Crew Members Under 18 / High School Age Members

[Ridryder911]

Whats Up Guys Iam New Here. moved this if you have to not exactly sure were to post anyway. Iam 17 and From New Jersey i was recently just CPR Certified and now Iam looking into becoming a EMT. i orginally wanted to become a Fire Fighter but i have very bad asthma so it would be impossible for me to work in that field. my friend is a fire fighter so he tends to tell me stuff every now and then. i was just wondering also what should i expect on the test and whats expected of me. also we gear do you get meaning. like pagers shirts pants etc. and also what kind of Emergency Lights can you have in your POV. any help would be appreciated thanks alot.

First welcome to the forum Stillen, we are really glad you are here. Now, you make take offense to what I will say, but please this is NOT personal, but as a general overview of the problems I see in EMS.

Why, should a 17 year old be able to have lights, sirens, etc on their POV or even be able to respond as such. Wow! Driving for only a year of their life and experience and we will allow them to respond with l/s ? Carry all the neat "stuff".. When in real life, responding even in a large emergency vehicle with multiple lights, sirens with highly trained & experienced EVO; still have deadly crashes.

Again, this is NOT a hobby, or "neat thing" to do! It is a profession. One should only be in EMS because they want to deliver patient care... and that is it. Otherwise, choose another profession paid or volunteer.

Again, welcome Stillen, I am sure there will be those that can answer your questions, and feel free to chat in.

R/r 911

 

[Stillen GLE]

Actually ill be 18 in 2 months but regardless i see what your saying.

 

[CFRBryan347768]

Whats Up Guys Iam New Here. moved this if you have to not exactly sure were to post anyway. Iam 17 and From New Jersey i was recently just CPR Certified and now Iam looking into becoming a EMT. i orginally wanted to become a Fire Fighter but i have very bad asthma so it would be impossible for me to work in that field. my friend is a fire fighter so he tends to tell me stuff every now and then. i was just wondering also what should i expect on the test and whats expected of me. also we gear do you get meaning. like pagers shirts pants etc. and also what kind of Emergency Lights can you have in your POV. any help would be appreciated thanks alot.

You will find their is really no point to have Emergency Lights, do I have them on my every day vehicle no, the only vehicle I have them on gets put on display(which is currently a mess from roll over.) Also a side note you will notice theirs some very strong opinion on lights, just givin ya a heads up

 

[Meursault]

Also a side note you will notice theirs some very strong opinion on lights, just givin ya a heads up

I also recommend you ask about volunteer EMS, combined fire/EMS, advice for the NREMT, personal equipment/jump kits, and drug testing.

I do, actually, recommend that you familiarize yourself with the rest of your keyboard. Notably commas, apostrophes, and the "Shift" key.

Sadly, my troll senses are not tingling, I think this one's for real.

 

[CFRBryan347768]

I also recommend you ask about volunteer EMS, combined fire/EMS, advice for the NREMT, personal equipment/jump kits, and drug testing.

I do, actually, recommend that you familiarize yourself with the rest of your keyboard. Notably commas, apostrophes, and the "Shift" key.

Sadly, my troll senses are not tingling, I think this one's for real.

Not too sure why I was quoted?

 

[Meursault]

That was a followup to your post giving the new account advice, not a dig at you.

 

[Topher38]

In ny we have youth squads for members 14-18 who want to be a part of the ambulance co.... you have to be 16 to ride but they are students only!

We do have certified first responders at 17 but you have to be 18 to be an emt. the responders usually have a medic or emt with them from what i hear in neighboring departments i don't have any members under 18 in my dept.

Sometimes the students im my dept get very nervous when dealing with patients and my district gets a lot of OD's and drunks and i believe that they shouldn't be put at risk so if they are on a call with the risk of violence i ask them to sit away from the patient or up front if i believe she/he will become violent. We also try to prepare them the best we can in there classes for this!

basically i think they should be able to observe and help as a student but they have to be protected and supervised! i remember being a youth member at 16 riding on the ambulance... this is what got me into ems
At first i was just hanging out with my friends but then i really got into it!
I have been with ems since i was 14 and riding since 16 and i cant think of anything better for kids to do! this will keep kids off the streets!

ok im ranting now! but i think its wonderful that some kids are getting into ems! its a great thing for them and we should encourage it!

14! Thats amazing. I have a little brother who is 14, and is NO WAY mature enough to handle even a simple task. I took my first EMT-B class when I turned 16. Dropped out (just got stressed) Re-took another EMT-B class 8 months later and passed the tests. I feel I am mature enough to handle the situations as they present themselves but 14 whooo. No offense to you in anyway, but 14 just blows my mind. Impressive.

