Eighteen young men and women completed County Fire’s first North County Emergency Medical Services Corps cohort, the County of San Diego said.

The EMS Corps prepares participants to become Emergency Medical Technicians and to earn a California EMT Card; the county said the program combines classroom instruction, realistic emergency scenarios and intensive hands-on training over 20 weeks.

The county said the grant-funded effort provides more than 400 hours of EMS training and more than 150 hours of mentorship, tutoring, career coaching, fitness and counseling, and that graduates can earn up to 12 college credits at Palomar College.

Participants receive a monthly $1,500 stipend and wraparound services such as post-graduate job assistance, financial literacy coaching, childcare and housing resources, the county said. The Employment Development Department and Public Works Alliance provided the state grant, and San Diego Workforce Partnership invested in the program’s North County expansion.

"Behind every graduate in this room is an ecosystem of wraparound support made up of case managers, instructors, and mentors who simply refused to let them fail," said Tareq Haidari, program coordinator. Haidari said the graduation is a steppingstone toward careers in EMS and healthcare and urged graduates to represent the EMS Corps with pride and integrity.

The county said the application period is currently closed but will reopen soon; adults ages 18 to 26 who live in California and meet the EMS Bureau background requirements are encouraged to apply. More information is available at sandiegoemscorps.org.

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County of San Diego

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