Folsom Fire expanding emergency medical services with new program

The Folsom Fire Department is expanding its emergency medical services with a new EMT and Paramedic Program. The Folsom City Council has unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding with Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522, authorizing full implementation of the Folsom Fire Department's Single-Role Emergency Medical Technician and Paramedic Program. The department's inaugural single-role EMS Academy class convenes Aug. 17. The program transitions the department's ambulance staffing model. Under the new operational structure, two of the department's three front-line ambulances will be staffed by one dedicated single-role EMT and one single-role paramedic whose full-time focus is emergency medical care. One front-line ambulance will remain staffed by dual-role firefighter-paramedics, maintaining staffing flexibility and operational depth. Engine and truck companies will continue to be staffed by firefighter-paramedics and firefighter-EMTs. First-arriving units will continue to deliver immediate advanced life support interventions without interruption. Operational Impact and Community Benefits Single-role paramedics hold identical California paramedic licenses and Sacramento County accreditation as dual-role personnel. Sacramento County EMS protocols, scope of practice, medication inventories and county medical direction remain unchanged.Expanding hiring practices to include single-role EMTs and paramedics opens a new candidate pool that will greatly improve current staffing challenges.The department will continue to hire dual-role firefighter-EMTs and firefighter-paramedics.Defined Career Pathways and Talent Retention The framework establishes a professional pipeline from EMT to paramedic to firefighter-paramedic, offering entry-level employees a clear trajectory within Folsom. "This program allows us to identify, recruit and develop talent early," Fire Chief Jason Solak said. "While we will continue recruiting firefighter-paramedics, we can now 'grow our own.' An entry-level single-role member starting on a Folsom ambulance can build a long-term career path right here in our community." The pathway also serves personnel who want to specialize. Not every skilled paramedic wants to fight fires, and not every skilled firefighter wants to spend a career on an ambulance. The department will be able to retain skilled clinicians who would otherwise leave for a non-transporting agency, and firefighters who would otherwise be assigned to ambulance duty they did not seek. Implementation Developed over eight months through collaboration between department leadership and Local 522, candidates underwent background reviews, oral boards and medical assessment panels before selection for the inaugural academy. The department will regularly monitor and report the progress of the program to the City Council, tracking response performance, staffing benchmarks, and recruitment outcomes.