BCC Offers Free EMT Basic Training Course

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PITTSFIELD, Mass — The Workforce & Community Education Program at Berkshire Community College (BCC) presents an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) basic training course from Jan. 23 through
April 26, 2025. 
 
Two class times will be available on Mondays and Wednesdays, either noon-4 p.m. or 6-10 p.m., plus every other Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuition is grant-funded for eligible applicants. One hundred percent attendance is required for this training course. 
 
Instructor Christine Isca offers face-to-face instruction at County Ambulance, located at 175 Wahconah Street in Pittsfield. Space is limited, and pre-registration is required.  
 
To register, visit www.berkshirecc.edu/emt
 
The program covers the National Emergency Medical Services Educational Standards and prepares students for National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians practical and cognitive testing. Upon completion of the program and successful certification with the National Registry of EMTs, students are eligible to apply for certification by the Massachusetts Office of Emergency Medical Services. 
 
EMTs work alongside paramedics to help assess injuries, provide emergency medical care and transfer patients to medical facilities. Typically, EMTs: 
 
  • Respond to calls for medical assistance, such as at the scene of a car accident in which someone is injured 
  • Assess people's condition and determine what treatment, if any, is needed       
  • Provide treatment, such as first aid or life support care, to sick or injured patients 
  • Prepare patients for and safely transport them to the emergency department of a hospital or other healthcare facility 
  • Document and report observations, as well as any treatment provided, to physicians, nurses or other healthcare staff         
  • Inventory and replace medical supplies and clean equipment after use 
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Community, Investment Keep Silver Screens Lit in the Berkshires

By John TownesSpecial to iBerkshires
This is the second of three articles in a series on the evolution and current status of movie theaters in Berkshire County. Read Part I here. 
 
In the wake of the 2020 COVID pandemic and its disruptions to the film industry, the county lost its two largest multiplex cinemas.
 
The 10-screen Regal Cinema in the Berkshire Mall in Lanesborough closed in 2022. Then in 2023, the eight-screen North Adams Movieplex in the Steeple City Plaza closed.
 
As a result, there are currently three full-time multi-screen movie theaters in the county — Images Cinema in Williamstown, the Beacon Cinema at 57 North St. in Pittsfield, and the Triplex Cinema at 70 Railroad St. in Great Barrington. These three surviving theaters in Berkshire County are totally separate operations and have their own individual histories and roles in their communities.
 
Nevertheless, there are also connections and common themes, including their downtown locations.
 
For a number of years, both the Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington and the Beacon Cinema in Pittsfield were siblings. Both were founded and originally owned by Richard Stanley, a South County real estate developer and investor who is also active in community-revitalization initiatives. Both theaters were established as vehicles to stimulate their local downtowns.
 
In Great Barrington, the primary destination for movies for most of the 20th century was the historic downtown Mahaiwe Theater. However, in 1988, it was facing potential demolition. That triggered a long community campaign that successfully saved and restored it as the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center.
 
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