Not Worth Your Time

I didn't want to focus on the negative here, but this just pissed me off.


We have a new EMT.
She's trying to help us out, and is the first breath of fresh air in a while out here.
She's smart. Dedicated.  A fast learner. And most of all, eager to contribute.


She wants more training than is available here, which isn't difficult all things considered.


So tonight, she goes to talk to the EMS Director about an upcoming conference she wants to go to.  A regional event, with two or three days of sessions.  With a featured speaker who has written a book I found very helpful.


What does he tell her?
Does he say "that's great, get all the training you can, it would be a great experience for you, be sure to come back and share what you've learned"?
No.
Does he say "I'm glad you're showing so much interest."?
No.


He says "It's not worth your time.  I'll let you know if anything interesting pops up."


This, from someone whose certification lapsed a year and a half ago.
This, from someone whose responsibility it is to provide training- but he doesn't provide any.
This, from someone who hasn't gone to any such conference himself in as long as I've known him.


A practically brand new sparky EMT goes to him, and wants to go to a training conference, and not only does he not support that, he actively discourages her from going.


Am I the only one who thinks this is just plain wrong?
Are we alone here?


Feeling very, very lonely tonight.
I want EMS to be better than this.