Colorado City, AZ – Six members of the Hildale-Colorado City Fire Department have successfully completed Mohave College’s Paramedic Program, strengthening emergency medical services in this rural community. Mathew Barlow, Omar Barlow, Dianne Hammon, Garrett Hammon, George Ream, and Wesley Williams earned their certifications after a grueling year that tested not just their medical knowledge, but their determination and commitment to serving their neighbors.
The program, which began in January 2025, required over 564 classroom hours and more than 547 clinical hours. Students completed at least 50 field patient contacts and countless more encounters in emergency rooms, operating rooms, and labor and delivery units. But the raw numbers don’t capture the true challenge: maintaining that intensive schedule while making eight-hour round trips to Kingman for clinical rotations.
Understanding the Responsibility
When the department announced in early 2024 that six members were starting the program, they emphasized the importance to the community: “Becoming a paramedic is extremely valuable to rural EMS!” That value became clearer to the students themselves as they progressed through training.
“The opportunity to shadow emergency physicians, cardiologists, anesthesiologists, and many more qualified professionals made me realize the weight and responsibility a paramedic carries,” said Dianne Hammon. “We’re expected to know protocols and procedures that most hospitals have countless teams for; intubate like an anesthesiologist, read a 12-lead EKG like a career cardiologist, think quick like an ER doctor, but do it all in an 8 by 13 box, going 65 mph down a highway, as a paramedic.”
Outstanding Field Experience
The six found excellent learning opportunities throughout their clinical placements. Wesley Williams praised his time at Kingman Regional Medical Center: “Working in the ED was a blast; the nurses and doctors were fantastic to work alongside. The ICU was easily the best environment for learning pharmacology and discussing long-term patient management with the Intensivists.”
In the operating room, students learned from skilled anesthesiologists, practicing intubations and studying sedatives and maintenance medications. Field rotations with Kingman Fire Department earned special praise for treating students exceptionally well and providing “an environment that is second to none for learning high-quality patient care.”
Capstone rotations at Gold Cross Ambulance, Hildale-Colorado City Fire, Santa Clara-Ivins, and Kanab Fire proved equally valuable, giving students diverse experience across different agencies and response areas.
All six passed their certification exams on the first attempt—an impressive achievement considering the national average for first-attempt passage is 71%.
A New Chapter for the Program
This class represents the first to graduate under lead instructor Sherrie Knudson. The program was originally established by Kevin Barlow, the former Fire Chief, along with Lily Barlow, who worked hard to create a partnership with Mohave College that would serve the local and neighboring communities.
The benefit of having Mohave College provide local training has been significant for students don’t have to relocate for education, can earn college credits, and can use financial aid to cover tuition. Knudson guided this transitional class through their year of intensive study and clinical work.
“They were an amazing group who will do great things in the future,” said Knudson of her graduating students.
The Heart of the Matter
Through the challenges of balancing demanding schedules and long drives, the six graduates discovered something profound about the profession they’d chosen. Hammon found that technical skills, while essential, weren’t the most important thing she learned:
“The most valuable skill I learned was to care. I found time and time again sitting down, offering a genuine smile and an open ear, did more for many of my patients than the biggest baddest painkiller healthcare can offer. That’s the strength our department carries to every call.”
She reflected on the reality of rural EMS: “We don’t have 6 figure incomes keeping us in this profession like the doctors we shadowed do. We go through all that work and training, all the missed holidays and birthdays, all those hours spent between here and Kingman, just to come back and give our all to our community. No big award or paycheck waiting for us. Just some sand in our shoes as we run in from a mountain rescue, just to sit down to cold Thanksgiving dinner.”
Coming Home to Serve
All six graduates plan to continue volunteering with the Hildale-Colorado City Fire Department, bringing their advanced medical skills back to the community that supported them through the challenging year. Several already work for Gold Cross Ambulance and will now serve at the paramedic level.
Their success strengthens rural emergency medical services in an area where advanced life support can mean the difference between life and death during the critical minutes before a patient can reach a hospital.
As Hammon concluded: “These unspoken sacrifices became a reality to me this past year, and I hope to fulfill the legacy of excellence that has been set before me. All because we care.”
