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JOB SUMMARY

The purpose of this classification is to respond to fire and medical emergency calls for protection of life and property, to include various fire scene management emergencies and providing advanced life support to sick/injured persons. This position will serve “primarily” as Advanced Care Medical Emergencies and serve as Paramedic Support “only” to Fire Emergencies. The duties and responsibilities of a Paramedic are specific to the particular situation at hand. Paramedics deal with a wide variety of emergency situations and are usually responsibilities identified by the Fire Chief.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Responds to emergency calls for fire suppression, medical assistance, hazardous materials incidents, motor vehicle accidents, natural disasters, explosions, bomb threats, terrorism, rescue operations, downed power lines, and other emergency situations; responds to information received from dispatcher.
• Maintains a state of readiness/preparation for emergency response; checks/maintains stock of equipment and supplies on fire vehicles and in fire station; tests hoses/pumps on apparatus; re-loads equipment and apparatus following response to emergency calls; prepares apparatus for subsequent emergencies.
• Provides protection of life and property; suppresses, controls, and extinguishes fires; performs search, rescue, extrication of victims, and forcible entries; assists individuals from burning structures; positions/climbs ladders of various heights to access upper levels of buildings and perform rescue operations; establishes openings in buildings for entrance, ventilation, or salvage; ventilates smoke and gas from buildings; performs salvage operations such as throwing salvage covers, sweeping water, and removing debris; assists with cleanup activities.
• Drives, operates, and monitors a variety of fire/emergency vehicles/apparatus as needed; determines best route to reach location of emergency calls; performs driving functions in a safe and efficient manner under various conditions, including day/night hours, in congested traffic, in adverse weather conditions, and in emergency situations involving speeds in excess of posted limits; positions apparatus and equipment for optimal use of equipment and hose.
• Locates water supplies to fight fires; lays out, connects, and maneuvers fire hoses/nozzles; operates pumps and directs stream of water or chemicals onto fire; disconnects and rolls used hoses.
• Performs Paramedic functions; provides advanced emergency medical care to sick/injured persons, which may include providing basic life support (BLS), advanced life support (ALS), advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), basic trauma life support (BTLS), pediatric care, obstetrical care, respiratory management, and/or drug treatments; works to stabilize patients at incident scenes; determines nature and extent of illness/injury; obtains, records, and monitors patients’ vital signs; administers initial treatment at emergency scene; performs invasive and non-invasive procedures on patients with life-threatening conditions, per established procedures or as authorized/directed by physicians; provides advanced level of care for victims of cardiac or respiratory arrest; performs cardiac monitoring and defibrillation; maintains circulation and controls bleeding; provides spinal management and immobilization; provides fluid resuscitation by IV; manages trauma injuries, bleeding, and post-traumatic shock; determines appropriate medication, dosage, and route of medication; administers injections of medications and drugs, including drugs to treat emergency cardiac conditions, following established protocols; communicates with medical personnel at emergency treatment facility to obtain instructions regarding further treatment and to arrange for reception of victims at treatment facility; performs physical lifting techniques associated with moving patients between incident site, stretcher, or ambulance; completes or ensures completion of required records/reports.
• Inspects buildings for pre-fire plans, fire hazards, and compliance with fire prevention ordinances; inspects structures for stability.
• Provides assistance to other public service agencies or outside organizations as appropriate; assists law enforcement personnel with traffic control; assists with public service functions such as rescuing animals, cleaning up road hazards, assisting towing companies, or other tasks as assigned.
• Operates or utilizes various emergency vehicles and emergency/medical equipment, tools, and supplies, which may include a fire truck/engine, aerial apparatus, ambulance/rescue truck, pumps, generator, air compressor, hose, hydrant, nozzle, adapter, ground ladder, extinguisher, self-contained breathing apparatus, extrication tools, hydraulic tools, air bags, cutting torch, chain saw, axe, gas detector, ventilation fan, defibrillator, cardiac monitor, glucometer, pulse-oximeter, sphygmomanometer, stethoscope, immobilization equipment, medical/first aid supplies, mechanic tools, hand tools, or radio communications equipment.
• Follows safety procedures, utilizes safety equipment, and monitors work environment to ensure safety of employees and other individuals.
• Monitors inventory levels of departmental supplies; initiates orders for new or replacement materials.
• Performs general maintenance tasks necessary to keep vehicles, buildings, quarters, hydrants, apparatus, equipment and tools in operable condition, which may include inspecting/testing equipment, inspecting hydrants, replacing fluids, greasing equipment, replacing parts, washing/cleaning equipment, or cleaning station/quarters; monitors equipment operations to maintain efficiency and safety; reports faulty equipment for necessary maintenance work.
• Prepares or completes various forms, reports, correspondence, logs, checklists, fire/hazardous materials incident reports, run reports, casualty reports, patient care reports, billing/insurance forms, maintenance reports/records, drug inventory records, inspection forms/records, hose records, hydrant test reports, SCBA records, pre-fire plans, drawings, training records, or other documents.
• Receives various forms, reports, correspondence, logs, checklists, inspection forms, maintenance records, pre-fire plans, blueprints, maps, rules, regulations, policies, procedures, protocols, medical books, publications, manuals, reference materials, or other documentation; reviews, completes, processes, forwards, or retains as appropriate.
• Operates a personal computer or general office equipment as necessary to complete essential functions, to include the use of word processing, database, email, Internet, or other computer programs.
• Maintains records, logs, and files of work activities; maintains current map books, manuals, policies/procedures, and other materials for reference and/or review.
• Communicates via telephone and/or two-way radio; communicates effectively and coherently over radio channels while initiating and responding to radio communications; provides information and assistance; takes and relays messages; responds to requests for service or assistance.
• Creates/maintains positive public relations; provides information and education to the public regarding fire safety, fire prevention, and firefighting; conducts blood pressure checks for the public; installs smoke detectors; participates in parades and civic events.
• Communicates with supervisors, employees, dispatchers, other departments, fire officials, law enforcement officials, medical providers, patients, family members, witnesses, property owners/occupants, utility companies, civic organizations, the public, outside agencies, and other individuals as needed to coordinate work activities, review status of work, exchange information, or resolve problems.
• Maintains a comprehensive, current knowledge and awareness of applicable laws, regulations, policies, and procedures; maintains an awareness of new equipment, methods, procedures, and advances in the profession; reads professional literature; maintains professional affiliations; participates in physical fitness training and continuing education activities; attends shift meetings, workshops, and seminars as appropriate.
• Performs general/maintenance work associated with maintaining fire station, grounds, quarters, and related facilities; operates related equipment.
• Provides assistance to other employees or departments as needed.
• Performs other related duties as required.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education and Experience:

