Local firefighters and EMTs in training got a major upgrade to their equipment on Tuesday.
The Santa Barbara County Fire Department donated one of its ambulances to Allan Hancock College during a morning ceremony in Lompoc.
The donation will go toward the college's emergency medical services program, which trains students to become EMTs and paramedics.
"They can see and drive an ambulance. They can work in the back of an ambulance and having this realistic ambulance gives them that idea, that flavor of what it's going to be like in the real world when they leave our programs and go out into their careers," said David Whitham director of public safety training for Allan Hancock College.
Whitham says the ambulance, which has been used by Santa Barbara County Fire, will provide the approximately 80 EMS professionals the program trains yearly a good start and realistic training in a safe training environment.
