EMS Balt City Fire Dept

Baltimore City Fire Department, Division of Emergency Medical Services

Residents will have the opportunity to ride along with advanced life support transport units from the Baltimore City Fire Department (BCFD).

BCFD is an urban, all hazards response organization that responds to over 180,000 requests for EMS service per year. 28 full time transport

 units provide advanced life support (ALS) and basic life support (BLS)  services to Baltimore’s citizens. Peak load and critical alert medic units 

supplement daily operations. Fire suppression apparatus are often tasked to supplement EMS responses during high acuity incidents or high

volume times.  Residents are assigned to either veteran paramedic preceptors or an EMS Lieutenant/officer.  Leadership of the EMS Division

consists of a an Assistant Chief, 2 Deputy Chiefs, Battalion Chiefs, EMS Captains, and EMS Lieutenants. Drs. Jennifer Guyther, Jeff Nusbaum

and Benjamin Lawner provide oversight for EMS operations. Overall operations are the responsibility of the Fire Chief James Wallace.  

The EMS Division also operates community outreach and population health teams. A nurse practitioner is paired with a community paramedic
to perform first response to lower acuity EMS incidents. The population health team provides leave behind naloxone, outreach to high EMS
utilizers, and co-response to incidents involving possible opioid overdose. Dr. Daniel Gingold is the assistant medical director for population
health related operations.

Residents may complete a dedicated EMS elective in order to gain additional experience with medical control and scene operations.

Opportunities exist to participate in all aspects of pre-hospital medicine including quality assurance/improvement, education, emergency medical

dispatch, and special operations.

 

The Baltimore City Fire Department also provides medical support at mass gathering and sporting events throughout the city. Resident

physicians and medical students are encouraged to participate in the planning and  execution of mass gathering medical plans. 

 

 

                                                           

 

Ride A Long Procedure

 

Residents will be assigned to ride alongs during the emergency department rotation at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Residents will

report to a pre-determined location, usually the Steadman Fire Station, at the corner of Lombard and Eutaw Streets. Ride a longs subject

to staffing and unit availability constraints. Currently (as of 09/2022), medical students have the option to ride along as follows: 

MONDAY-FRIDAY: Medic 1, Steadman Station, pm shift
SATURDAY-SUNDAY: Medic 1, Steadman Station, am or pm shift
Reporting times are usually at 0700 or 1900 hours accordingly. 
 

The EMS officer on duty has the authority to reassign or relocate students to an available unit. Please notify EMS6  or
the appropriate EMS district officer via email or phone if  changes are necessary to the ride along schedule. 
 

 

Ride A Long Attire

Scrubs are acceptable EMS attire. Residents should wear closed-toed shoes and bring a stethoscope and their official, UMMC-issued identification. 

Jackets and labcoats are not recommended for the EMS rotation. Personal protective equipment such as gloves/masks are found on departmental

ambulances.  

During the COVID epidemic, residents and students must bring their own PPE to consist of surgical masks, N95/Kn95 or other
approved and fit tested mask. Eye protection is also required.

Contact the EMS officer on duty if you do not have access to required PPE or experience lost or malfunctioning equipment. 

 

Food

Baltimore City medic units are frequently engaged in response-oriented tasks and food is often purchased "to-go." Residents are encouraged to

bring cash to cover food associated expenses. Some fire stations offer to include residents in daily meals for a fixed fee of 5-6 dollars. Residents

should plan on bringing food to the rotation if specific dietary restrictions exist. 

 

Questions?

Contact the Baltimore City EMS Medical Directors with any additional questions or concerns! 
Dr. Benjamin Lawner, Medical Director
Dr. Jennifer Guyther, Deputy Medical Director
 

 

Contact Information

EMS1, 2120 Eastern Avenue: 443-695-0134
EMS2, 801 E 25th Street: 443-690-6822
EMS3, 2249 Edmonson Avenue: 443-690-6803
EMS4, 1100 Walters Avenue: 443-992-8352
EMS6, Eutaw and Lombard Street: 443-695-0244
EMS5,  5500 Reisterstown Road: 443-690-6805

 

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BCFD Specific Links:

BCFD Official Webpage (Station and medic unit locations can be found here!) 
Waiver for Observational / Ride A Long Shifts
*NEW* COVID Addendum for Waiver
 

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