There was a time when fire departments hired individuals as Firefighters and asked them to work in only that capacity – fighting fire. In the 1960’s most fire departments began to offer some level of medical services. They did this by requiring their Firefighters to attain some basic first-aid training. By the late 1970’s some departments took things a step further and began to require their new Firefighters to be Paramedics as well. Over time, this has become the minimum requirement in order to apply at most of the larger, municipal fire departments.
The job of Firefighter includes activities such as: pulling hose lines, throwing ladders, operating tools and equipment (chain saws, generators, swinging an ax), wearing bulky and/or heavy protective equipment, effecting rescues, and many other miscellaneous duties.
The job of Paramedic includes activities such as: patient assessment, bleeding control, controlling patient airway (including intubation), applying bandages and splints, starting IV lines, administering drugs, driving an ambulance, and working effectively at an emergency scene to control resources and manage the patients in need of care.
A Firefighter/Paramedic is required to have both of these skill-sets and will be asked to work in both capacities during a typical 24-hour shift, depending on what type of emergency call they respond to.
In order to become a Firefighter/Paramedic, you’ll need to attend school and receive training specific to each discipline separately first. Until the day you apply for a job, these 2 disciplines are typically treated as two separate career paths, with the unspoken understanding that every Firefighter candidate may eventually have to become a Paramedic as well.
Your challenge will be work towards becoming a qualified Firefighter candidate while at the same time working towards your Paramedic certificate. For an example of how to properly layer and prioritize your education and work experience, please see Example Plans.
Firefighter Training
1. Academic: classes are taken in effort to work towards a Fire Science A.S. degree. This gives you the academic foundation of knowledge
2. Hands-on training: takes place in basic fire academy, where you’ll combine classroom learning along with the manipulative skills of a Firefighter over a 12-16 week “boot camp”.
Both types of training are valuable, and both will help you towards your goal. If you can attain a Fire Science degree from a college, and also earn a Firefighter 1 certificate from an accredited academy, you will make yourself very marketable to potential employers while increasing your knowledge base at the same time.
Firefighter Jobs
In addition to your academic training, you will need to gain experience through working in the field. This is the component of your training that will be tough to attain – there are a lot of great opportunities out there but also a lot of people applying for each position. It’s also worth noting this is where you see most people start to follow very unique career paths – no 2 paths are the same, and that’s okay! Please consult Firefighter/Medic Jobs for a listing of all the career opportunities in San Diego County.
Paramedic Training
There are many classes that you’ll need to take over the course of several years to become a paramedic. The following is a list of the courses you’ll need to take. Please note that, after you complete your EMT class, you may determine the best order in which to take classes 3-5.
1. CPR / First Responder / Basic First Aid
2. EMT
3. Anatomy and Physiology (required at all paramedic schools)
4. Medical Terminology (optional for some paramedic schools)
5. Paramedic prep (required at some schools, recommended at others)
6. Paramedic school (approximately 9-12 months in duration)
In addition to the classes and training listed, in order to be eligible for Paramedic school you must have at least one year of experience working as an EMT in the prehospital setting. This means that as soon as you have completed your EMT class, you should be seeking employment at one of the regional ambulance companies.
Paramedic Jobs
Once Paramedic training is complete, a priority of the Firefighter/Medic candidate should be to gain employment as a Paramedic as soon as possible. This advice is based on a few important factors:
1. There are limited Paramedic job opportunities in San Diego County and thus competition can be tough.
2. Once out of school, it’s a challenge to keep Paramedic skills sharp. Feeling comfortable making accurate patient assessments and decisions regarding appropriate care is something that can quickly be lost if the new Paramedic does not have a chance to run calls on a consistent basis.
3. Firefighter job opportunities can potentially be far and few between, and will typically be a long process as well (sometimes taking up to a year). By gaining employment and thus experience as a Paramedic while continually testing for open Firefighter positions, the candidate will have places themselves in the best position for success once offered a job as a Firefighter/Medic.
Please consult Paramedic Jobs for a complete listing of all the opportunities in San Diego County.
