D.C. is partnering with the University of the District of Columbia for the city's first publicly accessible paramedic training program.
A facility set to open next year in Southeast will be equipped to train and certify between 50 to 75 paramedics a year, officials said Thursday.
City leaders said the program will address a shortage of qualified emergency medical professionals in the District.
"We have about 400 paramedics in the department right now, and what we, what we'd like to do is have more so that we can expand and get more ALS care in the field," D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said at a news conference.
We've got the news you need to know to start your day. Sign up for the First & 4Most morning newsletter — delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here.
"So, there isn't a finite number I'm trying to get. I'll take them all," he said.
The initiative will provide a path for emergency medical technicians (EMTs) to advance into certified paramedics.
Sommer Keys, 21, is a cadet in the fire department's academy. When she graduates in 2027, she'll be a firefighter and EMT.
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
"My journey doesn’t end with me becoming a firefighter and EMT. My long term goal is to become a paramedic," Keys said at the news conference.
Tuition for the certification program will be free for D.C. firefighters like Keys and all residents of the city can seek financial aid to help pay for the three-semester program.
Donnelly acknowledged his firefighters received a lot of attention after the recent midair collision over the Potomac River, but he emphasized the fire department plays a role in thousands of people's lives every day.
"As you guys witnessed over the last week, it is a really good department. But we're also the third largest health care provider in the District of Columbia, and that's something that people lose track of and that's what this is about. We don't do just one or the other, we do both."
