Higher Education for Fire-Based EMS

Can higher education help your career? In many fire departments, a job candidate for an entry-level position must possess a minimum of an EMS certification. Other departments will require a paramedic license. It often depends on whether the fire agency is involved in providing ambulance transport, which makes paramedic the preferred level. Depending on the school a paramedic attended, they may or may not have completed a college degree as a part of that training.

Emphasis on education

There are over 403,000 nationally certified EMS professionals in the United States. The National Registry of EMTs reports on its website that approximately 45 percent of these EMS professionals have a college degree.¹ For the remainder of people who don’t have a degree, what are your options to further your professional development within the fire service? In some cases, students start with a college degree before getting their EMS certification, but it's usually not in a field related to EMS, the fire service or emergency management.

About 60 percent of the current accredited paramedic schools in the United States offer the choice to obtain an associate’s degree in conjunction with a paramedic degree. As of March 2018, there are only 11 paramedic programs that offer the ability to obtain a bachelor’s degree in conjunction with paramedic training.

The fire service is the largest provider of EMS in the country, and many EMS professionals can be found in the fire service. It is not a common requirement that in addition to the EMS certification an applicant have a college degree. The entry-level position of EMT, paramedic or firefighter is still very much a technician job that provides specific skills for emergency scene operations. Rarely does a fire agency have the incentive for an increase in starting pay if the candidate has a college degree.

While working in the fire service, training is a constant function and specialized training adds skills and abilities to each member. Often the amount and level of training could exceed the time spent obtaining a college degree, but because it was not delivered by a post-secondary institution, no credit was applied toward a degree. In the past, there was not a big emphasis on higher education—but that has changed.

Consider your path

What degree path is right for you as an EMS professional in the fire service? Do you get a degree in paramedicine or another medical field? Should you get a degree in fire science, emergency management, public administration, finance or business? What will help you get promoted within your fire agency? If your agency has published the promotional guidelines or given clear direction on what kind of degree is needed for promotion to a chief officer, it should be a consideration for your degree choice. Management degrees often have some crossover, and the principles and practices are not all that different between specific fire and EMS tracks. The fire service is still working on the full integration of fire and EMS personnel into one track toward officers and chiefs for a fire agency.

It is important to note that EMS personnel who want to promote up to a company or shift officer often have to leave their EMS position and follow a track on the fire side of the department. Because most people are starting with an EMS certification and then being trained as a firefighter, this does not provide those EMS professionals the ability, in some cases, to maintain their EMS certifications. Professional development is important regardless of the background.

Further, remember all those training classes your fire department delivered or specialty classes you completed while working in fire/EMS? Some colleges will now look at those classes and apply some of that training toward the education requirement of a college degree. That experiential learning is an important part of your overall education, and if you can apply some of that training toward getting a degree, then take advantage of that opportunity.

Brick-and-mortar vs. online?

Approximately 20 to 30 years ago, if fire-based EMS personnel wanted a college degree, they needed to work around their work schedule and attend college in person. Sitting in class for several hours each week, in addition to working full time, could be a challenge. The need to trade shifts to attend college on specific days each week often resulted in working extra to pay back those shift trades.

There is likely at least one brick-and-mortar college in your area where you could obtain a degree. Colleges and universities recognize the need for adult learners to be able to go back to school to finish a degree, so they often offer night or weekend classes that fit with fire/EMS schedules. They will have counselors or the program director available for you to talk with and determine what will be expected of you to complete a degree. But there is another option for those personnel who can’t get their degree at a traditional brick-and-mortar campus.

The ability to increase your professional development is much easier now with the availability of the Internet. Millions of students attend online college, and the numbers continue to rise each year. Online learning can make earning a college degree a positive experience while not stressing over having to drive to a physical location each week at a certain time. You pick the time to study and complete your assignments each week when it is convenient. It is important to pick a college that fits your education needs and that gives you the tools you need to enhance your career and professional development.

If you are a member of a volunteer fire department, the flexibility of an online college degree can certainly assist you in obtaining a higher education degree. The content of these programs has the same application as that of a career department.

Contrary to some beliefs, online learning is not easier than learning in a classroom. Online learning is different from the traditional learning in high school or EMS classes for the EMT or paramedic. An online student has more responsibility for their own education. Most online education is not based on lectures, but is more of an instructor-led facilitated learning. The student must read and study the material prepared each week and spend time demonstrating their learning with the completion of multiple assignments during the course of instruction. There are timelines and deadlines for the completion of assignments, but the flexibility is up to you to determine when and how you meet those deadlines. The instructor is there to provide additional instruction and guidance on each topic and serve as the subject-matter expert on the content. One advantage is that you can complete several classes each term and possibly complete your degree faster than with a more traditional campus learning experience.

Online instruction tends to focus on helping to develop a student’s critical-thinking skills and does not often require exams or tests. The student develops their skills in leadership or management in a specific area through projects or research papers. As a chief officer, you don’t need to know how to pass an exam, but writing a proposal, conducting a problem/incident assessment or giving a presentation is core to many of the duties that are needed.

Factors to consider

There are many factors to consider related to seeking higher education. Are you open to enhancing your professional development by getting additional education? If so, your first choice should be to determine what degree you want, then to research which colleges or universities offer that program, and whether you have options for how to attend the program (online vs. in person). Next, find out if any of your previous education can be applied to the degree program, especially if your EMS certification is worth college credits.

The cost of education today will be less than if you wait five or more years. This may or may not be a factor if your agency helps with education reimbursement. But if the cost is coming out of your pocket, there is no time like the present to get started. Even if you can only take one class at a time, making progress is important.

What is your ultimate goal with higher education? For instance, perhaps your goal is not to stay with your current agency but to seek promotion with another agency or to move to another state. In almost every case, the minimum requirement is going to include a higher education degree. It is better to be prepared and have the degree before you look for another job. A college degree is something you carry with you that does not expire or require additional continuing education credits to maintain.

An important factor when choosing an online program is whether industry professionals are teaching the courses. Professors who are recognized through their work within the fire/EMS service can better guide and help their students. You should compare several options before committing a portion of your life to getting an education at a particular institution.

Leadership roles

So should you increase your education and go to the next level? It obviously depends on many factors, but if you see yourself in a leadership role or in another job as a chief officer, then getting that next degree is a smart step for your future. Twenty-five years ago, a bachelor’s degree was considered to be all that most fire service personnel needed. Today, many professionals have master’s degrees and some even have doctoral degrees. Both master’s and doctoral degrees are available via the online option as well, and many fire-based EMS professionals are taking advantage of obtaining their degrees in this manner.

If teaching at a college or university is of interest to you, you need a degree higher than the one you are looking to teach. Much like you need to be a paramedic to teach EMTs, many programs are now looking at the degree as a requirement for instructors. In every accredited paramedic program, the program director must have a bachelor’s degree and the lead instructor must have an associate’s degree. Instructors for college education, in addition to having work experience as a subject-matter expert, will need a higher education degree.

Consider the Law of Readiness, which is paraphrased here: the teaching-learning process will be most effective when both the student and teacher are adequately prepared. Your role is to be prepared to learn and then apply that learning to your career. Professional development is a life-long commitment to constant improvement. Are you ready?

Show up and don’t stop

James O. Page, an icon in fire-based EMS, said on many occasions, “Decisions are made by those who show up.” Your opportunity to show up and make a big difference with your career begins with you starting down the path of higher education. And once you get started, don’t stop. Make sure you complete your degree. Whether you need to work on getting an associate’s, bachelor’s or master’s degree, the effort you put in will enhance your overall professional development and create more opportunities in your fire service career.