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Firefighter/paramedic education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
Usually, firefighter/paramedics don't need a college education. The most common degree for firefighter/paramedics is associate degree with 48% graduates, with only 32% firefighter/paramedic graduates earning bachelor's degree. Firefighter/paramedics who decided to graduate from college often finish Columbia Southern University or University of Cincinnati. Some good skills to have in this position include patients, cpr and emt.

Popular firefighter/paramedic certifications include Equipment Management Specialist (EMS), Emergency Medical Services, or Community Paramedic Certification (CP-C). To improve firefighter/paramedic qualification and skills, we prepared some online courses to help in firefighter/paramedic education paths.

What education do you need to become a firefighter/paramedic?

What degree do you need to be a firefighter/paramedic?

The most common degree for firefighter/paramedics is associate degree, with 48% of firefighter/paramedics earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are bachelor's degree degree at 32% and bachelor's degree degree at 6%.
  • Associate, 48%
  • Bachelor's, 32%
  • High School Diploma, 6%
  • Master's, 5%
  • Other Degrees, 9%

What should I major in to become a firefighter/paramedic?

You should major in medical technician to become a firefighter/paramedic. 30% of firefighter/paramedics major in medical technician. Other common majors for a firefighter/paramedic include fire science and protection and business.

Best majors for firefighter/paramedics

20 best online courses for firefighter/paramedics

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1. Trauma Emergencies and Care

coursera

Welcome to Trauma Emergencies and Care. In this course, you will learn about some of the mechanics and physics of trauma on the human body, and how this can cause injury. You will continue to expand your new vocabulary with medical terminology, and learn how to describe the different injuries you may see. You will also learn about the trauma system itself- and when it is important to transport patients to a trauma center. Then we will dive into specific injuries based on what part of the body...

2. Emergency Care: Pregnancy, Infants, and Children

coursera

Welcome to the final course of lectures in your quest to master EMT basics. In this course, we will cover some of the highest-stress patient populations: pregnant patients and kids, also known as pediatrics. To wrap up your EMT knowledge we will end this course with information about hazmat situations, extricating patients from tight spots and finally how you write a note about your patient care. You will learn to ensure it communicates what your assessment of the patient was, what...

3. Basic Fire Safety Awareness

udemy
4.3
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Basic Fire Safety Awareness - Your Gateway towards Career in Fire Safety...

4. Fire Safety: Become A Fire Safety Expert

udemy
4.3
(484)

Become an expert in Fire Safety, Fire Hazards Control, Fire Evacuation Plans, and Fire Risk Assessment...

5. Medical Emergencies: Airway, Breathing, and Circulation

coursera

In this course, you will develop the knowledge and skills to assess and stabilize certain types of patients for transport. By the end of this course, you will be able to: 1) assess a basic medical patient 2) describe general pharmacologic principles and the skills associated with medication administration, 3) explain airway physiology, the assessment of the airway and available interventions for airway management, 4) identify, assess and formulate a plan to stabilize a patient with a...

6. Medical Emergencies: CPR, Toxicology, and Wilderness

coursera

In this course, you will develop the knowledge and skills to assess and stabilize certain types of patients for transport. By the end of this course, you will be able to: (1) Identify the signs and symptoms associated with a patient in shock, to describe the major categories of shock, to assess a patient with signs of shock and formulate a plan for treatment to stabilize the patient for transport, (2) Identify a patient in cardiac arrest and to describe the components of high performance CPR...

7. Fire Safety and Prevention Planning

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4.4
(1,467)

Become an expert in understanding Fire Safety and Prevention Planning for your workplaces and organizations...

8. NEBOSH FIRE SAFETY

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(252)

Managing Fire Safety in Workplace...

9. Traditional herbal medicine in supportive cancer care: From alternative to integrative

coursera

Please join us for an exciting and innovative journey, examining one of the most important and often overlooked aspects of the oncology setting: Traditional Herbal Medicine in Supportive Cancer Care. This course is presented with short lectures offering a wide range of issues related to the principles and practice of herbal medicine in cancer care. The course includes interviews with leading world experts from the field of Integrative Oncology, from the U.S. and Canada, as well as Europe, the...

10. Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care

coursera

This course presents basic principles of cancer survivorship to primary-care physicians. Developed by a team of experts in caring for cancer survivors, and narrated by a primary-care physician, this course provides practical tips and tools that can be easily integrated into medical practice. You will learn about the complex physical and psychosocial needs and concerns of the growing number of cancer survivors, along with the key role that primary care physicians have in guiding these patients...

11. Mantaflow Fire & Smoke Simulation Guide in Blender

udemy
4.7
(335)

Learn everything there is to know about the Fire and Smoke Simulation in Blender!...

12. Sales Fire: B2B Sales & Business Development for Startups

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4.6
(584)

The Ultimate Sales Methodology for Business Development & B2B Sales to Learn Sales Strategy, Sales Skills & Deal Closing...

13. Prehospital care of acute stroke and patient selection for endovascular treatment using the RACE scale

coursera

Acute stroke is a time-dependent medical emergency. In acute ischemic stroke, the first objective is to restore brain flow using sistemic thrombolytic treatment and, in patients with large vessel occlusion, by endovascular treatment. In hemorrhagic stroke there are also specific treatments that can improve the clinical outcome. The sooner the initiation of all these therapies the higher the clinical benefit. Thus, the organization of Stroke Code systems coordinated between emergency medical...

14. Palliative Care Always Capstone Course

coursera

The Palliative Care Always Capstone course is designed to let you test your knowledge about palliative and help others understand the value of palliative care, while showing your creative side. In this course, you will impact community awareness about palliative care, promote self-care and wellness, show-off your communication skills in a virtual environment, and finish the course off by proving your thoughts on ways to offer psychosocial support to a patient and family...

15. Providing Trauma-Informed Care

udemy
4.7
(1,276)

Exploring psychological trauma and how to provide care and compassion to trauma survivors...

16. Fire Starter Sessions Video Workshop with Danielle LaPorte

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5
(1,189)

Strengthen your voice. Prioritize what's sacred. Define success — on your own terms. For Creatives & Entrepreneurs...

17. Operations and Patient Safety for Healthcare IT Staff

coursera

Now that you've been introduced to the world of Health IT and the important role played by electronic health records (EHRs), we'll focus on other technologies that play a role in maintaining ongoing operations in healthcare. Telemedicine, patient portals, barcode scanners, printers, and medical devices are just some of the technologies that impact providers and patients. As an IT support specialist, you’ll be asked to troubleshoot issues with a wide variety of tools. You'll see a scenario with...

18. Prepare for the EMT Certification Test

coursera

Welcome to your final course in Become and EMT! Prepare for the National Registry exam. The title for this course is a little bit misleading. We do hope that at the completion of this course that you feel more prepared to take the skills portion as well as the written portion of the national registry exam. More than anything else, however, our greatest hope is that we have given you the knowledge and tools to provide high quality patient care once you are certified as an EMT or once you achieve...

19. Value-Based Care: Managing Processes to Improve Outcomes

coursera

COURSE 3 of 7. This course is designed to introduce you to critical office-based processes that a value-based practice must manage in the drive towards improved patient outcomes. In Module 2, we’ll focus on office-based and clinical patient-based supporting functions. At every level in healthcare, guidelines, processes, and functions exist to improve outcomes, and following a consistent process will return the best effect. Refine your understanding of value and learn strategies to provide real...

20. Health for All Through Primary Health Care

coursera

This course explores why primary health care is central for achieving Health for All. It provides examples of how primary health care has been instrumental in approaching this goal in selected populations and how the principles of primary health care can guide future policies and actions. Two of the most inspiring, least understood, and most often derided terms in global health discourse are “Health for All” and “Primary Health Care.” In this course, we will explore these terms in the context...

Average firefighter/paramedic salary by education level

Firefighter/paramedics with a Bachelor's degree earn more than those without, at $54,224 annually. With a Associate degree, firefighter/paramedics earn a median annual income of $53,394 compared to $50,705 for firefighter/paramedics with an High School Diploma degree.
Firefighter/paramedic education levelFirefighter/paramedic salary
High School Diploma or Less$50,705
Bachelor's Degree$54,224
Some College/ Associate Degree$53,394

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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