Emergency Medical Services

The background check is completed by an external company, CastleBranch, and is mandatory for all students participating in a healthcare program. Background checks must have been completed within the last 12 months and cannot be transferred from another school. 

Please visit the CastleBranch to complete the background check. 

Background check process: 

• On the home screen please click on “Place Order” 

• Click on “Red Rocks Community College” on the page requesting you to select your school 

• From the dropdown box choose “EMS Program” 

• From the next dropdown box that appears on that page choose the appropriate option 

• Do not click anything, just wait for the page to reload

• Confirm your order, click the box at the bottom indicating you have read the terms and conditions, and click on “Continue Order”

• Complete the following screens providing the requested information. You will also be required to complete a drug test via urinalysis. Follow the appropriate instructions for completing this.

 Be sure your information is correct. It is not possible to make changes to your order after it has been submitted. IF your order is submitted with incorrect information you will need to submit another background check with additional fees.

 Please contact CastleBranch at 1-888-723-4263 or customerexp.cu@castlebranch.com with any questions or if you experience any problems with the ordering process. 

If the investigation reveals information that could be relevant to the application, the designated individual responsible for background checks may request additional information from the applicant. The offense shall be reviewed on a case by case basis.

Please see the list of disqualifying offenses on this website. 

Students who have successfully completed the terms of a deferred adjudication agreement will not be disqualified. 

If any applicant feels the criminal background check is inaccurate, they may appeal the decision and request a review with the specific community college applied at. It is the applicant’s burden to produce substantial evidence that proves the crimes charged are incorrect.

The following criminal offenses appearing on a criminal background check will disqualify an applicant for admission to CCCS Nursing, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Fire Science, and Allied Health Programs. 

• Any misdemeanor theft crimes in the 5 years immediately preceding the submittal of application. • Crimes of violence (assault, sexual offenses, arson, kidnapping, any crime against an at-risk adult or juvenile, etc.) as defined in section 18-1.3-406 C.R.S. in the 7 years immediately preceding the submittal of application. 

• Any offense involving unlawful sexual behavior in the 7 years immediately preceding the submittal of application. 

• Any crime, the underlying basis of which has been found by the court on the record to include an act of domestic violence, as defined in section 18-6-800.3 C.R.S. in 7 years immediately preceding the submittal of application.

• Any crime of elder or child abuse, as defined in section 18-6-401 C.R.S. in the 7 years immediately preceding the submittal of application. 

• Any crime related to the sale, possession, distribution or transfer of narcotics or controlled substances in the 7 years immediately preceding the submittal of application. 

• Any felony theft crimes in the 7 years immediately preceding the submittal of application. • Any offense of sexual assault on a client by a psychotherapist, as defined in section 18-3-405.5 C.R.S. in the 7 years immediately preceding the submittal of application. 

• Crimes of moral turpitude (prostitution, public lewdness/exposure, etc.) in the 7 years immediately preceding the submittal of application. 

• More than one (1) D.U.I. in the 7 years immediately preceding the submittal of application. • Any felony homicide conviction (no time limit). 

• Registered Sex Offenders (no time limit). • Listed on the U.S. Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) or Specially Designated Nationals (SDN). 

• Listed on Health and Human Services/Office of Inspector General List of Excluded Individuals/Entities or the GSA List of Parties Excluded from Federal Programs. 

• Any offense in another state, the elements of which are substantially similar to the elements of any of the above offenses. 

• If the investigation reveals information that could be relevant to the application, the designated individual responsible for background checks may request additional information from the applicant. The offense shall be reviewed on a case by case basis. 

• Students who have successfully completed the terms of a deferred adjudication agreement will not be disqualified. 

• If any applicant feels the criminal background check is inaccurate, they may appeal the decision and request a review with the specific community college applied at. It is the applicant’s burden to produce substantial evidence that proves the crimes charged are incorrect.

In 2012, with the approval of Amendment 64, the use of recreational marijuana became legal in Colorado for those 21 years of age and older. In 2015 in the case of Coats vs. Dish Network, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that employers do have the right to refuse employment, or terminate employment, for the use of marijuana (recreational or medical), even in situations where that use was when the employee was not on paid time. 

Currently most public safety agencies and healthcare agencies continue to prohibit the use of marijuana in their substance abuse policies and employment policies, which includes students who are completing clinical rotations as part of their educational program. 

