Training & Education

EMS training and education is an ongoing process of certification of individuals, reinforcement and recertification of knowledge and skills, and the development of an ever increasing and maturing body of knowledge and skills through continuing education and training.  The following courses are available throughout Suffolk County at fire departments, ambulance company facilities, schools, meeting halls, and other locations with suitable training facilities. To these ends, the Division of EMS provides the following educational and training opportunities:

Certified First Responder (CFR)

The Certified First Responder is the entry level certification for professional responders who have limited access to emergency care equipment and supplies and who do not routinely function as members of an ambulance transport team. The original course is fifty-five (5) hours including another four (4) to six (6) hour training module to permit them to use an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). New York State Department of Health certification is for three (3) years. The maximum number of hours for the recertification course is between thirty-seven (37) and forty (40) hours.

Click for a list of available CFR courses. 
New York State CFR Functional Position

Emergency Medical Technician - Basic

The EMT-B course is the entry-level emergency care course for ambulance personnel. The original course consists of between one hundred and fifty (150) hours and one hundred and ninety (190) hours of classroom didactic and skills time and ten (10) hours of clinical observation time. The use of the AED is included in this certification. New York State Department of Health (NYS/DOH) certification is for three (3) years. The minimum number of hours for the recertification course is sixty-five (65) hours.

Click for a list of available EMT-B Original or EMT-B Refresher courses.
New York State EMT Functional Position 

 Certified Instructor Coordinator-Certified Lab Instructor

Certified Instructor Coordinator (CIC) and Certified Lab Instructor (CLI) courses are conducted as part of the Division's role as a New York State Department of Health Course Sponsor for special programs.

New York State CIC and CLI Requirements