OEC is an award-winning medical education program at Spring Lake Park High School, taught by Bill Neiss and the nursing assistant is taught by Jennifer Neiss. This program offers real hands-on learning experience and extensive opportunities to students interested in serving others in the healthcare field. As a ninth grader the student can get a First Aide/CPR Certification. At the age of 16, they can obtain your EMR, and also their nursing assistant certifications. At 18 they can can obtain an EMT, and begin the Firefighter 1 training. The opportunity for an OEC student is gainful employment in the healthcare and EMS fields and beyond. Listen to how the Fridley Fire Department is partnered with OEC and not only having a recruitment opportunity for new EMT's to become Fire Fighters, but are also re-imagining with our Community Health Program how these students can play a pivotal role in a Community Risk Reduction model. We talk to John Lindstrom who teaches the OEC EMT Students at Fridley Fire, Firefighter 1 and how he and OEC Board Member and OEC Alumni Maddison Zikmund along with SBM Fire agree that the OEC Program has the attention of the community stakeholders for the needed healthcare staffing as well as the many vacancies for fire fighters as many retire.