The Life-Saving skills you learn as an EMS Volunteer have positive ripple effect on our community.

Make A Difference in Your Community and Become an EMS Volunteer!

The North Fork Ambulance Association is presently in need of drivers and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) to continue our present level of service to the communities of Paonia, Hotchkiss and Crawford. Each year, as more and more people move into the North Fork Valley to pursue employment, raise a family, or enjoy their retirement in the shadows of the West Elks, calls for emergency medical services increase. Answering those calls for help is a team of dedicated drivers and EMTs who volunteer their time to help in a time of need. A unique aspect of the NFAA is the fact that we are a 100% volunteer organization, composed of individuals who work in a variety of professions, have varying levels of expertise and unique experiences. Each of our communities is unique, and so is the background of each and every volunteer who dedicates their time to the NFAA! Our volunteers are ranchers, business owners, accountants, fruit growers, medical professionals, professional Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), airplane pilots, architects, retired professionals and more. However, despite the different career interests of our volunteers, they all have a passion for helping serve their community.

The North Fork Ambulance Board of Directors strongly believes that EMS opens doors to other life-changing experiences. When you become an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) or a driver with the NFAA, you are helping to deliver the only pre-hospital emergency care service available in the North Fork Valley. Although the scenery in the North Fork is beautiful and the people are wonderful, access to quality health care isn't just around the corner like it is in Denver, or another metropolitan city. The unique fact of life in the North Fork is that we usually have at least a 30 minute drive to the emergency room in Delta, making a dedicated and professional ambulance service even more critical to the residents of the North Fork. The life-saving skills which our drivers and EMTs acquire as volunteers with the NFAA produce a dramatic "ripple effect" throughout the community by touching countless lives every year, and we hope that you will consider joining our team and helping us continue providing quality emergency services to the men, women and children of the North Fork Valley!

How do I become a volunteer?

Volunteering with the North Fork Ambulance association is easy. We always look forward to new volunteers with a passion to serve their community. The first step to becoming involved with the NFAA is to download our application. Our application is available directly below in Adobe PDF format. After you have submitted your application, the applicant review committee, which meets the third week of every month, will review your application and call you to schedule an interview. During the interview, the committee members will ask you simple questions to learn more about who you are, why you want to join the NFAA and if you have any special talents which you can bring to the association. Following the interview, the committee will make a recommendation to the NFAA Board of Directors regarding your selection. If selected, a member of the committee or a board member will contact you and inform you of the necessary orientation and training which all new volunteers must complete.

Download the NFAA Volunteer Application Today.	Download the NFAA Financial Assistance Application!	Download the EMT-B Class Financial Agreement

What are the benefits of becoming a driver or EMT?

Ask any of our volunteers, regardless of whether they are a driver or a certified EMT, and they will tell you that volunteering with the NFAA is a great experience which has many rewards. Is everyone suited for volunteer EMS work? No, but for those that enjoy it, the action of responding to calls and helping patients, is a rush like no other. Although being an EMS volunteer, takes a unique person, and calls that you respond to can be stressful, the NFAA is a community organization with a family atmosphere, and when you become a member of our team, you become a member of our family.

Volunteering in EMS has many rewards such as:

• By responding to help a patient in a time of need, you help show them that someone cares.
• The training you acquire can help you save a patient's life and change yours.
• Your service helps improve the quality of health for residents of the North Fork Valley.
• Our volunteers receive monthly training on skills, technology and aspects of emergency medical care.
• Volunteers are compensated a nominal amount each month for covering shifts and transporting patients.
• As a volunteer, if injured on duty, you are covered under our worker's compensation insurance.
• You get to drive an ambulance, run lights and sirens and use the latest technology such as Lifepak 15 heart monitors & defibrillators!

As a volunteer EMS agency, our motivation is to be able to help someone who is suffering or in peril. Learning what to do in an emergency is a skill that our volunteers carry with them for a lifetime and is a vital way to help our families and neighbors. There is a great deal of satisfaction when you see the face of someone you've been able to help. Is it easy? No, but the rewards remain for a lifetime.

Becoming a NFAA Driver:

Often the first opportunity for individuals to join the NFAA is by becoming a driver. The initial requirements include: possession of a valid CO driver's license with no major moving violations within the past two years, possess or be able to possess a CPR Certification. There is a required training period during which time all new drivers ride along on runs, and observe the procedures of the driver/EMT and learn how to safely operate our ambulances. Once you have established yourself as a driver, there are a few yearly requirements to fulfil, which are explained in the application packet. If after becoming a driver you feel you are ready for advanced training, you can apply to become an EMT.

Becoming an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT):

The Second opportunity for individuals to become involved with the NFAA is as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). If you are certified through the National Registry of EMTs or through the State of Colorado, please apply today! If you are interested in becoming an EMT-Basic, the course is offered through the Delta-Montrose Technical College (DMTC), is an 180+ hour course, and funding for the $1,000 class is available through the NFAA with a signed service agreement. EMTs are required to attend regularly scheduled meetings, continuing education classes, ambulance checks and cover a minimum number of shifts. EMTs also meet with the board of directors every two years.

If you are interest in joining the North Fork, please download the application packet via the link above. If you have any questions, please call our business office at 872-4303 and talk to Karina or email Crawford board member Kathy Steckel at mail@northforkambulance.com. For More information on becoming an EMT-B, please visit the EMT-B Course Information page by clicking here.

*Software Note- Adobe Acrobat Reader or Preview (Mac OS X) required to view applications and other materials. Adobe Acrobat is a FREE download and the latest version may be downloaded by clicking here.

Our volunteers in action: