(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department (Fire & EMS) announced that Fire & EMS will transition to a fully-integrated, all-hazards agency. Under this plan, all civilian single-role EMS providers will become sworn uniformed members, giving them the same pay and benefit opportunities
offered to dual-role firefighter/EMTs and firefighter/paramedics. This new requirement is part of six recommendations put forward by the Mayor’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Task Force.
“For too long, the Department’s employees have operated on a separate, disparate footing,” said Mayor Fenty. “This plan brings both sides of the Department together in a way that will finally make it one force, which will translate to better pre-hospital care for people in the District.”
The ‘One Force – One Standard’ transition will eliminate a historical cultural divide between dual and single role personnel and result in uniform standards for Fire & EMS personnel. For more than 20 years, the Department has examined the operational intricacies of transitioning to an all-hazards workforce with employees who are fully cross-trained in a
variety of first response disciplines. “We are about fairness, and we are about equity,” said Fire & EMS Chief Dennis L. Rubin. “We are bridging gaps to fill our most important shortterm needs. But, more importantly, we have finally begun the march toward complete unification.”
Mayor Fenty’s plan, with the leadership of the City Administrator and Chief Rubin, begins the next great evolution of the Department. The all-hazards recommendation requires all entry-level candidates for operational positions to achieve the following minimum certification requirements: National Registry Emergency Medical Technician-Basic; CPR; Firefighter I & II (NFPA); Hazardous Materials Awareness & Operations; Emergency Vehicle Operator; and Technical Rescue Orientation.
As part of the recommendation, Fire & EMS will offer cross-training for the 230 remaining single-role EMS workers. The Department will provide former single role employees with two career options: employees can elect to become all-hazards, fully trained fire fighters or they receive an orientation to all-hazards operations and then function as specialized EMS
providers.
View the EMS Task Force Recommendations online.
WHAT: Fire & EMS Unification Plan Announcement
WHEN: Wednesday, April 9, 2008 - 10:00 AM
WHERE: DC Fire & EMS Training Academy – 4600 Shepherd Parkway, SW
