Become a Volunteer

Welcome to the prospective volunteer section!  Cary Area EMS currently has three 911 ambulances in service, 24-hours a day, 7 days a week.  We staff our ambulances with full-time, casual-time, and volunteer members.  In order to apply to volunteer, you must first have a current EMT certification.

Volunteering in EMS is an exciting way to gain experience if you are considering a career in EMS, or anywhere else in the health field.  Cary Area EMS receives approximately 7500 calls for service per year, and sees a wide variety of patients and situations.  Volunteers are expected to uphold the same guidelines, policies, and procedures as paid staff, and it would be difficult to tell a volunteer from a paid staff member.

If you are considering volunteering, or getting an EMT certification, but aren’t quite sure, Cary Area EMS allows people to sign up to ride as observers.  You are allowed to ride as an observer between the hours of 7am and 11pm any day of the week, up to twice a month, as long as there is space on the schedule.  You may call Cary Area EMS at (919) 380-6909 to sign up.  You must be at least 18 years of age, and must dress and act professionally when observing.

If you are looking for EMT classes, check the community colleges websites in our LINKS section for upcoming classes. 

If you have your EMT certification, you can fill out a Volunteer Application [ pdf version ] [ word version ].  Along with a completed application, you will need to provide a copy of your current driving record, CCBI report, and a copy of your EMT certification.

Once we have that information, there will be an informal interview where we make sure that you understand the time commitment involved with volunteering for Cary, the environment of Cary EMS, and give you a chance to ask any questions you may have.

In the meantime, here is more information about the application process:

1. Turn in an application which includes a copy of your certification, driving record, and CCBI report.
2. Informal interview & question opportunity.
3. If everything is agreeable, the application will be taken to the next membership meeting and the membership will vote on the application. 
4. If the application is approved by the membership, the applicant will go through an orientation.  During the orientation, applicants will be given a training packet, uniform, a detailed tour of the building, and will be instructed on how to sign up to ride, and what to expect when they start to ride.
5. It typically takes a new person about 6-8 months to complete the training packet.  The applicant will be responsible for getting checked off on skills and will be evaluated by volunteer and paid staff during that time.

As far as time requirements, as a new person, you make your own schedule, but should be riding at least one 12-hour shift a week.  The more you are able to ride, the faster you will complete the training.  Once you move from "3rd Person" status to "2nd Person" status, where you will be on a truck with a paramedic partner, you will be responsible for 5 shifts a month, at least one of which needs to be a weekend shift. 

In addition to your shifts, you should attend our business meetings (first Monday of odd numbered months) and training meetings (second Monday night of each month).  The total number of hours, including meetings ends up being about 65 hours a month. 

In the meantime, you can be working on obtaining your Hepatitis B vaccination or records.  If you have not had the vaccination series, you can get it through your personal physician, or I can get you a letter to start the process through the Wake County Health Department.

If you have any questions about volunteering, or about Cary EMS in general, please feel free to contact me.  Good luck!

Christian Heinrich
Captain, Cary Area EMS
(919) 380-6909
captainA@caryems.com