Not sure where to post first...

[RyanC]

But the description of this forum section seemed fitting =)

Just wanted to introduce myself, my name is Ryan Coquilla and I'm from San Jose, CA. Just recently got all my certifications for the Santa Clara County EMS as an EMT-B as well as the basic FEMA certifications. My eventual goal is to reach Firefighter, preferably in this same county. I start the Fire Academy in December with Southbay Academy.

Anyway, I am so grateful for this forum as it's a great tool to answer a lot of the questions I will have over the course of my career. I'm excited to be able to learn from all of you =)

 

[Jason]

Welcome Ryan. Best of luck in your plans and adventures in EMS and Firefighting.
I'm Jason. 10yr paramedic, 6yrs Va state CT (cardiac tech), and 7yrs EMT. I've been in the VA EMS system my whole EMS career, (mostly volunteer, some paid, and currently and for many yrs now - in the hospital setting). Yes, this site and its forums are great. It's wonderful to be able to pull from such a wide array of experiences and have so many people to ask questions to and bounce things off of.

 

[RyanC]

Nice to meet you Jason. It's also comforting to see that there are others who understands the struggle of mostly having to volunteer to gain experience. I've began to accept that I won't be driving a corvette at anytime during this career path

 

[Jason]

hahaha ... no not likely. I actually left the paid EMS to go into the hospital for financial and professional growth. I still volunteer in EMS, I started there. I suppose I'll always want to be in EMS in some way. I've been fortunate with my experiences from time to time. Being in the hospital has certainly expanded my knowledge base, which I integrate into my opportunities to treat and eval patients when I ride on the Medic Unit. I prefer the field, but I get paid better in the hospital. If I didn't have to work for money ... I'd be a volunteer medic much more often. I see EMS and medicine to be my calling. I love it.

 

[samiam]

Welcome!!

 

[ghost02]

Welcome! I grew up in San Jose. I know it well. Is your profile pic from near Los Gatos? (The mountains are always brown on the east.)

If you have any questions, shoot and i'll see what i can do! Including stuff with San Jose Fire ect,ect,ect.

 

[RyanC]

Welcome! I grew up in San Jose. I know it well. Is your profile pic from near Los Gatos? (The mountains are always brown on the east.)

If you have any questions, shoot and i'll see what i can do! Including stuff with San Jose Fire ect,ect,ect.

Hey Ghost, nice to meet you! I'm gonna be attending the Fire Academy over at Evergreen this December, so I'll definitely start reaching out to you once I get going on that. Thanks for that!

As for my profile pic, it's actual from this hike in Salt Lake City... But I have done a few hikes in the Los Gatos hills as well. Love it!