County Seeks Young Adults for Emergency Medical Services Training Program

Young adults with backgrounds in the juvenile justice or child welfare systems have a new opportunity to launch a career in emergency medical services.

The County's Fire and Emergency Medical Services are recruiting applicants ages 18 to 26 for the San Diego Emergency Medical Services Corps-a five-month, hands-on training program that prepares participants to become emergency medical technicians.

Almost 40 prospective applicants attended a County Fire hosted in-person outreach event Tuesday at the County Health and Human Services Agency's South Region facility in Chula Vista.

In partnership with Southwestern College and American Medical Response, the event gave prospective applicants a chance to meet working EMTs and paramedics, learn about the field and try out lifesaving skills such as compression-only CPR and bleeding control.

The first group of students begin training on July 7th. While the deadline to apply for the July cohort has passed, applications are open for two future sessions in January and June 2026. Twenty students will be accepted into each session.

Participants will be enrolled as Southwestern College students and receive a $1,500 monthly stipend. The program combines classroom instruction, hands-on skills training and regular opportunities to ride-along with local ambulance providers while they are in-service.

"This program is longer than a typical three-month EMT course and includes additional hands-on training," said EMS Program Coordinator Tareq Haidari. "It's specifically designed for youth impacted by the child welfare or juvenile justice systems who are looking for a pathway into a career in emergency medical services."

EMS Corps Program Manager Nicholas Bye-Carnes emphasized that the training focuses on active learning over lectures, which helps students retain and apply what they learn.

Support for participants doesn't end at graduation. Through community-based nonprofit organization SBCS, students will receive job placement assistance, mentorship, career coaching and help purchasing essential equipment.

The County is actively seeking applicants from diverse backgrounds. To learn more and apply, visit sandiegoemscorps.org .