City of South San Francisco
Human Resources Department
Paramedic/Firefighter Trainee
Class Description
Definition
Under general supervision, positions within this classification respond to medical emergencies and other emergency situations to provide advanced life support (ALS) care. Paramedic/Firefighter trainees perform various support duties, including maintaining medical equipment, ensuring ambulance operational readiness, adherence to county medical protocols, and ensuring compliance with federal, state, county, and city regulations; and does related work as required.
Distinguishing Characteristics
This classification is the trainee level whereby incumbents have been selected to initiate their Field Training Officer (FTO) evaluation prior to attending the fire academy as a Paramedic/Firefighter recruit. Paramedic/Firefighter trainees are distinguished from Paramedic/Firefighter in that it is a non-safety trainee level position and is assigned non-suppression duties.
Typical and Important Duties
1. Responds to medical emergencies and other emergency situations requiring ALS care.
2. Applies Basic and Advanced Life Support techniques.
3. Attends to victims in emergency medical situations, using prescribed paramedic techniques; provides medical aid; administers drugs; gives injections; starts intravenous solutions; takes and monitors vital signs, such as pulse, respiration, and blood pressure; takes appropriate action to preserve life as prescribed by standing orders, a doctor, or registered nurse via direct radio or telephone contact.
4. Assists in the connecting of telemetry equipment; operates radio, telemetry, and related medical electronic equipment for monitoring and treatment of emergency medical victims.
5. Completes accurate patient care reports for documentation of care.
6. Operates ambulance and other emergency vehicles in compliance with laws and regulations.
7. Cleans station, apparatus, and equipment, and maintains a clean and orderly condition in and about the station. Participates in training to maintain and improve skill proficiency in emergency medical procedures.
8. Engages in public education, community outreach, and public service activities.
9. Assists in maintaining fire stations, apparatus, and equipment
10. Upholds professional standards and behavior in accordance with city, county, and state policies.
11. Maintains positive working relationships with colleagues, other agencies, and the public.
12. Complies with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and other regulations.
13. Operates communications equipment.
14. Performs other duties as assigned.
City of South San Francisco
Paramedic/Firefighter Trainee
Class Description Page 2
Job-related Qualifications
Knowledge of:
• Principles, methods, and practices in emergency medical care at the basic and advanced life support levels.
• Safety practices related to emergency response
• Applicable federal, state, county, and city laws and regulations governing emergency medical services.
• Medical terminology and patient care reporting standards.
Ability to:
• Provide emergency medical services at the BLS and ALS level • Safely operate emergency vehicles and equipment
• Provide and receive clear oral and written communication • Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with colleagues, other agencies, and the public
• Maintain San Mateo County paramedic accreditation
• Accurately report and document patient care
Skill in:
• Operate, use, and maintain emergency medical equipment • Use of electronic equipment such as laptops, tablets, and desktops • Learning and applying basic computer skills, including word processors, incident reporting software, calendars, and email systems.
Experience and Training
Any combination of experience and training that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities would be qualifying. A typical way to obtain knowledge, skills, and abilities would be:
Experience:
• No direct experience required. Some work as a field paramedic is preferred.
Training:
• Equivalent to graduation from high school and successful completion of 6 units of collegelevel fire science coursework or successful completion of Firefighter 1 certification.
City of South San Francisco
Paramedic/Firefighter Trainee
Class Description Page 3
Licenses and Certificates
The following licenses and certificates must be maintained as a condition of employment.
1. Possession of, or ability to obtain, a valid California driver’s license.
2. Possession of current certification or successful completion of the equivalent of the following:
• Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) curriculum
• Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Life Support (ACLS) curriculum • Prehospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS) curriculum
• Possession of a current state of California EMT-P license or current National Registry EMT-P license (must obtain current State of California EMT-P license prior to appointment).
3. Accredited by San Mateo County EMS Agency prior to the end of the field training officer evaluation period.
4. May be required to obtain CPR Instructors Certificate.
Special Requirements
Essential duties require the following:
Physical Skills: Able to use standard office equipment, including a computer; sit, stand, walk, kneel, crouch, stoop, squat, crawl, twist; climb ladders, stairs, and scaffolding; walk on rooftops; lift and carry 100 pounds; vision to read printed materials and a computer screen, hearing and speech to communicate in person and over the telephone.
Work Environment: Mobility to work in a typical office setting or field environment with exposure to cold, heat, noise, outdoors, vibration, confining spaces, dust, chemicals, explosive materials, mechanical hazards, and electrical hazards.
Ability to: Travel to different sites and locations; drive safely to different sites and locations; maintain a safe driving record; work on-call, stand-by, and shifts; and work protracted and irregular hours.