Moving from Colorado to the D.C. area

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Kr65

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I am currently enrolled in my EMT-B class in Colorado. The class will end in December and I will have my National Registry certification which covers all Colorado requirements. I am already volunteering with my local, rural, ambulance service.

Next fall in August I will be moving to the D.C. area and hope to continue my involvement in EMS as an EMT. Does D.C. or do the immediately surrounding states such as Virginia or Maryland require addition certification or is it as easy as showing up?
 
I don't know much about DC or VA, but I can help a bit with Maryland.

In order to obtain your Maryland EMT card you must first affiliate with an agency. This can be done by either volunteering with one of the county fire departments or getting hired by one of the county fire departments as a paid employee. All 911 EMS is done by county departments. All private services only do IFT with the exception of Erickson Communities. The private companies will not hire 99% of the time without your Maryland EMT card.

Once you have your affiliation, you have to take a 24 hour Maryland refresher course, then take a protocol exam. This part is fairly straight forward.

The majority of the counties are always taking volunteers. That's going to be your best option to get your affiliation to get your card.
 
Here's what I'll tell you about DC and VA (Arlington to be specific)
You will pay a pretty penny for a home because it's one of the wealthiest cities in the country.
 
I'll be attending college in the area and living in a dorm. I'm hoping that eventually I will be able to utilize my EMT-B to get a college job wether on an ambulance or in a hospital, maybe even on campus. Whatever i end up finding it sounds better to me than getting the usual storefront or restaurant job to get through school.

And thanks for the Maryland info. Much appreciated.
 
DC recognizes (and requires) National Registry.

You will need to apply for a DC provider card ... $55 and a DC ambulance affiliation.

As of July 1, 2012, the Commonwealth of Virginia will accept National Registry and provide reciprocity.

Check both Department of Health websites for specifics.

Which university?
 
If you're going to U Maryland College Park, they have a volunteer fire/EMS station through PG County Fire with a live in program which would be able to point you in the right direction. DC Metro and I think Arlington has no volunteers, as far as I know. Fairfax County, VA has several stations that accept volunteers, though I'm not sure how many of them are close to George Mason (the only college in the county, I think).

You could probably run with a Maryland volunteer station if you're going to college in the city if you have the time to drive out and pull shifts.
 
Thanks very much! And its American University for those that were asking.
 
No info on the EMS situation there sorry. But the city is awesome. Only place I've ever considered moving after one visit.
 
Unfortunately, AU doesn't have an on-campus EMS organization and the only EMS in DC is the DCFD.
The Glen Echo FD is easily accessible by public transportation though, and they take volunteers. http://www.gefd.org/
 
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I was under the impression that the glen echo department was a Maryland FD? Am I wrong?
 
It's very easy to apply for reciprocity in VA. You just fill out a short form and send it to VAOEMS with copies of your ID and cert, and that's about it.
 
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