The Tidewater EMS Council in conjunction with selected regional EMS agencies is the sponsor of consolidated testing for state certification examinations. This policy is in effect only for this program and may, or may not, be similar to procedures in other regions or at independent examinations offered outside of the consolidated system.

The consolidated testing program is a service provided to EMS students and providers seeking state certification. The Council and Test Site Coordinators are responsible for all details related to scheduling, coordinating and providing an examination in accordance with state and regional standards. The test candidate is responsible for pre-registration, fees when required (see section IV below), attendance and any state required paperwork. It is ultimately the test candidate's responsibility to ensure that all arrangements have been made.

The Council will publish a schedule of consolidated test dates and locations. It is possible that the schedule may change due to circumstances beyond the Council’s control. The Council may cancel a test site due to low registration. If a test site is cancelled by the Council, examination fees (see section IV below) will be refunded or transferred to another test date.

EMS Instructors must ensure that each of their students pre-register for examinations. Registration lists of entire groups are not accepted. All students must pre-register for examinations electronically (preferred method) or on a Council provided Individual Registration Form.

Individual registration forms must be received by the Council office two (2) weeks  prior to the examination date or by the deadline specified on the on-line registration form. For tests requiring a fee, the registration is incomplete without the fee attached or paid during electronic registration. No payments will be accepted at the test site. All payments must be received by the Council office prior to the test date. If payment is not received, the student will not be allowed to test. The registration form may be photocopied. The form may be hand delivered, mailed, faxed or submitted electronically. Consolidated test site coordinators will not accept forms; they must be delivered to the Council. The Council is not responsible for lost, misdirected, illegible, late, delivery by third party or otherwise undelivered forms.

Incomplete registration forms will be returned.

The registration form is a request to reserve a seat in the examination. Candidates will be notified of receipt of their form and whether or not it is accepted for the chosen test. It is possible that examination sites might be full, requiring students to select another date and location. For this reason the Council requests that test candidates indicate their first and second test date choices.

Test candidates who wish to take the practical test or practical re-test for First Responder or EMT-B are assessed a fee of $25.00. The fee must be paid in advance by money order, personal check, cash or credit card. All fees are to be made payable to the Tidewater EMS Council. The test candidate is not pre-registered until the test fee and completed registration form are received in the Council office. Test fees are refundable if cancellation is made with the Council office at least 24 hours prior to the examination date.

There are no test fees for written examinations.

The Council will accept payments from EMS agencies on behalf of their members and EMS instructors on behalf of their students. The Council is not in a position to know who is a legitimate member of any given EMS agency. Therefore, agency representatives need to work closely with the Council staff regarding this option. The refund policy applies to agency payments.

Students may cancel attendance at a consolidated test at any time. Cancellation may be in writing or by phone to the Council office. Cancellations must be made directly with the Council office. The Council is not responsible for cancellations that were somehow expected to be made by a third party, including instructors. Test fees are not refundable if cancellation is made less than 24 hours prior to the examination dates.

Non-attendance at a consolidated test for which the test candidate has pre-registered forfeits any fees, if applicable. Additionally, a $25 fee will be assessed of all no-shows prior to re-registering for an exam.  This fee is non-negotiable.

Test candidates who fail to pre-register will not be admitted to the examination.

Test candidates who fail to bring the proper Office of EMS paperwork or forms to the test site will not be admitted to the examination. Students should refer to correspondence sent by the Office of EMS and direct any questions as to what is necessary to bring to the site to their instructor.

A test site registration confirmation with driving directions will be sent to all registered candidates approximately 3 days prior to each test site when registering by mail or telephone. Immediate confirmation, with a link to driving directions, will be provided when registering on-line.  If confirmation is not received, contact the TEMS office the day before the exam at (757) 963-0632.