Skip to main content

Welcome to the new Phoenix.gov! We value your feedback. Let us know how we can improve.

The official website of the City of Phoenix

    Emergency Medical Services

    Phoenix Fire Captain checking vitals from a patient who is in need of EMS services.

    The Phoenix Fire Department Emergency Medical Technician - Paramedic program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (www.caahep.org) upon the recommendation of the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions (CoAEMSP).

    Commission on Accreditation of
    Allied Health Education Programs
    25400 US Highway 19 N., Suite 158
    Clearwater, Fl 33763
    727-210-2350
    www.caahep.org

    To contact CoAEMSP
    8301 Lakeview Parkway
    Suite 111-312
    Rowlett, TX 75088
    214-703-8445
    Fax 214-703-8992
    www.coaemsp.org

    Program Goal of the Phoenix Fire Department Paramedic Education Program:

    The goal of the Phoenix Fire Department Paramedic Education Program is to prepare competent entry-level Emergency Medical Technicians-Paramedics in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains with or without exit points at the advanced Emergency Medical Technician and or Emergency Medical Technician, and/or Emergency Medical responder levels.

    For more information regarding Emergency Medical Services, please contact 602.262.6977.  

    The Emergency Medical Services Section staff consists of the Deputy Chief, Medical Director, Programs Manager, and three Staff Captains. In addition, there are four Registered Nurses who serve under the Programs Manager. Three of the Nurses are paired with the staff Captains as district representatives for various programs, including EMT, paramedic training, liaisons with the base hospitals, and the continuous quality improvement program (CQI). The fourth RN serves as the EMS prevention services program coordinator; responsible for the Baby Shots program, the Adult Flu program, and other related events.

    The Phoenix Fire Department is the sole provider of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) within the City of Phoenix. The Department has a long history of emergency medical service, going back to 1926, providing "inhalator" service to the community. In the 1950’s, the Department trained all members to American Red Cross Advanced First Aid levels. In 1971, the first EMT’s were certified and, in 1974, all members completed EMT certification. The first paramedics were certified in December of that year.

    The Fire Department uses a fully integrated system, utilizing dual-role firefighters in the delivery of fire and emergency medical services. Approximately 900 firefighters are trained to the level of Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and about 300 firefighters are Certified Emergency Paramedics (CEPs).

    The Phoenix Fire Department Emergency Medical Services Division provides Paramedic Continuing Education Classes. Each session is worth three (3) hours of credit. Training sessions are held on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays  from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. If you have questions regarding scheduling, please call Melanie Perez at 602.534.3609 or Email:  melanie.perez@phoenix.gov

    Phoenix Firefighters loading a patient into an ambulance for EMS treatment.

    Program Outcomes Data

    2023

    2023 Emergency Medical Systems (EMS) Paramedic Certification Exam.  (NREMT)

    • First attempt pass rate: 89.5%
    • Pass rate within 3 attemps: 96%

    2023 Retention rate:100%

    2023 Positive (Job) Placement: 96%

     
    2022

    2022 Emergency Medical Systems (EMS) Paramedic Certification Exam.  (NREMT)

    • First attempt pass rate: 85%
    • Pass rate within 3 attempts: 97.4%
    •  One (1) Student is eligible for re-test

    2022 Retention rate: 97.5%

    2022 Positive (Job) Placement: 97.4%

     

    ​2021

    2021 Emergency Medical Systems (EMS) Paramedic Certification Exam.  (NREMT)

    • First attempt pass rate: 84%
    • Pass rate within 3 attempts: 92%
    •  3 Students are eligible for re-test

    2021 Retention rate: 97.4%

    2021 Positive (Job) Placement: 94.6%

    The 2 Cohorts in 2021 did have 2 additional students pass after the 3rd attempt resulting in a 97% pass rate and overall 97% positive placement.

     

    2020

    2020 Emergency Medical Systems (EMS) Paramedic Certification Exam.  (NREMT)

    • First attempt pass rate: 90%
    • Pass rate within 3 attempts: 97%
    •  1 Students are eligible for re-test

    2020 Retention rate: 96.7%

    2020 Positive (Job) Placement: 96.6%

     

    2019

    2019 Emergency Medical Systems (EMS) Paramedic Certification Exam.  (NREMT)

    • First attempt pass rate: 83%
    • Pass rate within 3 attempts: 100%

    2019 Retention rate: 100%

    2019 Positive (Job) Placement: 100%