Contact: W. Keith Simon, VP, PR & Marketing, 1-800-259-3333

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, May 31, 2006

Acadian Ambulance Service officials said today the company is launching a strong new recruiting program for emergency medical technicians. Richard Zuschlag, chairman and CEO, said the concerted effort to bring new people into the emergency medical field is a response to substantial depletion in Acadian's ranks as a result of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. It is also a continuing effort to cope with a long-standing shortage of medics in Louisiana and nationwide.

Zuschlag said Acadian has a yearly need for as many as 400 new medics and conducts vigorous recruiting year-round, seeking to hire employees in its Louisiana-Mississippi coverage area while also conducting strong recruiting programs in other states.

New members of the EMS staff, joining up during the current campaign, will receive a recruiting bonus, and are assured of rapid advancement if they are onboard by the second week in June, when EMT-Basic classes begin at the National EMS Academy in Lafayette. The Academy, a unique distance learning school for students pursuing a career as emergency medical technicians, was formed by Acadian Ambulance Service in partnership with South Louisiana Community College. Zuschlag says it is designed to offer a rewarding career path for students while addressing the large and constant shortage of emergency medical technicians.

New recruits enrolling in the Basic program will complete course requirements in nine weeks.

Acadian Ambulance Service Medical Director Dr. Ross Judice says Acadian currently has openings for 50 paramedics and 34 EMT-Basics. After those jobs are filled, he said, there will still be good job opportunities in virtually every state in the nation.

Judice explained that the 2005 hurricanes directly affected many staff members who have since relocated to other states. These include employees who suffered severe damage to their homes and other property. “Many of them have relocated to states where their spouses have found employment since the hurricanes,” he said.

Several other factors have affected the availability of EMS personnel, Judice said. A highly active offshore oil and gas industry is offering not only an increased number of jobs for medics, but also higher-paying jobs. “At the same time,” he said, “wage pressures at retail stores such as Lowe's and Home Depot have created positions that can now compete with jobs in health care.”

The shortage of nurses is affecting the availability of EMS personnel and medical staff in Louisiana, Judice said. “Hospitals and doctors' offices are hiring medics for positions formerly held by nurses.

Judice said another factor is the loss of EMS professionals to other professional schools such as nursing and medical schools. “This is a good thing for Louisiana,” he said, but we're left with the major, ongoing task of trying to replenish the ranks. We are, in fact, still trying to catch up with a situation created by more than 20 years of under-production of EMS professionals.

Still, he said, working as a medic remains a good-paying job with excellent opportunities for advancement, “and helping people in time of need remains a profoundly noble cause.” Judice said. “EMS professionals can take pride in knowing that they have made a difference in people's lives.”

Judice said completing the education requirements to become an EMT is hard work, and the job itself is very demanding. “It takes a special person with a sharp mind and caring soul to be successful,” he said.

For information on the classes offered, one can call 1-866-459-3500 or visit the website nationalemsacademy.com.

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