Firefighter-Paramedic Vacancies Must Be Filled In RivCo: Supes

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — The Board of Supervisors Tuesday will consider a proposal for the Executive Office to collaborate with Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department in improving the process of swelling the ranks of firefighter-paramedics countywide to ensure adequate service to the public.

Board Chairman Kevin Jeffries and Supervisor Karen Spiegel brought forward the proposal for "on-boarding" improvements to the fire department's paramedic program, which will be discussed during the board's policy agenda Tuesday.

Jeffries, a former firefighter, and Spiegel found the current deficit in the paramedic ranks concerning, especially in light of a program initiated by the county Housing & Workforce Solutions Agency to partner with the fire department in a paramedic recruitment and training program, through which graduates are able to procure National Registry Paramedic Certificates.

Jeffries and Spiegel noted that the county specifically allocated funds for 305 firefighter-paramedic positions in the fire department, yet 123 of the budgeted spots are vacant.

"Fire engines without paramedics can only provide basic life support, an unacceptable degradation of our first response system," the supervisors wrote in documents posted to the board's agenda. "More must be done to solve this challenge. While we have had notable success in increasing our overall department staffing in recent years ... the firefighter-paramedic position remains a difficult one to fill."

The county has contracted with the California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection — Cal Fire — since the 1940s.

Jeffries and Spiegel pointed out that the first class of 19 graduates from the paramedic certification program finished training in October, but "none of those students have been hired by Cal Fire as of now."

"Some have been hired by our ambulance service provider (American Medical Response)," the supervisors wrote. "This is due, primarily, to the additional minimum qualifications of Cal Fire, including previous fire-fighting experience, which exceed those of other public agencies."

The proposal up for consideration calls for directing the Executive Office "to work with Cal Fire to streamline the on-boarding of firefighter-paramedics [and] evaluate options to boost staffing in this area."

If the board signs off on the action, the Executive Office would be required to return with a report containing recommendations on potential changes to the hiring program in 60 days.