The Fire Department provides the City of Williamsburg with Advanced Life Support (ALS) services. The paramedics employed by the city respond to all types of medical emergencies and are trained to:
- Provide first aid, CPR, and life support
- Assess patients, make field diagnoses, and provide emergency treatment
- Initiate IVs and draw blood work
- Administer intravenous medications and pump infusions
- Cardiac monitoring and defibrillation
- Endotracheal Intubation and other airway management skills
- Communicate and coordinate field care with online medical direction
- Perform emergency childbirth procedures
- Manage a perform life-saving procedures for exsanguinating and trauma victims
- Perform many other life-saving skills
In addition, Field Training Paramedics also have the training to perform more advanced procedures, such as:
- Rapid Sequence Intubation (RSI)
- Specialized medication administration
Paramedic Training
Before a paramedic is released to perform these duties he or she has to attend a two-year training program or one-year accelerated program to achieve Paramedic status. Following completion of a paramedic course, the student must pass a national exam to gain certification. Once certified the new paramedic will endure a strict instructional program under the supervision of a field training paramedic in the department. Once the paramedic has satisfactorily completed the process, they will have a scenario-based evaluation before the department's Operational Medical Director (OMD) and EMS Chief. Paramedics are also required to complete 60 hours of recertification training every two years.
Equipment & Vehicles
The City of Williamsburg has provided the firefighter/paramedics with essential tools in order to aid them in giving citizens and visitors unsurpassable emergency medical care. The department currently has a fleet of four ambulances containing sophisticated state-of-the-art life-saving equipment designed specifically for advanced life support. Two of the ambulances are always operational, with the other two functioning as reserve units. In the event that both ambulances are on a call, the next closest ambulance responds as part of our mutual aid agreement with James City County and York County Fire Departments.