Battalion Chief Carlin Ambulance Billing | Private Partnerships | The Team | Incident Statistics Emergency Medical Services has increased every year since the inception of paramedics in 1989. The Joliet Fire Department strives to have paramedics on scene in less than 6 minutes (after dispatch) more than 90% of the time. The City of Joliet has addressed this issue by providing ALS (advanced life support) ambulances in every fire station in Joliet. This decreases the response time and also improves the response of a second call in the same run area. Since 1990, all newly hired members of the Joliet Fire Department are required to become paramedics within their initial two year probationary period. This is a long and demanding process that includes the successful completion of the following course work:

Lt. Hausmann

• 10 week Firefighter II Training Academy
• 120 hour Emergency Medical Technician Basic Program that meets three times a week for 3 ½ months. There is also 16 hours of Hospital Emergency Room Clinical time required.
• 1000 hour Paramedic Program that meets three times a week for 1 year. The student must also attend 212 hours of Clinical Rotations in various areas of the hospital along with 175 hours of ambulance ride time.

The end of 2007 has brought many changes including the purchase of new 12 lead monitor defibrillators that are capable of End Tidal Volume CO 2 and machines that can provide perfect CPR to a patient in a moving ambulance which also frees up a paramedics hands to perform other duties. This was due to donations from Silver Cross Hospital, Provena St Joseph Medical Center and help from the Zoll Corporation.

Photo: First paramedic class