Paramedic Crew Leader

GENERAL STATEMENT OF JOB

The purpose of this class is to provide leadership and supervision of assigned crew members during scheduled shifts, ensuring prompt, effective, and safe response to medical emergencies. This position enforces compliance with all applicable policies, procedures, protocols, and standards of quality and safety, responds to and manages emergency calls, and provides advanced medical care at the Paramedic level. Work is performed within a general outline of duties, with the employee developing work methods and sequences under general supervision.

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Essential Functions:

• Assists the EMS Shift Manager and the Assistant to the EMS Shift Manager in managing emergency medical stations, personnel, and equipment on assigned shift; ensures compliance with all applicable policies, procedures, regulations, protocols, and standards of quality and safety; and ensures quality of patient care delivered by the crew.

• Supervises the duties of an assigned crew member or members in assigned unit including: instructing, assigning, and reviewing work of others; maintaining standards; coordinating activities; allocating personnel; acting on employee problems; and recommending employee discipline. 

• Reviews the work of assigned crew for completeness and accuracy; assists in evaluating performance; makes recommendations as appropriate; and offers training, advice, and assistance as needed.

• Performs check off on equipment; inspects vehicles and equipment daily to ensure cleanliness, sanitation, proper condition, and an adequate inventory of supplies; restocks as needed; cleans and sanitizes vehicles; and notifies proper personnel of equipment/vehicle maintenance needs.

• Assists in accounting for the security and use of controlled substances.

• Assists in training new employees.

• Drives ambulance in response to emergency calls; requests additional resources for the control of incidents as required; ensures safety at the scene; and serves as incident commander until relieved by higher authority.

• Routinely responds to emergency calls and provides advanced life support and emergency care to the sick and injured; determines nature and extent of injuries or illnesses; assists in lifting and carrying patients in and out of ambulance; and transports patients to appropriate medical facility. 

• Performs such procedures as immobilization and bandaging, CPR, intubation, cardiac activity monitoring, administering medications, electrical cardioversion and/or defibrillation and pacing, IV therapy, and others as permitted according to certification; maintains constant awareness of patient condition; identifies and relays diagnostic signs to medical personnel while in route to medical facility; and reports verbally and in writing to emergency room personnel upon arrival.

• Performs extrication and other rescue procedures as necessary.

• Notifies dispatch personnel and Coroner’s Office in the case of patient death; arranges for the protection of property and evidence at the scene.

• Ensures crew compliance with infection control procedures before and after exposure.

• Documents accident scenes for reports as required.

• Participates in public education/community relations efforts and events as required.

• Prepares and maintains detailed records as required; completes chart on calls responded to on shift.

• Performs general housekeeping duties as required; cleans substation; and cleans unit.

• Receives and responds to public inquiries, complaints, and requests for assistance in areas of responsibility.

• Performs general clerical work as required including preparing reports; copying and filing documents; entering and retrieving computer data; answering the telephone; etc.

• Keeps abreast of new technology, methods, and regulations for emergency medical assistance operations; attends meetings, training (including training on equipment), and continuing education classes as required and/or appropriate to enhance job knowledge and skills and maintain certifications.

• Remains available 24 hours per day, seven days per week (as scheduled), for emergency callback.

• Performs other duties as assigned.

MINIMUM EDUCATION AND TRAINING

• High school diploma or equivalent.

• Associates degree or higher in emergency management, emergency medical services, or another related field (desirable).

• One (1) year of related EMS work experience.

-or-

• Any combination of education and experience that meets the requirements for performing the essential functions of this job.

Licenses/Certifications/Other:

• Must possess a valid state driver’s license.

• Active SC Department of Public Health Paramedic Certification

• National Registry of EMTs (NREMT) Paramedic Certification

• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)

• Basic Life Support (BLS/CPR)

• Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) desirable

• CEVO

• FEMA ICS 100, 200, 700, 800

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND STANDARDS REQUIRED

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Data Involvement: Requires gathering, organizing, analyzing, examining, or evaluating data or information and may prescribe action based on such data or information.

• People Involvement: Requires supervising or leading others by determining work procedures, assigning duties, maintaining harmonious relations and promoting efficiency. Must maintain professional conduct at all times.

• Involvement with Things: Requires leading, operating or repairing complex machinery or equipment that requires extended training and experience, such as emergency medical equipment, ambulances, etc., or the application of complex equipment. Involves operations of limited scope.

• Reasoning Requirements: Requires performing supervisory work involving policy and guidelines, solving both people- and work-related problems.

