service received by the Sitka Fire Department,
approximately 1,000 a year. The EMS Division is headed up
by an EMS Captain, which is a full time paid position. There
are five Lieutenants and the rest of the division is filled up
with Emergency Medical Technicians.
A duty squad responds to the majority of the calls for
service. A duty squad consists of an EMS Lieutenant, an
Advanced Life Support provider (ALS), a Basic Life Support
provider (BLS) and an Engineer. To stay active in the EMS
Division, an EMT must sign up for duty squad five times a
month. Each shift is twelve hours long.
Typically, the EMS Captain is a paramedic and an EMT
instructor. A Lieutenant is an experienced EMT III. To be
considered an ALS provider one must hold an EMT II or an
EMT III certificate. A BLS provider is an EMT I. Engineer’
s range from an EMT I to an EMT III.
The EMS Division trains twice a month, typically during the
second and fourth Thursday of the month. The EMS
Division, in addition to the rest of the Sitka Fire Department
operates from standing orders provided by a Medical
Director.
