What does cross-training mean to you? If you think it’s only hours spent working out in the gym, think again. Although physical strength and endurance are definitely required, Ocean City, Md., has formed a new part-time firefighter recruitment program wherein applicants train as EMTs while putting in work hours. The hope is that this pilot program will get recruits in with the promise of a paying job while they train.

In much the same way as many employers will offer to pay for college courses if you commit to a certain period of time at the job, this looks to be something fire departments and other city workers will be exploring.

Fire Chief Richard Bowers believes there will be positive results from this new class, which will be held in-house. “We’re still doing traditional recruiting, too. Right now we’ve got a pool of about 100 applications, which we’ll scan and then work on interviewing. But that doesn’t mean we’ll necessarily get 100 people in the end.”

So how does it differ? With the completion of the EMT classes, the recruits will sign a three-year contract to stay with the department, and that’s 900 hours of part-time labor, 500 of which must be scheduled on weekends.

Bowers said, “The pilot program will start in the fall — late September, most likely. It has to be carefully timed because there are huge public events in the spring and summer, and we have to have enough manpower to cover it. It will probably end up being a nighttime class, because some recruits may already have a job or other continuing education requirements, and we want to work around their schedules for someone not in the fire department.”

While grant money is out there, there are guidelines that must be honored. Some, for example, are only available to train volunteers, not those who are being paid while they learn.

As for future funds, Bowers explained, “Some will come from within the budget, and we hope for some other resources. We’re hoping it will become a line item in the annual budget, and it very well might. The reason we’re running it as a pilot program is that it may extend our chances to offer a daytime class as well, eventually.”

When the first classes are completed, Bowers said, “We’ll have to look at the pros and cons, evaluate what we get from the applicants who are successful. They will be under contract since we are paying them.”

This contract will be for a period of time that is yet to be determined. If they follow through with the contract, they would not have to pay back anything, but Bowers added, “If they left before that time was up, it would be prorated. Because once they get EMT training in addition to their fire training, they will be very highly sought after. We are making them the best! After that period of time — the contracted period — they could leave, go to another position somewhere.”

How many recruits do the Ocean City Fire Department hope for? “We’re hoping for a targeted 10 to 12 people. Understand, the class must be small since it’s a pilot, and we don’t know what the recruitment would be. We know if we have 10 to 12 — because it’s a very challenging class — we may lose some. So if we end up with eight to 10 that would probably be beneficial,” replied Bowers.

Bowers anticipates a good success rate. “I think people will look at what we’ve already done. In my experience with the fire service, we do something very similar already; we would hire people with no training and put them through the six-month training academy. They would come out with certification, so I guess you could say we’re trying a bit of a hybrid (approach). We’re looking for people that already have firefighter certification, but not EMT. Our department needs people who are cross-trained. This class is trying to draw newer, and possibly younger, personnel.”

When it comes to other cities that might want to try something similar, Bowers said, “First thing would be to set up what the program would be, then develop a recruitment plan and then a funding plan. Write up a contract the individuals would sign. When it’s done, measure the success and find out if there are any pinch points, which you would eliminate to the best of your ability. Then you go on from there.” He added, “And this is particularly appealing to combination forces, by which I mean volunteer and career.”

And smaller towns could do very well with this ability to have cross-trained staff, Bowers said, in that one person could do the work of two in a crisis situation. Bowers is realistic about how it will all play out, though. “You gotta crawl before you walk, and walk before you run!”

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