The Saint Paul Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Academy is an intensive, tuition-free emergency medical technician (EMT) certification and firefighter awareness program designed for low-income, diverse Saint Paul youth ages 18-24.

Admitted participants earn an hourly wage during the training, which lasts 240-hours over 10-14 weeks. Recruitment is targeted to low-income youth of diverse ethnicity, linguistic ability, and women, with the goal of building an EMS workforce reflective of Saint Paul’s communities.

Upon completing the EMS Academy, graduates earn National EMT certification, 9 college credits through Inver Hills Community College, and valuable job competency training. To date, over 70 low-income, diverse young adults of Saint Paul have completed the EMS Academy.

The EMS Academy is a collaboration by the Saint Paul Department of Human Rights and Equal Economic Opportunity (HREEO), the Saint Paul Fire Department (SPFD), Saint Paul Parks and Recreation Youth Job Corps (YJC), Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS) Hubbs Center, and Community Action Partnership of Ramsey and Washington Counties (CAPRW).

The next EMS Academy will run June 18 – August 24, 2012.

Classes will be held Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm at Freedom House Station 51 (296 West 7th Street, Saint Paul). 

Apply online from April 16 – May 4, 2012. Successful applicants will be invited to submit additional documentation and interview for a position in the program.

The EMS Academy also offers a preparatory course called “Pre-EMS,” which includes 60 hours of tuition-free classes that cover anatomy, physiology, EMS vocabulary, and study skills. Graduates of Pre-EMS earn preference for enrollment in the following EMS Academy.

The next Pre-EMS course will run October – December, 2012, in preparation for the 2013 EMS Academies. Applications will open in September, 2012.

Like us on Facebook and visit us at EMS Academy.