The Amsterdam Fire Department is temporarily using non-firefighter EMTs and paramedics to staff ambulance calls while newly hired firefighters complete training. Training takes about 18 months to reach paramedic level, after 16 weeks at the academy and roughly a year of schooling.
The arrangement has kept fire coverage steady and enabled handling multiple EMS calls. During a weekend structure fire, non-firefighter EMS personnel handled two medical calls, allowing two fire trucks with four firefighters instead of one. The department handles more than 400 fire and EMS calls monthly.
The department has 32 firefighters, four recruits in training to bring staffing to 36; the EMS division includes six EMTs and six paramedics with additional hiring underway.
For More Information: https://www.ems1.com/recruitment-and-retention/n-y-fire-department-adds-ems-only-positions-to-free-firefighters-for-training
