What is a Cadet?

Cadet members are individuals under the age of 18 that are actively involved in the department. These individuals must be at least 16 years old to join and are permitted to participate in most emergency calls and department activities. Parental consent is required for acquiring and maintaining cadet membership. All cadets like any other Mount Laurel EMS members are required to attend all monthly meetings. Cadets are also strongly encouraged to attend all training drills provided by MLEMS as a way to improve their skills and interact with other members.

Former cadet Diane Casey (left) looks on as cadets RJ Hawkins and Avi Behar immobilize member Kyle Rollin to a backboard.

In addition to the monthly meetings provided to the squad to update members with news and upcoming events, cadets are also given a separate meeting once a month to talk about upcoming events and activities that cadets are involved in. Cadets must submit their report cards to the cadet coordinator after each semester so grades can be revised and to make sure grades aren’t dropping. A GPA of 2.5 is required for acquiring and maintaining cadet membership. Cadets are required to run a minimum of 24 hours a month with 12 of those hours being weekends and or overnights.

A Cadet's Personal Experience

Being a cadet since January 2003 I have noticed a huge change in my skills by running many duty crews and running a lot of calls. However, I gained first hand experience, obtained my EMT certification and am currently working to improve my skills. This is giving me much confidence. I participate in many activities provided by the squad and have made many friends within the organization. All duty crews I run, my crew and I try to make it as fun as possible, so you aren’t just sitting in front of the television waiting for the pager to go off. We first get there and check the ambulance, making sure all equipment and supplies are in the ambulance and where they are supposed to be. We then usually go out to lunch or dinner depending on the time of day it is. On most crews we will do some drills to refresh everyone’s training. And hopefully, not wishing any harm upon anybody, we get a couple calls in to actually practice our skills first hand.

It’s very good experience to see what actually goes on in the world, and to see how to deal with certain situations. It is also a test of maturity. EMS isn’t for everyone, some people can’t handle the site of blood or to see people hurt. But those who think they can deal with it; this is a test to see how they can cope. So even though you may not get a thank you from a patient, knowing that you helped them is enough for me.