RRCC must provide proof that each student we schedule for clinical rotations has passed a urinalysis showing no use of several substances, including marijuana. 

If any student does not meet the requirements of the urinalysis, they are welcome to complete the classroom and lab components of their EMS education, but they will not be able to complete the clinical component until such a time that the urinalysis requirements are met. Depending on the timing of when an acceptable urinalysis has been received the clinical rotations may need to be completed the following semester.

As stated in Colorado Board of Health Rules 6-CCR-1015-3, Chapter 1- EMS Rules CPR at the healthcare provider level is required to be an EMT in the state of Colorado. Moreover, most of the EMS agencies and hospitals we utilize for the clinical and internship portions of our programs require CPR for BLS provider from the American Heart Association. Therefore, the following CPR cards are the only ones that will be accepted by the RRCC EMS Program.

American Heart Association

• BLS Provider
• BLS Instructor

All students who do not have a CPR card that is valid through the end of their course must enroll in a section of HPR 1011 that completes before the drop date of the semester.

Please have a medical professional complete this form on your behalf.  It is required to participate in any of the EMT certificates or degrees. 

All EMS students are required to participate in clinical rotations. Please bring the following items to the first day of class as they are required by our clinical partners. 

• Bring the following information to the first day of class 

• Proof of current EMT or AEMT certification from the Colorado Department of Public Health if required (second and third semester students) 

• Proof of completion of a background check, including a urinalysis based drug screening, through CastleBranch 

• A completed Physical Examination form, signed by a health care provider, documenting that you do not have any condition that would endanger your health or that of your patients during your education 

• Proof of vaccinations and a TB test within 12 months are also required. 

• The physical form and vaccinations can be completed by the student’s primary care physician, or at the Red Rocks student health clinic. 

• Copy of COVID-19 vaccine card (If you have one)

 • Proof of healthcare insurance coverage

 • Proof of current AHA BLS Provider certification, or enrollment in a section of HPR 1011 that will complete before the drop date of the semester

To ensure you receive the correct books and access codes we recommend purchasing your textbooks at the Red Rocks Community College Bookstore.

Please visit the RRCC Bookstore  in order to receive a list of required and recommended textbooks for each semester. Third and fourth semester students will primarily use online textbooks available from the RRCC library.

Please see the tuition rates webpage for current tuition rates.  Additional program costs are associated. 

Costs for required textbooks and equipment are approximately $200. 

Testing and certification costs for the National Registry of EMTs, after course completion, are approximately $145. 

All tuition and costs listed are approximate and subject to change.

Although Red Rocks Community College (RRCC) encourages students to receive the COVID-19 vaccination, it does not currently mandate the COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of enrollment. Students are welcome to attend any Emergency Medical Service (EMS) class without being vaccinated against this virus.

However, for successful completion of most of our programs clinical hours are required. Many of the clinical agencies in the state of Colorado have implemented COVID-19 vaccine mandates for anyone involved in patient care, including students completing clinical rotations.

Students who choose not to obtain vaccination for COVID-19 do so with the understanding that it may limit their options for completing their required clinical rotations to those organizations that do not require the vaccine. 

Organizations that do require the vaccine have their own internal policies regarding approving any exemptions regarding their vaccine requirements, and those are beyond the control of Red Rocks Community College or its employees. Students who wish to seek an exemption will be informed of the process for the various clinical agencies they might be scheduled for their clinical rotations at. 

While RRCC does not have any ability to participate in the decision of the clinical agency in regard to the approval or denial of an exemption request, clinical rotations must be completed to successfully complete your EMS course. 

Please direct any questions to the EMS Department Chair. 

*RRCC may change their policies regarding the ability of unvaccinated students to attend class, may require unvaccinated students to wear masks, etc. based on the current number of cases in the state of Colorado, Jefferson County, etc.

Students under the age of 18 are encouraged to take the Emergency Medical Responder course since the minimum age for certification at this level in the state of Colorado is 16 years of age. 

Students under 18 are welcome to attend the classroom and lab portions of the Emergency Medical Technician program. However to complete the clinical rotations, which are required for successful program completion and eligibility for certification, the student must be at least 18 years old. In some cases this may mean the student has to wait until the following semester to complete the clinical rotations. 

The minimum age to gain EMT certification in Colorado is 18 years old.