Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Academy

EMS Training

The EMS Section of the Fire and Rescue Academy ensures department personnel acquire and maintain all of the necessary requirements for EMS certification and recertification. Currently, certification is maintained for over 500 career and volunteer Advanced Life Support providers and over 1,200 career EMT-Basic providers. All uniformed personnel must minimally maintain certification to the EMT-B level.

EMT-B Certification- Department personnel are trained to this level when they attend the Fire and Rescue Department Recruit Training Program. (Accounts for five weeks of recruit firefighter training.)

EMT-B Recertification- All EMT-B personnel must recertify every four years to maintain Commonwealth of Virginia standards. This involves attendance at a 36-hour refresher class given prior to expiration of their certification and delivers the necessary continuing education required by the Virginia State Office of EMS.

Paramedic Certification (EMT-P)- Department personnel wishing to further their career and education may attend additional training as ALS providers. Paramedic certification training teaches employees to interpret electrocardiograms, deliver cardiac defibrillation and synchronized cardioversion, and administer intravenous lines and life-saving pharmacological treatments. This training prepares personnel for the National Registry Paramedic Exam. The training program consists of a 16-week course which the department currently contracts out to the Northern Virginia Community College. Personnel wishing to enter the Advanced Life Support program must complete one year of service from date of graduation, complete the probationary firefighter school, obtain a recommendation from their battalion management team, and successfully complete the Health Occupations Basic Entrance Test (HOBET).