Often, the path to becoming a firefighter begins as an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) professional. It is very common for EMS professionals to enroll in fire academy once they are certain that they enjoy this line of work and desire to move up in field. If you’re considering this route, the following is a brief overview of the different types of jobs within this branch:
- EMS Dispatcher: A 911 call is answered by an EMS Dispatcher, who in turn sends the appropriate EMS professionals to the site.
- First Responders: These professionals are the first to arrive at the scene of an incident and they are able to provide early critical care. They go through 40 hours of training.
- Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) training is done in levels. EMT-Basics require 110 hours of training.
- EMT-Intermediates require about 200-400 hours of training.
- Paramedics require 1,000 hours or more of training.
The National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians works with several organizations to assure training standards meet public expectations for patient care. EMS professionals can be employed by a fire department, an ambulance service, a hospital, and a county or government-based service.
