Emergency Medical Technician

Emergency Medical Technician

General Summary : The work of the Emergency Medical Technician involves responsibility for the care and transportation of sick and injured persons on an emergent and non-emergent basis. Assignments and responsibilities are general and are to include but not be limited to the following :

1. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES :

• Provides emergency and non-emergency care and transportation of sick and injured persons;
• Be familiar and remains familiar with roadways and geographic locations within the District boundaries;
• Be familiar and remains familiar with all district vehicles / equipment;
• Be familiar and remains familiar with all district operational guidelines, policies and procedures;
• Be familiar and remains familiar with all prehospital treatment protocols as required by district Medical Director guidelines and state regulations;
• Makes presentations to groups and individuals on subjects related to the job's tasks and functions;
• Handles complaints made by the public and refers complaints to Captain or the Chief or his designee when necessary;
• Collects information and either acts upon it within the scope of his authority or routes it to the proper authority or agency;
• Appears and testifies in court, hearings, deposition sessions, and similar proceedings as necessary;
• Responds to specific requests from police and fire services;
• Administers aid up to level of licensure to sick and injured persons, including CPR, Airway evaluation and management, Cardio-Respiratory evaluation and management, including use of AED, Assisting with childbirth, prepares patients for transportation in order to prevent further injury by "packaging" patients through use of appropriate splints such as backboards or neck braces, by bandaging wounds, by removing patients from vehicle wreckage, and by lifting patients to and from the ambulance and / or up and down stairs;
• Determines patient condition in order to decide upon appropriate treatment or to assist a physician in such decisions by conducting an assessment that includes checking vital signs, airway, breathing, blood pressure, pulse, pupils, skin color and skin temperature, obtain information about medications, medical treatment and prior conditions or illnesses, and a scene evaluation;
• Responds to incidents involving dead persons resulting from criminal, accidental, suicidal, and natural causes, including determination of the circumstances, making decisions regarding the incident and dealing with the family, relatives, friends, witnesses, or other individuals;
• Applies a knowledge of illness, injury, anatomy and medical terminology, and decides on appropriate treatment and establishes treatment priorities;
• Directs and / or supervises civilian employees and the public at the scenes of crimes, accidents, disasters, assemblies, or other incidents;
• Drives the ambulance in order to reach and transport patients as quickly as possible while protecting the community from accidents by obeying traffic laws during non-emergency driving, by following state laws governing ambulance operation as listed in the District Operational Guidelines, by following prescribed safety procedures for responding to and approaching and parking at the scene of an accident, by driving at a safe rate of speed, by braking and proceeding cautiously through intersections, by using the siren and emergency lights for critical calls, by being aware of differences in handling an emergency vehicle such as weight, top heaviness, and braking distance;
• Maintains life support vehicles in order to ensure an exceptional state of readiness for emergency responses by daily completing a vehicle inventory, by documenting needed repairs, by checking and recording levels of fuel, by adding fluids as necessary, and by checking items such as battery condition, tire pressure, electrical charging system, emergency lighting, siren, heater and air conditioner as outlined by the vehicle checklist;
• Performs daily inventory of ambulance supplies and forms in order to ensure continuous availability of needed equipment, by visually inspecting and counting supplies, by completing equipment supply check lists, and by replacing or reporting any missing items;
• Cleans vehicles and district property in order to prevent the spread of contagious diseases and to maintain a state of preparedness for on-call shifts by cleaning and disinfecting the patient care areas and emergency care equipment, by washing and waxing the district vehicles, and by performing routine housekeeping tasks;
• May perform office duties, including telecommunications (telephone, computer terminal, radio), processing reports, etc;
• Develops and maintains required skills and licenses / permits / certifications associated with areas of special instruction or expertise;
• Regularly attends district personnel meeting, trainings, and special events when possible or as outlined by District Operational Guidelines;
• Trains new personnel in areas of special skill or expertise;
• Prepares clear, accurate and complete reports on any and all activities engaged in.
• Performs other duties as directed

2. WORK CHARACTERISTICS / CONDITIONS

a. Scheduling :

Emergency Medical Services (E.M.S) positions involve regular and irregular shift work and shift rotations necessary to provide EMS services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year (weekends and holidays included). Work shifts are scheduled for a specific number of hours, but may be extended in the event of an emergency, disaster, manpower shortage, workload or work-in-progress.

b. Environmental Factors

E.M.S. positions involve exposure to and require the EMT to appropriately protect themselves and to function in the presence of the following according to District Operational Guidelines and Prehospital Protocols :

c. Personal Danger, including but not limited to :

3. PHYSICAL ABILITIES / MOTOR SKILLS / FLEXIBILITY

The EMT must have and maintain the physical and mental ability needed to :

4. COMMUNICATIVE SKILLS

The EMT must have and maintain the physical and mental condition needed to :

5. JUDGEMENT / DECISION MAKING ABILITY

The EMT must have the ability to :

6. EMOTIONAL / PSYCHOLOGICAL STABILITY

The EMT must have the emotional and psychological stability required to :