 

[fortsmithman]

Here in the Northwest Territories off duty fire, police and EMS can not legally use emergency lights in their privately owned vehicles. Only dept owned vehicles can have emergency lights.

 

[CFRBryan347768]

14! Thats amazing. I have a little brother who is 14, and is NO WAY mature enough to handle even a simple task. I took my first EMT-B class when I turned 16. Dropped out (just got stressed) Re-took another EMT-B class 8 months later and passed the tests. I feel I am mature enough to handle the situations as they present themselves but 14 whooo. No offense to you in anyway, but 14 just blows my mind. Impressive.

I agree! To get on the rig here it's 16. And thats after being able to correctly locate all of the items in more than one place. And selecting the right items for the right incident. Stuff like give me an example when you'd use ::fill in the blank::, and mini-scenarios so you can be the gopher. Until you gain the trust of your crew chief.

 

[firemedic7982]

Ok.

The young ones on here keep repeating themselves, and it's irritating.

This is a PROFESSION, a CAREER, a LIVELYHOOD. Period!
It is NOT as R/R has said over and over. A hobby, something cool, bragging rights, and a part time cheap thrill. You are dealing with peoples lives, and endangering your own.

You can sit here and justify why you are the teenager who is the exception to the rule all day long. I don't care. I will NEVER let you on my truck. I started as a volunteer F/F when I was 17. I (like most of us) know that I was nowhere near mature enough to handle the situation. You get pissed because people treat you like a kid. YOU ARE A KID! NOTHING in your life can prepare you for this job. You have NO life experience. You don't have enough education, maturity, or inner strength to handle the job well.

The State of Texas will certify someone at the tender age of 18. I can promise you this... Don't waste your time, NO ONE will hire you! If they do by some chance, you will not be able to drive, and it will be a private transfer service. You will NOT work 911. I applaud you for having the initiative to explore your possible future. But don't stick your foot in your mouth. You aren't the exception to the rule. You aren't more mature than the other teen sitting next to you. And to the comment several threads up about "Actually ill be 18 in a few weeks" That right there ... shows your immaturity, and your incapacity to handle an educated adult conversation.

To my buddy Flight - LP. Great minds think alike .... If you want an entry level job in EMS at a tender age .... Babysit my kids while I go to work.

Go to college, get a degree, enjoy youth, then in ten years or so become a medic, and then and ONLY if your heart truly lies in it, and you are there to help people.

 

[BossyCow]

Actually ill be 18 in 2 months but regardless i see what your saying.

Wow, really? I'll be 53 in two months!

 

[Kate]

Hi, I'm a new person to EMTLife. Currently living in Israel and today searched this site for info on Magen David Adom, aka MDA or MADA. I have calls into that agency regarding taking the EMT basic program and volunteering. Was going to post here about how the training/experience would transfer to USA.

I switched the EMT Life search to "Israel" when the MDA search wasn't particularly fruitful ... and so came across the debate about "children" riding with EMT crews and training for EMT response, including comments about the program in Israel.

One assumption I noticed being made in many of the posts is that teens are children. After 2 1/2 years living and working in Jerusalem, I can accurately state that there is a difference between American and Israeli teens. We Americans think of our teens as "children," to their detriment. Israelis do not treat or think of their teens as children.

I have to read the remainder of the posts and isolate specific misconceptions I caught about the under-18 issue, vis a vis Israel. I may be able to shed light on cultural attitudes, why the youth-responder system works here, why Israelis have confidence in these youth.

So, greetings to everyone, and later...

 

[mikeylikesit]

Yes minors above the age of 16 should be able to help and ride on an Ambo as a member. i believe this if they are certified and trained mind you. being 18 doesn't give you instant maturity. it does make you insurable but not better than someone younger. let the comments fly, but this is what i think.

 

[CFRBryan347768]

Yes minors above the age of 16 should be able to help and ride on an Ambo as a member. i believe this if they are certified and trained mind you. being 18 doesn't give you instant maturity. it does make you insurable but not better than someone younger. let the comments fly, but this is what i think.

I think most of the comments have allready been stated, as this thread isnt exactly "new." Every thing that was previously stated will just be repeated check out the other pages.

