Anyone an EMT/Paramedic?

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[quote]ulysses22023 wrote:

[quote]lanchefan1 wrote:

[quote]PB Andy wrote:

[quote]HolyMacaroni wrote:

[quote]lanchefan1 wrote:

[quote]HolyMacaroni wrote:
jesus, i didn’t know it was that hard.

uhhh…join the army, branch engineer, and become a military firefighter for 4 years.

when your contract runs out, go transfer to a civillian dept.[/quote]

If only it was that easy…[/quote]

is it not that easy? seems pretty straight foward to me[/quote]

I think it’s hard on two different levels: first there are hardly any Army firefighters out there anymore, to get that MOS would be pretty tough… in fact most of those positions go to, I believe, Reserve or the Natty Guard, which of course entirely depend on what state you live in.

Then there’s the case of getting into a civilian dept. after being a Army firefighter if you are on, I don’t know how realistic that is, maybe lanchefan can expand on that one.[/quote]

Certainly!

Going from military to FD or PD is not a lateral move. Most FD or PD hiring are done by a civil service commission. They are there to keep everything on an even playing field, and they do this by it being a rigerous testing process.

So no it isn’t that easy (and I can expand more if you like).[/quote]

Please do. I have taken the EMT-B class and passed it but unfortunately did not pass the National Registry. I am planning on taking the test again after the 2 week buffer from the date of the first test.

I had thought about what HolyMac said and it seems like military experience can help you in turn become a better candidate to becoming an EMT, or furthermore a medic.[/quote]

Before you go and get your national registry make sure the department you want to work for needs you to have it. If not it really isn’t worth it to obtain IMO (it requires an extra 40 hours of training per year which can be a bitch to get).

I would recomend becoming a medic, many more opportunities and a majority (not all) departments are going towards doing ALS and transports ($$$).

As for military I can’t speak for what opportunities are there and what branches offer it as a specific job (I know the firehouse on the AFB by my house is run by civilian personel).

Any other questions fire away!

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[quote]lanchefan1 wrote:

Before you go and get your national registry make sure the department you want to work for needs you to have it. If not it really isn’t worth it to obtain IMO (it requires an extra 40 hours of training per year which can be a bitch to get).

I would recomend becoming a medic, many more opportunities and a majority (not all) departments are going towards doing ALS and transports ($$$).

As for military I can’t speak for what opportunities are there and what branches offer it as a specific job (I know the firehouse on the AFB by my house is run by civilian personel).

Any other questions fire away![/quote]

Well for LA county, just to work in the private sector, EMT’s need to be in the National Registry and also LA County certified. The course I took made a point to point out the differences in the curriculum of both exams, such as vital signs and O2 administration that vary for either exam.

From what I’ve heard for becoming a medic, the classes and books all come out of your own pocket, but you are able to deduct supplies and books required for the courses on your tax return. I’m not so clear on that part tho.

23

[quote]eic wrote:

[quote]HolyMacaroni wrote:
jesus, i didn’t know it was that hard.

uhhh…join the army, branch engineer, and become a military firefighter for 4 years.

when your contract runs out, go transfer to a civillian dept.[/quote]

Could one not just stay on as a military firefighter? Seems like it would be a sweet gig. Guns and hoses. What’s not to like? [/quote]
If only it was ‘guns and hoses’. I’ve heard from some people that it is a miserable job, you never do any firefighting stuff… basically you go to ranges and make sure a fire doesn’t happen, and if it does, that = boring. And you are not going to be fighting fires in Iraq or Afghanistan. From what I’ve heard AF has all the good firefighting jobs.

24

[quote]PB Andy wrote:

[quote]eic wrote:

[quote]HolyMacaroni wrote:
jesus, i didn’t know it was that hard.

uhhh…join the army, branch engineer, and become a military firefighter for 4 years.

when your contract runs out, go transfer to a civillian dept.[/quote]

Could one not just stay on as a military firefighter? Seems like it would be a sweet gig. Guns and hoses. What’s not to like? [/quote]
If only it was ‘guns and hoses’. I’ve heard from some people that it is a miserable job, you never do any firefighting stuff… basically you go to ranges and make sure a fire doesn’t happen, and if it does, that = boring. And you are not going to be fighting fires in Iraq or Afghanistan. From what I’ve heard AF has all the good firefighting jobs.[/quote]

Yeah, I must admit that I had the Air Force in mind when I said that. Frankly, I think being an airfield firefighter would be sweet, whether military or civilian. You get to drive around in those tank-like fire trucks, use foam, rarely have to do anything truly dangerous, probably can keep a more normal work schedule, and still get to tell chicks you’re a firefighter! Jackpot!

25

[quote]eic wrote:

If only it was ‘guns and hoses’. I’ve heard from some people that it is a miserable job, you never do any firefighting stuff… basically you go to ranges and make sure a fire doesn’t happen, and if it does, that = boring. And you are not going to be fighting fires in Iraq or Afghanistan. From what I’ve heard AF has all the good firefighting jobs.[/quote]

Yeah, I must admit that I had the Air Force in mind when I said that. Frankly, I think being an airfield firefighter would be sweet, whether military or civilian. You get to drive around in those tank-like fire trucks, use foam, rarely have to do anything truly dangerous, probably can keep a more normal work schedule, and still get to tell chicks you’re a firefighter! Jackpot![/quote]

although i doubt it could be called a ‘miserable’ job, it probably is one of the few times i would suggest airforce over army.

although speaking of lateral transitions, we had a guy who was a medic who deployed with an sf group, doing PSD missions for some important people. got his combat medic badge and expert medic badge. came back, is finishing the rest of his contrat stateside, and is transfering to an law enforcment SRT unit in florida as their medic.

while military experience will not guarentee you a civillian career, there are certainly instances where it has tremendously helped pipeline you through

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I’ve recently discovered exactly what I want. I have a few different paths to get there but think overall I need to get my run time fixed up and go Marine Officer like I originally intended. EMT-B sounds like it would be a waste of time for me in the long run based on some of the things I’ve heard in this thread, since I wouldn’t want to be a career Paramedic.

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That sounds like a smart decision. Being an EMT/Paramedic can be a gamble I think… a lot of people said that it is pretty boring, just driving in an ambulance all day… and I’ve heard the opposite of that too so I think it all depends on different factors.

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If you hearts not into it then you will hate the job. Money starting out sucks ass and you really have to be into what you are doing.

Good luck in your choice whatever it is.