Company Profile
King County Medic One
Company Overview
King County Medic One (KCM1) is a county-operated EMS system that is the sole provider of pre-hospital 911 Advanced Life Support (ALS) in south King County.
KCM1 operates 9 Medic Units (staffed with two Paramedics each) and one 24hr Shift Supervisor.
KCM1 Paramedics provide only 911 emergency response ALS-level treatment and transport. BLS-level care is provided by fire agencies in the region. Inter-facility transports are typically handled by local ambulance companies.
Applicants for employment at KCM1 can be either EMTs or Paramedics. All KCM1 new hires must complete the University of Washington Paramedic Training Program – regardless of their past EMS experience or training. There is no cost to the individual for this training and trainees are paid competitively with full benefits and retirement during this time.
Company History
Prior to the 1970s, there was no Medic One and there were no paramedics in King County. But two forward-thinking physicians (Dr. Michael Copass and Dr. Leonard Cobb), and the Seattle Fire Chief at the time (Gordon Vickery), had the idea that perhaps firefighters could be taught some of the same skills that doctors used to save people who were seriously injured or ill and could apply these skills in a person's home or in the street where their accident occurred. But this was a rather radical concept, and many people resisted it.
In spite of this, in 1970, the Seattle Fire Department, in cooperation with Harborview Medical Center and the University of Washington, trained the first class of firefighters as paramedics. The program was quite a success, and later classes soon followed. In 1977, the first paramedics came to work in King County.
The prehospital emergency medical care pioneered in Seattle has become famous around the world. The expression that "Seattle is the best place in the world to have a heart attack" was coined after a 1974 60 Minutes story that featured the fledgling paramedic program. KCM1 continues this tradition.
Today, KCM1 employs over 80 paramedics as well as other support staff. The same high standards that were in place for the first class in 1970 are insisted upon today. All King County paramedics are trained by the University of Washington / Harborview Medical Center /Seattle Fire Department paramedic training. Students learn the "ropes" under the tutelage of physicians, nurses, and experienced Seattle Fire Department paramedics.
KCM1 provides emergency care to the citizens and visitors of King County using specially equipped medic units. Medic One paramedics because of their training, continuing medical education, and close relationship with the medical community, can use an extensive array of emergency medication, equipment, and procedures.
Benefits
2026 Wage Rates:
-Paramedic In Training: $28.82
-Probationary Paramedic (at certification): $49.5124 (102 24-hour shifts per year = $121,206.35)
-Paramedic (four years post certification): $64.3345 (102 24-hour shifts per year = $157,490.86)
IAFF Local 2595 Representation (single-role paramedics)
LEOFFII Retirement (Part of the Washington State Public Retirement System)
Positions Available
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