our mission

The mission of our programs is to increase diversity in the first responder profession by instructing inner city youth in the EMT and Fire curriculum. Our goal is to create civic-minded EMTs and firefighters who will utilize their newly learned skills to work with community based programs, as well as local EMS and fire agencies.


Driven by passion for change

BAY EMT is able to offer the fire curriculum through a collaborative effort with the Alameda County Fire Department and Fremont Fire Department. The instruction is designed with an emphasis on improving study habits, test taking abilities and community awareness. The curriculum is expanded to include basic information on U.S. history, politics, government and current events. All students are required to participate in volunteer events that are scheduled by the program. BAY EMT works with schools, local non-profits, churches, and community agencies to provide these volunteer opportunities.

BAY EMT utilizes a targeted recruitment strategy to ensure that all selected students reflect our programs' objectives. The 18 to 24 age range is optimal, however students outside this range are also accepted into our programs.

The BAY EMT Program admits students of any race, national origin and ethnic origin to all rights, privileges, programs and activities made available to students of the program. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin or ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admission policies or scholarships.

The BAY EMT Program was created in 2002 in Oakland, California. The program was originally designed to teach the EMT curriculum to Oakland high school students. Our current recruitment efforts have expanded to include young adults from the inner cities of all neighboring Bay Area communities.

BAY EMT is a community-based organization designed to provide education, mentoring and career development to students who are accepted into our programs.

The concept for BAY EMT was envisioned while the founders were attending the Carl Holmes Executive Development Institute (EDI), a chief officer training program for firefighters. The program idea came into life after we attended a lecture on community-based education.

HISTORY

Six months later, we held our first BAY EMT session. To this day, BAY EMT’s instructors and staff include EDI graduates who share the same love for community and service.

EDI’s motto fully embodies BAY EMT’s mission and values:

All that I am I owe...
I live eternally
in the red.

CORE VALUES

Critical Thinking

Personal Growth

Intellectual Exploration