KING COUNTY MEDIC ONE PROGRAM

Shoreline Fire Department is proud to belong to the King County Medic One Program.  Shoreline has participated in this paramedic program since 1977, just seven years after one of the first programs in the nation was started by two doctors in Seattle.  Shoreline Fire initially selected six individuals to start the pilot program in our district.  Today we employ about twenty-five full-time Firefighter/Paramedics who provide professional 24-hour advanced life support services in our community.  Since the 1970's when this program was first initiated, we have maintained one of the highest survival rates from sudden death (cardiac arrest) in the nation.  In Shoreline, our survival rate for individuals who have experienced sudden death is about 34% whereas the national average is below 10%.

Shoreline Fire Department paramedics are rigorously trained through the University of Washington at Harborview Medical Center.  In addition to the 10-month intensive training program and comprehensive testing, paramedics must continually maintain training experience to remain certified and must re-certify every two years.