Less than 12 hours after announcing for its new Emergency Medical Services (EMS) trainee program, the Sacramento Fire Department received 150 qualified applications.
The job posting is now closed.
The goal of the new program is to hire members of the community as paramedics with the Sacramento Fire Department and help them establish careers.
“The overwhelming interest of more than 150 candidates in under 12 hours is a great testament to the hard work of our Diversity, Outreach and Recruitment (DOR) division,” said Sacramento Fire Chief Chris Costamagna. “This program brings new pathways for the Fire Department to better reflect the community it serves.”
Qualified candidates will participate in mandatory orientation followed by panel and Chief interviews. After the interviews, 20 candidates will be offered the position of Emergency Medical Services trainee.
The new program is part of Sacramento Fire’s Diversity, Outreach and Recruitment division, and is overseen by Sacramento Fire Assistant Chief Kim Iannucci.
“I’m ecstatic that the interest for our EMS trainee program is so high,” Iannucci said. “It’s wonderful to see that there are so many people who want to be part of this department.”
EMS trainees will benefit from tuition assistance for education, mentorship and training. Under the guidance of a certified Emergency Medical Technician or licensed paramedic, EMS trainees will assist in the emergency medical care of the sick and injured. They will be expected to follow all applicable state and local laws, regulations and policies.
EMS trainees will be required to commit to 20-30 hours per week of academic coursework and 20 hours per week of paid-work experience. They will be required to enroll in and attend college courses.
Based on readiness, experience, and current certifications, EMS trainees will be placed in one of two internship tiers: EMT internship or paramedic internship.
Participants of the EMT internship will attend American River College; those placed in the paramedic internship will attend classes at California State University, Sacramento.
The length of the program will be from 12 to 48 months depending on the level of college experience and EMS training upon entry to the program.
Those who complete the program will be eligible for a 12-month probationary appointment to the career classification of Sacramento Fire Paramedic or the training classification of Fire Recruit (Paramedic).