At the hub of these services is Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center, a 304-bed full-service, acute care hospital and regional referral center. Atrium Health Floyd employs more than 3,500 teammates who provide care in over 40 medical specialties at three hospitals: Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center in Rome, Georgia; Atrium Health Floyd Cherokee Medical Center in Centre, Alabama; Atrium Health Floyd Polk Medical Center in Cedartown, Georgia, as well as Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center Behavioral Health, a freestanding 53-bed behavioral health facility, also in Rome; and a primary care and urgent care network with locations throughout the service area of northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama.