Paramedic or EMT - Emergency Communications Specialist - Full-time

Erlanger Health System•Chattanooga, TN

12d

About The Position

The LIFE FORCE Emergency Communications Specialist at Erlanger serves as a central communications hub supporting air medical flight operations, event medicine and special operations teams, regional medical coordination (MedComm), and Erlanger’s emergency and disaster response efforts. The position operates in a technical regional communications center and coordinates communications within Erlanger and with EMS and healthcare partners. It requires variable shifts, including nights, weekends, and holidays; routine on-call responsibilities; and potential field response through deployment of a mobile communications unit. For air medical operations, the specialist coordinates transport requests, flight and communications plans, aircraft tracking and flight following under FAA Part 135 requirements, heliport movements, and communications with aircraft, pilots, transport teams, hospitals, 911 centers, and emergency responders. The specialist maintains flight and patient-related records, monitors weather and navigation resources, coordinates safe patient transfers, and facilitates interoperable communications for missions. The specialist establishes and manages communications for LIFE FORCE event medicine, special operations, tactical medical teams, and other field deployments. The role also coordinates medical control and communications between EMS providers and hospitals across Tennessee EMS Region 3 and surrounding areas, supports routine and large-scale EMS events, and assists with mass casualty and disaster response in coordination with mutual aid partners, the State Emergency Operations Center, and the Tennessee Division of EMS. For Erlanger emergency and disaster preparedness, the specialist coordinates with emergency management, the Safety Officer, the EHS Command Center, and external responders. Duties include coordinating response and recovery resources, activating system-wide alerts, managing inbound emergency traffic, and supporting interoperable communications among responding agencies. The specialist works with other communications specialists, nurses, and providers in the Erlanger Regional Operations Center (EROC), helps maintain its readiness, may serve as a preceptor, and may be assigned to the field division as needed.

Requirements

Graduate of an EMT-Basic, Advanced EMT, or EMT-Paramedic program.
At least two years of public safety field experience or two years of emergency communications center or emergency operations center experience.
Experience reflecting general knowledge of pre-hospital EMS practice and skills or pre-hospital incident command system operations and management.
Knowledge of current trends and developments, principles, and practices in emergency communications and pre-hospital medicine applicable to areas requiring special education.
Current Tennessee licensure to practice as an EMT-Basic, Advanced EMT, or EMT-Paramedic.
Current BLS certification before working in the unit or department, maintained thereafter.
Obtain Certified Flight Communicator certification within one year of employment.
Complete FEMA ICS-100, ICS-200, ICS-700, and ICS-800 courses within 60 days of employment.
Valid driver’s license.
Ability to coordinate local and regional air and ground EMS responses and radio traffic.
Ability to accurately develop flight and communications plans, maintain required records, and perform flight-following duties.
Ability to provide radio and telecommunications assistance appropriate to patients’ ages and support continuity of care during transport.
Flexibility for variable shifts, including nights, weekends, and holidays; routine on-call responsibilities; and potential field response.

Nice To Haves

Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) certificate.
APCO Certified Public Safety Telecommunicator certification.
Associate or bachelor’s degree.
Call center, 911 center, or air medical communications experience.
Supervisory experience in EMS or another public safety discipline.
Experience with computer-aided dispatch programs, automatic vehicle location tracking systems, electronic patient care record systems, or electronic health record systems.
Experience working in a hospital emergency department or other healthcare outpatient setting.
Nationally Registered AEMT or EMT-P.
ITLS or PHTLS certification.
PALS or PEPP and ACLS certifications.
FEMA ICS-300 and ICS-400 courses.
FEMA Communications Unit Leader (COML) certification.

Responsibilities

Coordinate air medical transport requests from 911 centers and hospitals across the southeastern region.
Develop flight and communications plans, use mapping resources to identify landing zones, create computer-aided dispatch records, and implement interoperable communications plans for flights.
Coordinate with pilots and transport teams, monitor weather and navigation systems, and provide flight following in accordance with FAA Part 135 requirements.
Track aircraft using automated services and manual position reporting, maintain required flight-following records, identify persons on board, locate overdue aircraft, and implement the Post-Accident Incident Plan when applicable.
Coordinate aircraft takeoffs and landings at the Erlanger Heliport and maintain situational awareness of aircraft using other area hospital helipads.
Coordinate with law enforcement, government, and private UAS or drone operators, and track authorized and reported unauthorized UAS activity that could affect air medical aircraft.
Maintain federal, state, local, Med-Trans, and EHS records, including flight-following reports, patient billing data, and time-stamped transport transactions.
Provide radio and telecommunications assistance appropriate to transported patients’ ages, support age-specific services, and activate appropriate receiving-hospital specialty care teams.
Liaise between EMS and hospital emergency departments, route EMS field reports, facilitate medical-control communications, and complete MedComm records for quality assurance and quality of care.
Coordinate EMS resources and communications during routine operations, mass casualty incidents, disasters, mutual aid requests, and large-scale planned events.
Provide incident updates to the regional EMS Consultant, State Emergency Operations Center, and State EMS Director, and coordinate with state and regional hospital partners.
Establish and maintain communications for LIFE FORCE event medicine, special operations, sports medicine, tactical medical, ambulance, and fire mutual aid deployments.
Manage high-volume communications during mass casualty incidents and internal EHS disasters, coordinating among safety and emergency management personnel, the EHS Command Center, response agencies, and regional Emergency Operations Centers.
Work as a team member with communications specialists, nurses, and providers in the EROC.
Help maintain the cleanliness, efficiency, and mission-critical readiness of the EROC.
Be available for field-division assignment as needed and meet the core competencies of EMT or EMT-Paramedic job codes.
May precept new EROC employees, flight crews, or other personnel being oriented to the organization.
Follow departmental and EHS uniform and appearance policies and represent LIFE FORCE, EROC, and Erlanger during tours and visitor interactions.
Perform other duties assigned by the EROC Supervisor or Emergency Communications Manager.