And that's the one problem I have with people under 18 (or even under 21) being in EMS. I like the thought of high school programs and working as an EMT during college, but there should be a much more strict standard and training program for these EMT's.
I became an EMT-B when I was 16. I actually used to ride on the exact same squad that this boy does. Since they're volunteer, they don't have a lot of members - or members who actually show up when they're supposed to - and they take who they can get which usually means over-excited newly certified teenagers (which I openly admit to having been, back before I realized that EMS wasn't heroic or glamorous). That said, the tone of the article doesn't surprise me. It just confuses me that they would suspend this kid when they're so short-staffed to begin with and in danger of being taken over by a paid company (which is probably a good idea, actually). Especially since this was only published in a college newspaper located a long distance from the actual squad, and shouldn't really have been that big of a deal.