Wake County's largest-ever EMS class graduates

WAS HURT IS EXPECTED TO BE

OKAY. THERE'S NO WORD ON

CHARGES TONIGHT.

>> AND HELP IS ON THE WAY.

WAKE COUNTY'S LARGEST CLASS

OF PARAMEDICS GRADUATED THIS

EVENING. ANY EXTRA HELP COULD

NOT COME AT A BETTER TIME AS

THE DEPARTMENT HAS SEEN ITS

SHARE OF STAFFING SHORTAGES AND

SLOW RESPONSE TIMES TO LATELY

WRAL'S JULIAN GRACE ATTENDANCE.

TONIGHT'S GRADUATION AND JOINS

US NOW LIVE. JULIAN, THIS IS

WELCOME NEWS FOR SO MANY

>> MICHELLE, YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY

RIGHT. THIS IS BIG NEWS FOR SO

MANY. A TOTAL OF 52 RECRUITS.

THEY STEPPED RIGHT OUT OF THIS

BUILDING RIGHT AFTER GRADUATION

AND WALKED INTO THIS COMMUNITY.

AND NOW THEY'RE READY TO SERVE

THE RESIDENTS OF WAKE COUNTY.

>> WE WATCHED AS ALL 52 FILED

>> THIS IS THE BIGGEST AND MOST

DIVERSE WAKE COUNTY EMS RECRUIT

CLASS. THIS GRADUATION COMES AT

A DESPERATE TIME. WAKE COUNTY

LIKE MOST DEPARTMENTS ACROSS

THE COUNTRY FACE STAFFING

SHORTAGES DURING THE PANDEMIC.

ON TOP OF THAT CALLS FOR HELP

KEPT COMING IN THIS. AND IF

IT CAN.

>> INCREASE IN CALL VOLUME THAT

WE HAVE SEEN OVER THE LAST 2

AND A HALF YEARS. BUT ALSO AT

THE SAME TIME, HAVING STAFFING

CHALLENGES WHERE WE SUFFICIENT

STAFF TO BE ABLE TO MEET THOSE

DEMANDS. YOU ARE NOW PART OF

>> THE WAKE. FAMILY COUNTY

COMMISSIONERS MADE CHANGES,

THOUGH THEY RAISE THE PAY FOR

EMERGENCY RESPONDERS IN THE

COUNTY OR KNEES WENT FROM

$24.91 AN HOUR TO $28 AND $0.13

THAT MOVE MADE THESE

RESPONDERS, THE HIGHEST-PAID

PARAMEDICS IN THE STATE OF

THINGS. AND IT IS ALWAYS A BIG

DEAL WHEN EVERYBODY WAS FOR ANY

JOB. AND SO IS THE WORK WE LOOK

FOR THESE PROTOCOLS. HOW HAS

THE ADMINISTRATION TREATED US

REALLY TIME TO WORK? IT?

>> AND WHEN ALL THOSE BOXES ARE

CHECKED, THEN YOU CAN LOOK AT.

>> 20 2123,000 CALLS FOR HELP

CAME IN. RECRUITERS DID NOT

JUST WANT TO FILL THOSE

POSITIONS. THEY WANTED TO HIRE

THOSE WHO WILL MAKE THIS THEIR

MISSION. I LOVE HELPING PEOPLE

AND I LOVE JAZZ BAND OF PEOPLE.

AND I JUST HAVE A BIG HEART

FOR PEOPLE. AND I FEEL LIKE

THIS IS THE BEST SHOT TO HAVE.

IF YOU HAVE THAT LOVE PEOPLE.

AND AFTER THE HUGS, TEARS AND

PICTURES.

>> THIS CLASS IS READY TO GET

TO WORK

BUT YEAH, I THINK THAT

CELEBRATION WILL CONTINUE INTO

THE TO THE NIGHT. BUT AS FAR AS

RECRUITERS ARE CONCERNED, THEIR

WORK IS NOT DONE. I'M TOLD THEY

ARE STILL HITTING THE PAVEMENT,

WORKING TO RECRUIT MORE EMS

WORKERS RIGHT HERE.

>> TO WAKE COUNTY.

>> MAMA, SHE MADE IT AND SHE

SHOULD BE PROUD AS THEY ALL