Prior Lake, Minnesota – The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community announces six courses starting in February 2013 for Emergency Medical Services personnel offered by the Mdewakanton Emergency Services department. Classes are open to the public and will be held in the training room in Fire Station 1 across from Mystic Lake Casino on the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community reservation in Prior Lake.

Mdewakanton Emergency Services provides emergency medical training including Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), First Responder, EMT Refresher, First Responder Refresher, and American Heart Association CPR and AED classes.

Three EMT Refresher Courses will be offered. The cost for this class is $275; it is open to individuals ages 18 and older.

-February 22-24, 2013, 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

-Tuesdays and Thursdays, March 5-21, 2013, 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

-March 25-27, 2013, 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Three First Responder Refresher courses will be offered. The cost for the class is $176; this class is open to individuals ages 17 and older.

-February 22-23, 2013, 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

-Tuesdays and Thursdays, March 5-14, 2013, 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

-March 25-26, 2013, 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

One other class which will be held for members of the Prior Lake Fire Department which is closed to the public.

For more information about any of these classes, contact Training Coordinator Malissa Radanke at Mdewakanton Emergency Services at 952-233-1077 or register online at mdfire.org/education/class-registration. Payment is due on or prior to the first class date.

Mdewakanton Emergency Services, a full-time, professional fire department staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, is owned and operated by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, a federally recognized Indian Tribe in Minnesota.

The Mdewakanton Emergency Services Department administers the Mdewakanton LIFE program which donates defibrillators to charitable organizations, law enforcement programs, tribes, fire departments, and schools and provides free training on their use. The department responds to an average of 250 calls and transports an average of 60 patients monthly, providing mutual aid to area departments on request. Through the Mdewakanton LIFE Program, the SMSC has donated 775 Automated External Defibrillators with 21 lives saved due to their use. Organizations in need of an AED may write a letter to the SMSC Business Council and mail it to Mdewakanton LIFE Program, Mdewakanton Emergency Services, 2330 Sioux Trail NW, Prior Lake, Minnesota 55372. Inquiries may be made to 952-233-1077. A form can also be downloaded at www.mdfire.org.

About the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community is the owner and operator of Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, Little Six Casino, Mazopiya, The Meadows at Mystic Lake, and other enterprises on a reservation south of the Twin Cities. The SMSC utilizes its financial resources from gaming and non-gaming enterprises to pay for the internal infrastructure of the Tribe, including but not limited to roads, water and sewer systems, emergency services, and essential services to its members in education, health, and well-being.

A tribal charitable giving program which comes from a cultural and social tradition to assist those in need has given away more than $258.2 million to Indian Tribes, charitable organizations, and schools since 1996.

The SMSC has also made more than $523 million in loans mostly to other tribes for economic and infrastructure development projects. Since 1996 the SMSC paid more than $7.6 million for shared local road construction and an additional $16.7 million for road projects on the reservation. The SMSC has also paid $14.4 million to local governments for services and another $6.4 million for other projects.