First class of Laurel Ridge Community College expanded Paramedic Program graduates

The very first cohort of Paramedic Program students at Laurel Ridge Community College’s Fauquier Campus graduated with their certificates on Aug. 28. The college expanded its Paramedic course to the Fauquier Campus in fall 2025.

The expansion came at the request of the Fauquier County Department of Fire and Rescue whose members previously had to come to the Middletown Campus if they wanted to upgrade their credentials from emergency medical technician (EMT) to paramedic. 

The program was specifically designed to provide accessible, high-quality EMS education through a hybrid format. Students were able to attend in person once a week while continuing to work and manage family responsibilities. The program partnered with Fauquier Health to provide students with local clinical training.

Laurel Ridge EMS Director R.J. Montaño imparted some advice to the students during the graduation ceremony.

“Every crew has someone who sets the tone,” he said. “I approach patient care the same way. I ask myself, ‘If this were my wife, my kids, or my parents, how would I want someone to treat them?’ Make sure you always treat people with dignity, even when they’re difficult. Compassion isn’t something a patient has to earn. Treat your coworkers the same way. Help the new EMT. Encourage the struggling student. Teach what you know. A high tide lifts all ships. Helping someone else become better makes all of EMS better.”

While medical technology will continue to advance, “integrity, humility, compassion and kindness will never become outdated,” Montaño added.

Graduate Emily Glaze said the program was very convenient for her because she lives in Warrenton.

“R.J., our main instructor, was phenomenal,” said Glaze, who works for the county fire department. “Our program was fantastic. Our instructors were great.”

She said she was hired by the fire department a couple of months after her 2021 graduation from Fauquier High School.

“I knew then I wanted to be a paramedic,” Glaze said. “I always wanted to help people. I wanted to extend my pre-hospital care knowledge and my skillset. I wanted to help as many people as I could in the pre-hospital setting. I think this is going to be one of the best paramedic programs in the vicinity. It was a lot of fun.”

Graduate Sam Cook works for Winchester Fire and Rescue, after having served as a volunteer firefighter while also working in the logging industry.

“I had never been to college, so the program was a welcoming feeling,” he said. 

Cook especially enjoyed learning more about cardiology.

“It’s really nice to see how everything works,” he said. “I have been with fire and EMS for about 17 years now, and I didn’t become a career firefighter until February of last year. I figured it was time to lose some weight and just chase the dream that I wanted to do.”

He lost more than 100 pounds and became a career firefighter. Cook now plans to take a little break from schooling – he has a wife and six children – and then finish his Paramedic associate degree.

On the same day that the inaugural class of Fauquier Campus paramedics graduated, the second cohort had their first day, said Professor Montaño.

“It’s a full-circle day for the program,” he said. “This year we raised the open seats to 24 from 12, and we have filled those and have five students on the waiting list.”

Learn more about the Paramedic Program at laurelridge.edu/paramedic.