FAIRMONT, W.Va. (WBOY) – West Virginia has new equipment to make emergency medical services (EMS) clinical training more easily accessible across the state.

The Mobile Healthcare Simulator is part of Governor Jim Justice’s Emergency Management Crisis Fund program. The ambulance has a mannequin that people can practice life-saving techniques on, outside of the classroom to become an EMT. 

Officials said the state does have a shortage of EMS personnel. They also said with so many rural and remote communities, it’s sometimes hard for people to physically get to a college and learn in a classroom.  

“This allow us, for instance, we could provide some of the lecture material online and then the clinical material, we could take this vehicle say to Taylor County and then we could provide the clinical education,” said Cynthia Persily, vice chancellor for Health Sciences WV Higher Education Policy Commission & Community and Technical College System. 

The state has a total of five mobile ambulance simulators to use. Gov. Justice’s initiative also provided no-cost EMT training for those new to the field, along with training around mental health, leadership and geriatric EMS for professionals already working in these fields.