Requires a High School Diploma, supplemented by vocational/technical training in basic emergency medical care; Must meet all requirements of Georgia State Paramedic and/or three (3) years of previous experience and/or training in advanced emergency medical care, or equivalent combination of education and experience. Must be Certified as a Georgia State Firefighter 1 and qualify as an In-service Instructor within one year of hire. Must maintain ACLS, BLS, PALS annually.

Special Qualifications:

Must possess and maintain valid Georgia Certified Fire Fighter Certification 1 or 2. Must possess and maintain valid Georgia Paramedic License. Must participate in regular continuing education activities as required to maintain level of certifications. Must possess and maintain a valid Georgia driver’s license with appropriate endorsement.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Ability to review, classify, categorize, prioritize, and/or analyze data; ability to exercise discretion in determining data classification, and in referencing such analysis to established standards for the purpose of recognizing actual or probable interactive effects and relationships.
• Ability to apply principles of persuasion and/or influence over others in coordinating activities of a project, program, or designated area of responsibility.
• Ability to operate and control the actions of equipment, machinery, tools and/or materials requiring complex and rapid adjustments.
• Ability to utilize a wide variety of reference, descriptive, and/or advisory data and information.
• Ability to perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division; ability to calculate decimals and percentages; ability to utilize principles of fractions; ability to interpret graphs.
• Ability to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagrammatic form that requires semi-routine standardized work with some latitude for independent judgment concerning choices of action.
• Ability to exercise judgment, decisiveness, and creativity in situations involving the evaluation of information against sensory, judgmental, or subjective criteria, as opposed to that which is clearly measurable or verifiable.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The work is very heavy which requires exerting in excess of 100 pounds of force occasionally and/or in excess of 50 pounds of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects, including the human body.

• Hearing: Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction. Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and to make the discrimination in sound.
• Mental Acuity: Ability to make rational decisions through sound logic and deductive processes.
• Repetitive Motion: Substantial movements (motions) of the wrist, hands, and/or fingers.
• Speaking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word including the ability to convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately and concisely.
• Visual Acuity: Have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; and/or extensive reading.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Work may be performed with exposure to adverse environmental conditions, such as dirt, dust, pollen, odors, wetness, humidity, rain, temperature and noise extremes, fumes, smoke, hazardous materials, fire, unsafe structures, heights, confined spaces, machinery, vibrations, electric currents, traffic hazards, bright/dim light, toxic agents, disease, pathogenic substances, violence, animal/wildlife attacks, animal/human bites, or explosives.