Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Workforce Development City Emt topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City EMT reports 189 alumni, 164 state‑licensed EMTs; asks SFFD to sustain partnership
Summary
Attica Bowden and City EMT program staff told the Fire Commission the workforce pipeline has produced 189 program alumni, 164 licensed EMTs and an internship that led 39 participants into H-2/H-3 firefighter pathways; presenters asked the commission to continue departmental support and advocacy.
San Francisco — The City EMT workforce program reported July 23 that it has graduated 189 participants since 2021 and that 164 of those alumni have passed California’s EMT licensing exam, founder Attica Bowden told the Fire Commission.
Bowden said City EMT runs two cohorts per year, pays participants a stipend during training and uses a 99T internship with the San Francisco Fire Department to create pathways into firefighting and EMS careers. “We are very excited to call the year of 2025 our year of expansion,” program director Christine Ison said, listing new offerings that include a wildland course, emergency-dispatch test prep and free community CPR classes.
Why it matters: The program provides a local recruitment and career pipeline for EMS and firefighting roles at a time the San Francisco Fire Department reported 63 retirees in the fiscal year and is implementing staffing reassignments.
Key numbers and outcomes
- Alumni and licensing: Bowden said City EMT has 189 alumni and that 164 have successfully passed the California state EMT license examination.
- Internship and upward mobility: City EMT has run a 99T internship program with the SFFD; 70 students have participated in that internship and 39 of those interns became H-2 or H-3 firefighters, Bowden said. Several alumni are enrolled in paramedic programs or have moved into nursing and other health careers.
- Class size and demand: Bowden said cohorts are capped at 25 seats; during the most recent open application period the program received 117 applicants. Participants receive an “earn‑and‑learn” stipend (Bowden said $11,200 for the 16–17 week class) contingent on attendance, homework and professionalism standards.
Program expansions and requests
Program director Christine Ison described three new programs launched in 2025: a wildland course (first class of 22 with 20 graduates), an emergency-dispatch test-prep course and free community CPR classes in the Bayview and Sunnydale neighborhoods. Ison said staff hope to expand class capacity from 25 to 28 students with additional funding.
Bowden and Ison asked the commission to continue SFFD’s partnership—particularly instructors, ride-along access and training-facility use—and to advocate for sustained funding. “We are here to help…these students are citywide,” Bowden said.
What’s next: City EMT is interviewing candidates for cohort 10 and expects continued collaboration with SFFD instructors and city training sites; the presenters asked commissioners to advocate for continued departmental support.
