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Requirements for EMS Personnel
Paramedic Requirements:
Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue's career and volunteer paramedics require 50 hours of
continuing medical education (CME) annually to maintain their paramedic
certifications. Those certificates are issued through the
WA State Department of Health.
Paramedics are required to complete a program in Washington State, or one that
meets the same standards.
Paramedic programs range from 9 months to 2 years of curriculum depending
upon the program attended. Programs in Washington State require that applicants
are emergency medical technicians (EMTs), for at least one year. A state issued
certificate is current for three years. During that three year period, the
paramedic must complete 50 hours of CME annually (150 hours total), perform
clinical skills to the satisfaction of the
Medical Program Director (MPD), and be affiliated with a pre-hospital agency
within the county he or she is certified. The paramedical must also be ACLS
certified (Advanced Cardiac Life Support - 16 hour class every two years), PALS
certified (Pediatric Advanced Life Support - 16 hour class every two years),
PHTLS (Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support - 16 hour class every two years), and
complete an MPD supervised surgical skills lab every other year.
Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Requirements:
Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue employs 12 career EMTs, including
Chief Dave LaFave, and approximately 60 volunteer EMTs. The EMT curriculum
required by the WA State
Department of Health is approximately 130 hours long. This usually extends
over two college quarters. Anyone may join an EMT class and take the final test,
but to become certified and take the State test, the participant must be
affiliated with a pre-hospital agency as an employee or a volunteer.
State certifications are current for three years. An EMT is required to have 10
hours each year, or 30 hours each certification period of CME. Specific
requirements are CPR, patient assessment, pediatrics, communicable disease,
pharmacology, patient extrication and spinal immobilization. Individuals that
have the extra education required to be EMT-IV technicians are required to have
15 hours each year, or 45 hours every certification period, along with a
demonstration of intravenous proficiency skills for the
Medical Program Director (MPD).
First Responder Requirements:
Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue has 11 First Responders that are volunteers. Career
personnel are required to be EMTs. First Responders have completed a 58 hour
curriculum and then must pass a State test to be certified. They also must
demonstrate proof that they are affiliated with a pre-hospital agency within the
State. Certifications are current for three years. First Responders must have 15
hours of CME each certification period. Those hours must include CPR, spinal
immobilization and extrication, patient assessment and pediatrics.
Ongoing Training and Evaluation Program (OTEP):
To assist the members of Cowlitz 2 to meet their CME requirements, we designate
specific times and arrange teaching for OTEP. Teachers have been certified by
the WA State Department of
Health through an evaluator course. Some training, such as that required for
the paramedics, may be obtained at outside agencies, such as
St. John Medical Center.
The OTEP schedule for the volunteers is every fourth Monday night of the month
from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and is put out three years in advance. This
training takes place at three different stations to accommodate the volunteers.
Career staff obtains training while they are on shift at different times
throughout the month.
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