Editing Paramedic (section)

== Structure of employment ==
{{See also|Paramedic#See also|l1=Paramedics by country}}
[[File:US Navy 070119-N-4049C-024 Firefighter Paramedics William Strickland and Steven Ames assist a simulated burn victim during a mass casualty drill at Naval Branch Health Clinic Mayport.jpg|right|thumb|Firefighter paramedics assist a simulated burn victim during a [[United States Navy|US Navy]] mass casualty drill.]]
Paramedics are employed by a variety of different organizations, and the services they provide may occur under differing organizational structures, depending on the part of the world. A new and evolving role for paramedics involves the expansion of their practice into the provision of relatively basic primary health care and assessment services.

Some paramedics have begun to specialize their practice, frequently in association with the environment in which they will work. Some early examples of this involved [[aviation medicine]] and the use of [[helicopter]]s, and the transfer of critical care patients between facilities. While some jurisdictions still use physicians, nurses, and technicians for transporting patients, increasingly this role falls to specialized senior and experienced paramedics. Other areas of specialization include such roles as tactical paramedics working in police units, marine paramedics, hazardous materials ([[Dangerous goods|Hazmat]]) teams, [[Heavy Urban Search and Rescue]], and paramedics on [[Oil platform|offshore oil platforms]], oil and mineral exploration teams, and in the [[military]].

The majority of paramedics are employed by the [[emergency medical service]] for their area, although this employer could itself be working under a number of models, including a specific autonomous public ambulance service, a fire department, a hospital based service, or a private company working under contract. In [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]], firefighters have been offered free paramedic training.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/03/AR2008040304142_2.html|title=Salaries, Strong Recruitment Ease Area Paramedic Shortage | newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] | first=Raymond|last=McCaffrey|date=2008-04-04}}</ref> There are also many paramedics who volunteer for backcountry or wilderness rescue teams, and small town rescue squads. In the specific case of an ambulance service being maintained by a fire department, paramedics and EMTs may be required to maintain firefighting and rescue skills as well as medical skills, and vice versa. In some instances, such as [[Los Angeles County Fire Department|Los Angeles County]], a fire department may provide emergency medical services, but as a rapid response or rescue unit rather than a transport ambulance.

The provision of municipal ambulance services and paramedics, can vary by area, even within the same country or state. For instance, in Canada, the province of British Columbia operates a province-wide service (the [[British Columbia Ambulance Service]]) whereas in [[Ontario]], the service is provided by each municipality, either as a distinct service, linked to the [[fire department|fire service]], or contracted out to a third party.