Translate[Archived] Question #60: What does it cost to convert a medic to dual-role?
Question:
What does it cost to convert a medic to dual-role?
Response:
A newly hired
firefighter who intends to pursue dual-role status typically comes to the
department with their National Registry Paramedic certification. If
not, the cost of certifying the individual is an additional $8,000 for tuition,
books, and lab supplies (not including the overtime of detailing them). The
cost to train a new hire firefighter with their paramedic certification is
largely the same as other new recruits of approximately $118,000 per recruit.
This estimate is based on the most recent recruit school costs detailed in the
table below:
| Description | Cost |
| Salary & Fringes of personnel pulled from the field to teach recruit school (8 personnel) for 7 months | ~$491,000 |
| Overtime for other staff who provide instruction and drills | ~$215,000 |
| Consumable supplies, instruction materials, gear | ~$80,0000 |
| Salaries and benefits of recruits | ~$83,000 per recruit x 22 recruits in school = $1.8M |
| Total | $2.6M |
| Divide total by 22 recruits | $118k per recruit |
After
graduation, a recruit is required to pass 6-10 months of internship and
testing. The cost of the internship is largely the recruit’s salary and
benefits during this time as the providers on the medic unit would already be
working regardless. Once the internship is completed, the employee is
considered a “fully qualified” dual-role provider and now counts toward minimum
staffing.
The cost of advancing a single role medic to a dual-role firefighter/ALS provider is approximately $12,300 per responder. The costs are detailed in the table below:
| Description | Cost |
| Salary & Fringes of single role medics (including backfill) from the field to attend fire school | ~$68,000 |
| Overtime for other staff to assist with instruction/drills | ~$19,700 |
| Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) | ~$11,400 |
| Total | $99,000 |
| Divide total by 8 single role medics | $12,300 to convert a single role medic to a dual role provider |
Some of the
costs listed for both conversion and new hires are sunk costs that cannot/would
not be recovered or divided out differently if a dual-role provider leaves the
Department.