 

[emtashleyb]

Im going to have to agree with Ridryder911. I became an emt at 16 through a high school program and I now understand why my father wanted me to wait. (I followed in daddy's foot steps had a heck of a time convincing him to let me). Yes you do get the experience from ride alongs but I felt most of the time I was more of a bother or a bag rack than anything. I was also put in dangerous situation where I had no buisness being. I did a ton of ride alongs in baltimore's fellspoint and had more than enough people become combative and try to take my head off. I also mentioned in another post I made about the 3 year old cardic arrest I got 2 weeks after I got my liscense. It honestly screwed with my head. I dont believe that anyone who is so young should witness things that otherwise they would never even see. There is no way you are mature enough to deal with all the crap that gets thrown at you. NOTHING in classes prepares you for what you see. You can tell them until your blue int he face what to expect but come on what teenager actually sits there and takes everything in I know I didnt. Wait until your older, your skin is thicker and your as mentally stable as one can be until you decide to jump into emergency medicene. Its tough not the place for kids to be screwing around

 

[Stillen GLE]

I dont get why people have such disrespect against young teens like myself. I dont get it. i come in here for advice and everyone says not to do it. if that was the case no one would be doing it. or in other words people judging others by what they say? that doesnt make any sense. how could you justify someones ability's by what they say. has anyone ever heard of the saying "don't judge a book by its cover" that explains it right there. and to the person that said they joined the Fire Department at 17 what makes a EMT any different nothing except they dont run into burning buildings. so why put down somebody for something they want to do. And if i stand correctly Most EMT squads are Volunteer. they dont get paid. and its not mandatory to answer every call. once again i cant believe i came in here and got a bunch of :censored::censored::censored::censored: for no reason. we all gotta start somewhere.

 

[mikeylikesit]

I think most of the comments have allready been stated, as this thread isnt exactly "new." Every thing that was previously stated will just be repeated check out the other pages.

I figured...just didn't want to read 6 pages of this crap^_^

 

[NJN]

I And if i stand correctly Most EMT squads are Volunteer. they dont get paid. and its not mandatory to answer every call.

In NJ most squads are volly. Yes but there are also a lot of private services. And if you want to become a paid EMT-B in NJ, start looking at Private Transports, because the NJ EMT-B is nothing more than a glorified First Aider/O2 administrator.

I agree that this is a profession not a hobby, even tho i am 16 and riding weekly, i'm looking into this as a possible carrer so don't get onto my back because i am under 18 and all of this.

You asked about Lights on your POV, when and if you do become certified as an EMT and are on a squad that will even allow you to have a Blue Light, it isn't worth it in NJ as it is only a blue light and it gives you no immunity from any NJ traffic laws, no going thru red lights, no speeding etc.

And finally welcome to the forum and glad to see another face from NJ.

 

[triemal04]

Kate-

Good luck on working for MDA; from what I know of them, they've got their act together, and if you can be one of the lucky few to make it a career, you're set.

Out of curiousity, have you always lived in Israel, and if not, for how long, and where did you move from? I'm only asking because you're right; the perception of the average teens mentality, maturity, resourcefulness, competance, integrity and professionalism is very different between the US and Israel. The reality between the two is very different also, though not that much different from the perception. (Hollywood actually has gotten something mostly right for a change) It's really not as much of a problem of people not giving enough credit to teens, but the fact that many, many, many teens today are...well...children in almost every way. And with the current social trends being what they are, that won't change anytime soon. While there will be exceptions, the rule stays the same.

It will be interesting to hear your perspective, but just bear in mind that our two countries are extremely unalike in this case.

 

[JPINFV]

has anyone ever heard of the saying "don't judge a book by its cover" that explains it right there. and to the person that said they joined the Fire Department at 17 what makes a EMT any different nothing except they dont run into burning buildings. so why put down somebody for something they want to do. And if i stand correctly Most EMT squads are Volunteer. they dont get paid. and its not mandatory to answer every call. once again i cant believe i came in here and got a bunch of :censored::censored::censored::censored: for no reason. we all gotta start somewhere.

1. Actually, a more appropriate modification to the book cliche would be "Don't judge a book by it's genre." Of course the difference is that people do judge by genres.

2. If you ask for people's opinions, expect to get people's opinions. Not everyone is going to agree with you over every thing. It's not bashing or putting you down, it's a disagreement. Yes, some people are more passionate and out spoken, but that doesn't change it to bashing. What's going to happen the first time a paramedic, RN, RT, or physician corrects you on a treatment or assessment? Are they bashing you now?

3. Yes, we all gotta start someplace. It's interesting, though, that other health care fields allows people to start at the primary level. RNs don't have to be CNAs or LVNs. Physicians don't have to be PAs.