• Mathematical Requirements: Requires using basic algebra involving variables and formulas and/or basic geometry involving plane and solid figures, circumferences, areas and volumes, and/or computing discounts and interest rates.

• Language Requirements: Requires reading journals, manuals and professional publications; speaking informally to groups of co-workers, staff in other organizational agencies, the general public, people in other organizations; composing original reports, training and other written materials using proper language, punctuation, grammar, and style.

• Mental Requirements: Requires reading journals, manuals and professional publications; speaking informally to groups of co-workers, staff in other organizational agencies, the general public, people in other organizations; composing original reports, training and other written materials using proper language, punctuation, grammar, and style.

• Computer Requirements: Requires the ability to use computers for basic data entry, word processing, and communication, including completing forms, logging patient or incident information, and using email or other standard office applications.

• Judgments and Decisions: Has responsibility for actions of others, requiring almost constant decisions affecting co-workers, patients, customers, clients, or others in the general public; works in a moderately fluid environment with guidelines and rules, but frequent variations from the routine.

Physical Requirements:

The work is heavy work which requires the person to occasionally exert up to 100 pounds of force, and/or up to 50 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 20 pounds of force constantly to grasp, lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects. Additionally, the following physical abilities are required:

• Balancing:  Maintaining body equilibrium to prevent falling while walking, standing, or crouching on narrow, slippery, or erratically moving surfaces. The amount of balancing exceeds that needed for ordinary locomotion and maintenance of body equilibrium.

• Crawling:  Moving about on hands and knees or hands and feet.

• Crouching: Bending the body downward and forward by bending leg and spine.

• Feeling:  Perceiving attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature or texture by touching with skin, particularly that of fingertips.

• Grasping:  Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm.

• Handling:  Picking, holding, or otherwise working, primarily with the whole hand.

• Hearing: Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction. Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and to make the discrimination in sound.

• Kneeling: Bending legs at knee to come to a rest on knee or knees.

• Lifting: Raising objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position-to-position. Occurs to a considerable degree and requires substantial use of upper extremities and back muscles.

• Manual Dexterity: Picking, pinching, typing, or otherwise working, primarily with fingers rather than with the whole hand as in handling.

• Mental Acuity: Ability to make rational decisions through sound logic and deductive processes.

• Pulling: Using upper extremities to exert force in order to draw, haul or tug objects in a sustained motion.

• Pushing: Using upper extremities to press against something with steady force in order to thrust forward, downward or outward.

• Reaching: Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction.

• Repetitive Motion:  Substantial movements (motions) of the wrist, hands, and/or fingers.

• Speaking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word including the ability to convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately and concisely.

• Standing: Particularly for sustained periods of time.

• Stooping: Bending body downward and forward by bending spine at the waist. Occurs to a considerable degree and requires full motion of the lower extremities and back muscles.

• Talking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word including those activities in which they must convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly. Shouting in order to be heard above ambient noise level.

• Visual Acuity: Have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; and/or extensive reading. Including color, depth perception, and field vision. Visual Acuity to determine the accuracy, neatness, and thoroughness of the work assigned or to make general observations of facilities or structures. Have visual acuity to operate motor vehicles and/or heavy equipment. Have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: visual inspection involving small defects, small parts, operation of machines; using measurement devices; and/or assembly or fabrication parts at distances close to the eyes.

• Walking: Moving about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or moving from one work site to another.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

May be required to work hours other than the regular schedule including nights, weekends, and holidays. This position requires regular and reliable attendance and the employee’s physical presence at the workplace. The job may risk exposure to extreme heat and/or cold, wet or humid conditions, extreme noise levels, vibration, fumes and/or noxious odors, airborne particles, animals/wildlife, traffic hazards, moving machinery, electrical shock, heights, disease/pathogens, toxic/caustic chemicals, and violence. Work is performed dealing with crisis situations that require making decisions involving people, resources, and property.

EEO AND ADA MESSAGE

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the essential job functions satisfactorily.  Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the primary job functions described herein.  Since every duty associated with this position may not be described herein, employees may be required to perform duties not specifically spelled out in the job description, but which may be reasonably considered to be incidental in the performing of their duties just as though they were written out in this job description.

Richland County is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  ADA requires the County to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities.  Prospective and current employees are invited to discuss accommodations.

Richland County has the right to revise this job description at any time. This description does not represent in any way a contract of employment.

Compensation Range: $25.12 - $40.15