Your schooling as a firefighter/emt

[kswartz79]

Hello everybody,

I was wondering if any of you more experienced folks would be willing to share what schooling you've gotten as a firefighter and/or EMT? Can someone clue me in on what the different levels of EMT training are, too? So far I haven't even taken essentials, but I'm told our local fire school's starting one in February or March. I'd like to work my way up to FFII someday and get as many EMT credentials as I can as well.

Thanks in advance, everybody on here has been really helpful and I'm sorry if this is a repeat question.

[mikiestation72]

Hello everybody,

I was wondering if any of you more experienced folks would be willing to share what schooling you've gotten as a firefighter and/or EMT? Can someone clue me in on what the different levels of EMT training are, too? So far I haven't even taken essentials, but I'm told our local fire school's starting one in February or March. I'd like to work my way up to FFII someday and get as many EMT credentials as I can as well.

Thanks in advance, everybody on here has been really helpful and I'm sorry if this is a repeat question.
Iam not sure what direct answer your looking for ,,
cpr/basic firstaid is a must to ride along on the rig,
emt basic is a 6 month class

[kswartz79]

Sorry, let me reiterate.

What I mean to ask is, what classes do you have to take to become an EMT? And I thought there were different levels of EMT expertise, like in firefighting (FFI, FFII, etc.).

I figured asking a firefighter/EMT about what classes they took would give me a good map to follow.

Thanks and happy holidays!

[firefighterox]

It is true that there are different levels of EMT certification there is EMT-B (basic, you do basic life support things, first aid, cpr, patient assists with medications, some systems let you intubate), there is EMT-I (Intermediate, not sure on the exact restrictions i know you can administer some drugs and start iv's plus the basic stuff) and then there is the EMT-P (paramedic, you can push many more drugs, plus the I and B stuff). But you cant skip right to P you have to work your way up.

[SPFTMEDIC]

A lot of it depends on the state you reside on or are planning to work in. There are many levels of EMS including what was listed before. And yes it is 100% true that you have to work your way up to Paramedic. I would not recommend going driectly from EMT-B to EMT-P without at least 1 year full time experience.
My training consists of the following.
1 year Fire Academy through Tech School- certification as WI FF1 & 2. Also NREMT-B. 200 hours fire, 120 hours EMT
6 month EMT-IV (Wisconsin created EMS level) (96 hours)
6 month Paramedic course. (1500 hours classroom/clinical)

If there is a Tech school nearby that offers an Academy with State certification that also includes EMT-B I would look into that.

Hope that helps a little.
Good luck

[dmleblanc]

What I mean to ask is, what classes do you have to take to become an EMT? And I thought there were different levels of EMT expertise, like in firefighting (FFI, FFII, etc.).



There aren't any individual classes you can take, per se, that "add up" to EMT. You'll just have to sign up for a full EMT course.

What level of EMT training you'll need will depend on the agency you'll be working with. Some fire departments require only First Responder. Many others require EMT-Basic. A few require EMT-Intermediate or EMT-Paramedic, but I think they'd be in the minority. Then again, some departments will hire you with the stipulation that you obtain your EMT certification within a given time frame after hiring.

You should check with the agency you will be working with to see what their requirements are.

The requirements also vary from one state or region to another. Louisiana uses National Registry as its criteria, so I think we are fairly typical. Some states may require more or less for the same certification. For example, in Louisiana EMT-Basics are not allowed to intubate or start IV's, but in some states these procedures are considered Basic level skills. So it will also depend on where you are.

In general the levels are:

First Responder = 40-48 hours
EMT-Basic = 140-160 hours (not sure how long the course is now, it was around 160 hours when I did it....that was 6 years ago....)
Paramedic = not quite sure but I think it's around 900 hours or so.

Assuming you have a job and will be taking night classes, expect to spend about 3 or 4 weeks for First Responder or 3 or 4 months for EMT-Basic (you don't have to take First Responder first, it's either/or) My class was 12 hours a week for 3 months, plus ride time (24 hours).

But you cant skip right to P you have to work your way up.

You can in some places. The big ambulance service around here, Acadian, has a program unofficially known as "Zero to Hero", where they'll take you from zip to paramedic. I don't know if I agree with that concept though....I'm sure in most cases you'll get people with some street experience, but you'll also get 18 or 19 year old paramedics with no street creds who are suddenly God's gift to EMS. Sounds like trouble to me. I'd prefer to see guys who have at least a year or two of real world experience behind them before they advance to Paramedic. Maybe that's just me.