Frequently asked questions

The best advice is: 

• Study hard 
• Keep mindful of your physical conditioning and fitness
• Learn as much as you can about paramedics and paramedicine to determine if this career is the right fit for you 
• Earn as many life-saving and first-aid credentials as you can including first aid and CPR
• Build relevant experience as a life guard, swimming/lifesaving instructor, volunteer responder, etc
• Then apply to an accredited paramedic program after you graduate from high school
• Be presistent and focused on your career aspirations

Frontenac Paramedics typically recruits part-time members in late winter and early spring. Senior roles may be posted throughout the year as they open. Visit the County of Frontenac current opportunities page to see any open competitions. Follow the Frontenac Paramedics X account. 

Keep an eye out for opportunities at Kingston Central Ambulance Communications Centre, as well as at neighbouring paramedic services such as Leeds-Grenville, Lennox-Addinton, Lanark County, Renfrew County, and Hastings-Quinte.

Fortify your academic credentials. 

We typically hold interviews for paramedics in late winter or early spring with on-boarding in April and May. Competitions for leadership roles are held as positions arise. Postings appear on the County of Frontenac current opportunities page. They also appear on the Frontenac Paramedics X feed.

Very. We always receive many more applications than there are open positions. Experience, training, and attitude make all the difference. If at first you don't succeed, keep trying.

There are approximately 150 Frontenac Paramedics, 17 ambulances (12 or so in service at a time), working from seven stations, one logistics base, and one administrative headquarters.  

As a service, Frontenac Paramedics is large enough to attract top talent. We have a relevant voice in the region, among paramedic services, and at Queen’s Park. We’re well-equipped with state-of-the-art technology, equipment, and facilities. 

Still, we’re small enough that it’s realistic for Frontenac Paramedics to get to know their leaders and each other personally and professionally. Each Frontenac Paramedic is more than just a number; more than just a tiny cog in a huge machine.   

Our base hospital operates a single emergency department at Kingston General Hospital (KGH). Paramedics and emergency department staff become familiar colleagues. We’re able to navigate operational problems more quickly and practically than may be possible in settings with many hundreds of paramedics and several emergency departments. The County of Frontenac, for example, subsidizes a nursing position specifically to tend to Frontenac Paramedics’ patients for the purposes of reducing offload delay. That’s just one way a medium-sized service like ours may be more nimble and adaptable than services in areas with much larger populations.  

In our case, too, having a single emergency department in our area doesn’t mean we or our patients lack access to top-notch emergency medical services. KGH is one of 11 lead trauma hospitals in Ontario. It’s an acute care hopsital with the expertise, technology, and facilities to provide the highest quality of care available.  

We believe that differences among us make us better and stronger than the sum of our parts. That’s why we work hard to build on our culture of interpersonal respect among all individuals. We don’t just play lip service to principles of equity, diversity and inclusion; we live, encourage, and celebrate them. And we aspire to do better every day. 

If choosing a paramedic service where living your authentic self safely and fairly is a key factor for you but you don’t want to live in a huge urban area, consider applying to work with Frontenac Paramedics. If you are not comfortable working collaboratively with people from all walks of life and world views, then you're probably pursuing the wrong profession.

Yes. Frontenac Paramedics are highly respected leaders in their communities and among emergency response colleagues. We work together, train together, and compete with one another.  

Our senior leadership team, in collaboration with the union, believes that initiatives affecting paramedics ought to be led by paramedics. So, any Frontenac Paramedic may apply for and serve on any of several teams and committees to help shape and inform their work. These include the Health and Safety Committee; Uniform, Equipment and Vehicle Committee; Paramedics Anti-Violence Working Group; Labour Management Committee; Peer Support Team; Education Team; Bicycle Outreach Team; PTSD Prevention and Mental Wellness Working Group; Peer Advocacy Team; and more.

Paramedics who wsh to take the initiative to start their own working groups are encouraged to pitch them to senior leadership. If we can help you to bring your vision to fruition, we will.  

Yes. Frontenac Paramedics pioneered community paramedicine programs in Eastern Ontario from 2014. Our Comunity Paramedicine Program has grown and flourished ever since. It not only allows more personal care and connections among paramedics and patients, it’s also a new and growing alternative career path and skill set for paramedics who may wish to explore a change in the work they do.    

You don't have to take out word for it. . . 

People don’t often become paramedics for the accolades but we know it’s important to celebrate career achievements and milestones. Whether you’ve delivered your first baby, achieved your 20th cardiac arrest save, earned your ACP stripes, affected a selfless and extraordinary rescue, or earned a career-spanning meritorious service award, we celebrate each paramedic’s achievements. 

Frontenac Paramedic Kimberly Fitzsommons earned an inaugural Ontario Medal for Paramedic Bravery in 2023. Pictured here with Ontario Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell, and Ontario Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Syliva Jones.

