Emergency Medical Responder
Read this before you apply
- All certification processing is online only. The office is closed to the public; no walk-ins or appointments.
- Applications are not accepted by fax or mail.
- Have every requirement ready before you start. Applications will not be processed until all requirements are met.
- Applications submitted during the last seven calendar days of the month may be delayed due to Agency workflow.
How online processing works (applies to every application on this page)
- Gather all required documents, including your passport-style photo, saved and ready to upload before you start the application.
- Allow 5 to 7 business days for processing and card issuance once all requirements are met. No exceptions.
- Incomplete applications are held for 60 days to allow you to submit missing items, then considered abandoned.
- All fees are non-refundable. Paying by credit or debit through PayPal on our website adds a $5.00 processing fee.
EMR Initial Certification
An individual is eligible for Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) certification upon successful completion of the following requirements:
- Be 18 years of age.
- Pass the Agency EMR exam before applying. Call (209) 529-5085 to schedule the test.
- Apply for certification within six months of completing your EMR course.
- Complete the MCEMSA EMR Certification Application using the online application button below.
- Submit a copy of your California Department of Justice and FBI Live Scan background form:
- Live Scan Application. Print three copies: one for the Live Scan agency, one to submit to MCEMSA with your application, and one for your records.
- Live Scan locations statewide (California DOJ website), to find where to get fingerprinted.
- After your Live Scan, wait 24 hours, then call the office at (209) 529-5085 to verify it was received before submitting your application. Results can take up to 30 days.
- Submit a copy of your course completion certificate from an approved EMR training program.
- Submit documentation of successful skills competency verification.
- Submit the 4 MCI Field Operations Module CE certificates (available at www.mvemsa.org), dated no earlier than 90 days before your application, per Agency Policy 853.00, Prehospital Standards. These are required every two years.
- Submit a copy of a photo ID: current driver's license, ID card, or valid military ID.
- Submit a copy (front and back) of a current CPR card taught to the curriculum standards of the American Heart Association, American Red Cross, or the National Safety Council, at the Healthcare Provider or equivalent level (Professional Rescuer or BLS, Basic Life Support). Online CPR/AED classes without a hands-on skills demonstration are not accepted.
- Provide a current passport-style photo: an actual passport photo, or a clear head-and-shoulders shot against a plain background.
- Pay the non-refundable $50.00 application fee (cash, check, money order, cashier's check, debit, or credit; PayPal card payments add the $5.00 processing fee).
An EMR certificate is issued upon successful completion of these steps and is valid for two years. A duplicate card for a lost or stolen certificate requires a $30.00 duplicate card fee before the request is processed.
EMR Initial Certification Online Application
EMR Recertification
EMR certification is valid for two years. To maintain certification, you must recertify every two years by completing the following requirements:
- Complete the MCEMSA EMR Certification Application using the online application button below.
- Submit a copy of your California DOJ and FBI Live Scan background form, if not already on file with the Agency: Live Scan Application.
- Submit a copy of a current driver's license or government-issued ID card.
- Sign an affidavit that you are at least 18 years of age.
- Sign an affidavit that you are not precluded from certification for reasons defined in Health and Safety Code Section 1798.200.
- Submit a copy (front and back) of a current CPR card taught to the curriculum standards of the American Heart Association, American Red Cross, or the National Safety Council, at the Healthcare Provider or equivalent level. Online CPR/AED classes without a hands-on skills demonstration are not accepted.
- Provide a current passport-style photo (passport photo, or a clear headshot against a plain background).
- Submit documentation of 16 hours of continuing education completed during the current certification period. CE must be documented by CE certificates (a list of courses and hours is not acceptable), each course must be at least one hour (shorter courses do not count), or by an MCEMSA-approved training log signed by your employer's training officer.
- Submit the 4 MCI Field Operations Module CE certificates (www.mvemsa.org), dated no earlier than 90 days before recertification, per Agency Policy 853.00. These 4 hours count toward your 16-hour CE requirement and are required every two years.
- Submit documentation, every two years, of skills competency verification, performed by an employer-approved trainer documented on file with MCEMSA.
- Pay the non-refundable $50.00 application fee (PayPal card payments add the $5.00 processing fee).
When to apply
- Within six months of expiration: the new certificate runs two years from your current expiration date.
- More than six months before expiration: the new certificate runs two years from the last day of the month all requirements are met.
Late fee. Incomplete applications that expire during processing are subject to a $25 late fee.
EMR Recertification Application
Lapsed EMR Certificates
You may not work as an Emergency Medical Responder, or represent yourself as one, with a lapsed certificate. There are no extensions. Once a certificate has expired, submit everything required for recertification (above) plus the additional requirements for how long the certificate has been expired:
| Time expired | Additional requirements |
|---|---|
| Six months or less | 16 hours of CE* plus skills competency verification |
| More than six months, less than one year | 24 hours of CE* plus skills competency verification |
| One year or more, less than two years | 32 hours of CE* plus the written EMR exam and skills competency verification |
| Two years or more | Retake an entire EMR course |
* CE documentation rules. All CE must be documented by CE certificates (a list of courses and hours is not acceptable) or by an MCEMSA-approved training log signed by your employer's training officer. Each course must be at least one hour; shorter courses do not count. CE must be dated within 24 months prior to applying for reinstatement.
A $25 late fee is assessed for certifications processed after the expiration date.
EMR Recertification Application
Practical Examination Workbook
For a copy of the Practical Examination Workbook: pdf Practical Examination Workbook for the EMR and EMT(3.52 MB) .