EMS Recruitment Best Practices

No one in EMS has time or resources to waste. So for something as labor-intensive as recruiting can be, you'll want to target your efforts toward audiences likely to be receptive to your efforts and that can give you the kind of workforce your organization needs.

Think "Givers"
A great place to begin is with those you know to be community-minded. Look to people who already demonstrate well-developed senses of civic responsibility.

"Wherever you are, look at the various groups," recommends Bob Corrigan, regional coordinator for Northwest Connecticut EMS, one of five regional councils that govern EMS in the state. "Look at the churches and synagogues, fraternal groups, ladies groups, mens groups--even council members and elected leaders. There are so many out there. The more people you can hit, the better off you are."

Corrigan is currently tasked with examining the recruiting issue under Connecticut's EMS plan. As part of this, he's promoting the idea of ride-along programs for Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) providers. Give those proven, active volunteer types an idea of what EMS is about, and maybe you can pique their interest in joining.

In the same vein, Fairfax Co. (VA) Fire and Rescue approaches those emerging from the military and has appealed to organizations like its local Korean Chamber of Commerce.

"We understand we're probably not going to hire a lot of businessmen from the Korean Chamber of Commerce," says Deputy Chief Kevin Kincaid, who oversees health, safety and personnel matters for the department. "But they're very active in their community, as demonstrated by their involvement in the Chamber." These are the types who, even if they don't answer your call, will relay it to lots of others who might.

Go to School
If you trigger an EMS itch in a young person, he or she could give you decades of service. That's why classes in the high schools are important.

Fairfax helped its school system develop a fire-service vocational program that produces graduates with fire education and EMT certification. When they emerge and start looking for work, they're not only trained, but also familiar with the department, which, with more than 1,400 uniformed personnel, is Virginia's largest.

"We have contact with them throughout their junior and senior years, hoping that when they come out, they've decided this is what they want to do," says Kincaid, who has spoken on ALS recruitment at various emergency-services conferences. "We encourage them to go on to college and maybe get their paramedic certification, but if they want to come join us, we're happy to take their applications, knowing they know who we are and what we're about."

Even those who go off to college might, if sufficiently intrigued, end up on an ambulance--if not in your town, then somewhere else. Either way, there's benefit. What's more, once they're given basic first aid/first responder or EMT-B skills, even if students don't pursue EMS careers, they'll be better equipped to help your work when bad things happen. Think bystander CPR or basic bleeding control.

Taking that idea further, all assistance doesn't have to wear a uniform or ride a rig. Bored retirees, for instance, may not want to run calls, but might be open to assisting with things like safety or educational programs. "A lot of these are well-educated people," says Corrigan, "who would be more than happy to help."

Open and Accessible
People looking for work in the emergency services rarely want for opportunities. If you make it hard to join with you, they're likely going to go elsewhere.

When Kincaid took over Fairfax's recruiting half a decade or so ago, it was a bit of a mess. Files were mixed up and lost, calls weren't returned, applicants didn't understand the procedures or why they were accepted or rejected. Applications were taken only during limited windows each year. "A store that's open two weeks in the spring and two weeks in the fall," Kincaid notes, "probably won't get a lot of business."