 

We pursue, prepare for, and embrace the future because it’s necessary and prudent to do so. We also hold the traditions of the paramedic profession close. To become a Frontenac Paramedic is to become a member of a working family of paramedics. We honour and remember those who have come before, who have left too soon, and who have earned their rest. Being a paramedic isn’t easy but working Frontenac Paramedics know what we mean when we say, “We will take it from here.”    

Frontenac Paramedics and the County of Frontenac consistently lead in investment in new equipment and facilities for working paramedics. 

We were among the first in the region to bring powered stretchers into regular service. We equipped crews with state-of-the-art Lifepak 15 defibrillator/monitors in 2018. We more recently added new software and processes to make patient data entry faster and more accurate so paramedics spend more time with patients and less time on paperwork. 

A new Frontenac Paramedics base and newly renovated headquarters came online at the north end of Kingston early in 2024.

Although there’s always room for more, Frontenac Paramedics are among the best-equipped paramedics in the province.  

Frontenac Paramedics are committed to the value of taking care of each other and paramedics everywhere. That’s why we work deliberately to build a clear-eyed and data-driven understanding of some of the issues affecting paramedics’ quality of life. 

We participate individually and as a group in the scientific study of violence against paramedics. We work to understand and mitigate post-traumatic stress as it affects individual paramedics’ work and family lives. We preserve the essence of the professional culture while working to change it for the betterment of all.  

Frontenac Paramedics have access to psychological resource and support options, formally and informally, openly and in private.

Senior leaders hold the emotional wellbeing of the people who work with us as a top priority. We’re a tough bunch – tough enough to know that self-destruction is wasteful and that there are solutions to almost every problem.   

Perhaps the best part of being a Frontenac Paramedic is the sense of comradery and being a part of a working family. As with joining any new group, it takes time for people to know and be known but many Frontenac Paramedics spend their whole careers right here. 

There are about 150 active Frontenac Paramedics, so it's realistic for everyone to get to know everyone else. We forge deep friendships, help raise each other's kids, celebrate highs and mark lows together. At the end of the day, we’re all in this together.  

Frontenac Paramedics are represented by OPSEU Local 462.

Yes. Frontenac Paramedics are leaders in the paramedic profession and advocates for paramedics across Eastern Ontario. 

We serve on the Ontario Association of Paramedic Chiefs, advocating for paramedicine and paramedics at all levels of government. Frontenac County leadership serves on the Eastern Ontario Wardens' Caucus which includes support for paramedic services in a post-pandemic world among its strategic priorities.  

Frontenac Paramedics participate in various education and community outreach initiatives in our area. 

Paramedics coordinate and provide training for the Neighbours Saving Neighbours community responder program for cardiac arrest in Frontenac. It puts AEDs into the trained hands of community responders who may be able to begin life-saving treatment in cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.   

We provide convenient vaccination clinics in rural areas of Frontenac and for other patients who may not have easy access to medical services.  

We maintain a daily presence at the Consumption and Treatment Services site in Kingston with an eye to harm reduction for those who may be living with addiction. 

We have a new Bicycle Outreach program that puts paramedics on bikes at community events.

And we attend and teach at schools, university and colleage, community events, and career fairs each year.  

Frontenac Paramedics have earned and enjoy a very high level of esteem among the people they serve. 

One reason for that is their strong sense of community spirit. Every year paramedics lead, organize, or participate in several charitable and community building initiatives and events. These include The Sirens for Life Blood Donation drive, The Fill-an-Ambulance Food Drive, Coffee with Paramedics, Queen’s Gael’s Community Heroes/Kids Day Football, The Ride with Pride Bike Rally, The Walk to End ALS, The Santa Claus Parade, Loving Spoonful Grow-a-Row Challenge, The Tour Paramedic Ride, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Paramedic Services Week, and much more.  

Frontenac Paramedics covers more than 4,000 square kilometers of rural Frontenac County and Kingston. 

Learn more about Frontenac County and Kingston by the numbers. 

It’s a service area that affords paramedics options to live, work, and enjoy family life in rural or urban areas according to preference. There are even options for island life. These are choices that simply aren't available in most urban centres. 

Kingston is located an easy road trip to any of Toronto, Ottawa, or Montreal. Off-duty Frontenac Paramedics can eat breakfast at home and arrive in the big city, on the slopes, in the wilderness, or at the international departure lounge before lunch.  

Locally, Frontenac County and Kingston have great schools, amenities, and communities. Spending power is higher and the cost of living lower here than in many urban areas. There are post-secondary education options and good employment prospects for the whole family. 

The City and County are especially well-suited to those who prefer to spend their leisure time in the great outdoors. There’s an especially good relationship with the water: We’re surrounded in all directions by clean and healthy lakes, rivers, and streams.