Much depends on the community you will be serving. Our fire/rescue/BLS-EMS is 95% volunteer, so there is high expectation volunteers will maintain the appropriate skills, knowledge and training. Our ALS has gone from 100% volunteer to 90% career coverage. This has been a reflection of our changing community from primarily rural to an urban setting and to the increased education, training and continuing education requirements to become and maintain paramedic status. Historically, once you were an EMT-B for at least 1 year and had run at least 150 calls as the primary provider, you could then take paramedic training which consisted of additional 300+ hours of classroom and 100+ hours of hands on training. This took anywhere from 9 months to a year depending on the class schedule. Once completed, you were eligible to sit for the class final written and practical exam. In Maryland, you are then required to sit for the National EMT-Paramedic written and practical exam. If you successfully passed these exams you then sit for the Maryland State Protocol exam. If you successfully pass these exams, you then receive your state license (EMP-B’s are certified). Here in Frederick County, MD, once you successfully passed all the above you then served a preceptorship for at least 15+ calls before you are eligible to meet with the County Medical Director, who interviews and decides whether to “cut you lose” under his/her medical license. A lot of effort to become a volunteer paramedic? Well now, due to an expanded scope of practice, individuals who want to become paramedics must now have a minimum of two years of college. These added requirements, generally are too much for many individuals to invest, to become a volunteer, so the move to career paramedics. Please keep in mind the same high quality educational, training, testing and licensing requirements are no different if you want to volunteer or become career. Pete