John Miksch

Since 1988, John Miksch has been volunteering his time to teach volunteers to become state-licensed emergency medical technicians. He has also helped as an EMT in Millburn/Short Hills, NJ, for more than a dozen years.

Mr. Miksch coordinates an emergency medical technician training course at the Millburn/Short Hills Volunteer First Aid Squad. While the nine-month course is 110 hours for students, it is twice that many for the coordinator. He is responsible for every aspect of the class, including arranging for speakers, designing course work, testing, and dealing one-on-one with students.

The free classes offered by Mr. Miksch often have at least 35 people because numerous municipalities send students. Classes are hands-on and demand participation. Some state funding is provided to the program, but the First Aid Squad and the volunteers pick up the cost of books.

If each of Mr. Miksch's students saved one life per year—and that's a very conservative number for emergency medical services—the lives saved as a result of his course would number in the thousands.