The Leadership/Management track of the Idaho State University Bachelor of Science with Concentration in Emergency Medical Services has two upper-division 3-credit undergraduate courses: EMS 3300 “Foundations of EMS Systems” in the Fall and EMS/FSA 3335 “Management of Emergency Medical Services” in the Spring.

Because 3335 is also an elective in the Fire Service Administration bachelor’s degree, 3335 uses the Wombat City Fire Department as the semester-long simulation. Wombat Fire has four overworked paramedic ambulances in an urban/suburban environment.

One of the joys of teaching at ISU is that I can update both 3300 and 3335 every year to reflect changes and current issues impacting EMS and fire departments. There is no textbook; the learning management system provides all content, including webinars, white papers, industry publications, and peer-reviewed research.

What Is Covered in EMS/FSA 3335

The course is oriented to the outcomes of the 2010 National Fire Academy Fire and Emergency Services Higher Education (FESHE) EMS Model curriculum for “Management of Emergency Medical Services.” As of June 2026, the model curriculum is under revision.

3335 introduces the principles and methods of managing day-to-day activities within an Emergency Medical Services organization. Focus on effective patient outcomes through various processes, improving caregiver performance using Just Culture principles, responding to mass casualty incidents, fire-based EMS, and the challenge of managing caregivers with different credentials and competencies.

EMS/FSA 3335 Course Objectives

1. Characterize the relationship between EMS response times and patient outcomes
2. Calculate ambulance Unit Hour Utilization
3. Explain ways to improve EMS response times
4. Develop a work improvement plan for a first-line EMS supervisor
5. Apply Just Culture techniques to a bad outcome situation
6. Compare the workplace issues between a single-role caregiver and a firefighter/caregiver within a fire department
7. Explain the critical factors when responding to a mass casualty or active shooter event

Ambulance Workload, Response Times, and Non-Transport Emergency Medical Responders

Fire-based ambulances are among the busiest units in the United States, with some units exceeding 9,000 responses a year. We look at Unit Hour Utilization (UHU), fatigue risk management, Number Needed to Treat, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival, and the role of non-transport emergency medical responders, including the crushing load of fire company response to EMS calls.

The Supervisor’s Role in Risk Reduction: Private/Commercial EMS Supervisors Have More Responsibilities

We cover the regulation of out-of-hospital medical care, the supervisor’s role in risk reduction, applying Just Culture to EMS misadventures, writing a performance improvement plan, and improving system performance.

As pointed out in August’s Which EMS Credential is Best? some of the NFPA 1020 Standard for Fire and Emergency Services Instructor, Fire Officer, and Emergency Medical Services Officer Professional Qualifications (2025) Job Performance Requirements (JPRs) for EMS Officers show significant differences in roles.

The Fire Officer I is supervising a single fire company; the EMS Officer I is expected to “Manage unit staffing assignments, given scheduled deployment, special conditions, and emerging situations, so that operational needs are met.” That is a task performed by a manager (Captain or Battalion Chief) on the fire suppression side.

The EMS Officer II is expected to “Manage staffing assignments across multiple units or areas, given the need to adjust staffing and a list of personnel and their capabilities, so that the staffing needs of the organization are met.” That implies an agency-wide resource allocation, usually done by a manager/administrator (Battalion Chief or higher) on the suppression side.

Taking Care of Caregivers

We look at the work environment, caregiver credentialing, and improving caregiver resilience. This includes components from my doctoral research into organizational justice and fire-based paramedic behavioral health outcomes.

Funding, Response to Catastrophes, and Expanding the Fire Department Role in Out-of-Hospital Care

We examine the current issues in funding EMS operations, responding to catastrophes, and the expanding role some fire departments are providing in unscheduled out-of-hospital care. We will look at one of the October 2026 “Transition Reviews” from the Academy of International Mobile Healthcare Integration (AimHi). This section of the course includes looking at Population Health, the unhoused, the addicted, and those with behavioral health issues.

The Resilience of Fire-Based “Wicked Problems”

We wrap up the course by briefly revisiting Los Angeles City and Baltimore City fire department ambulance services, comparing what I found in 2000-2007 with what Citygate and FACETS reported in their 2021 and 2023 evaluations. We take a deeper dive into an ongoing metro-city fire-based EMS performance issue.

Interested in Learning More? Enroll as a non-degree student

This is an online course with a LIVE face-to-face session. The LIVE (Zoom) sessions will run 7 pm to 9 pm Mountain time, from January 11 through May 3. We will post a video recording and transcript of the Monday night LIVE session on the learning management system on Tuesday mornings. There will be 12 LIVE sessions.

We will email a summary of the LIVE session and a list of activities to complete before the next LIVE session on Tuesday mornings. You do not have to attend the Monday night live sessions. To get participation credit for that week, you will need to either attend the LIVE session or email an answer to two questions that will be posted in the Tuesday morning email.

Activities include five small group activities analyzing an issue within the Wombat City Fire Department, three individual assignments responding to a Wombat Fire issue, three multiple choice quizzes, and a 2,500 – 3,000 word research paper requiring 15 references.

The Mid-Term and Final exams present four Wombat Fire scenarios where you, as a Captain working for the Wombat City Fire Department Operations Division Assistant Chief, apply the learning points from the lectures and recommend a course of action to the Operations Division Chief. Because some scenarios require research, we preview them during the appropriate LIVE sessions.

Where can I Use This Course for Credentialing?

This course does NOT satisfy ProBoard or IFSAC credentialing for NFPA 1020 EMS Officer I/II or CAPCE continuing education. It can count as an education element in a portfolio package for the American College of Paramedic Executives or the Center for Public Safety Excellence‘s Chief EMS Officer application.

Email questions about the course to my university email: michaelward (at) isu.edu

Enroll before December 1, 2026

Since this is an online class, you pay the in-state rate as a part-time student: $475 per credit hour or $1,425 for 3335. https://www.isu.edu/costinfo/undergraduate-tuition/#d.en.193795

• Create an ISU account at http://www.isu.edu/apply/
• Fill out the undergraduate non-degree-seeking application
  • The form is online at http://www.isu.edu/apply/.
• Pay the $50 non-refundable application fee
• Register for either EMS 3335 or FSA 3335
  • It is the same course but offered under two programs

I look forward to seeing you in class.