# Which is Better? Medic ambulance or Nor Cal Ambulance?



## pinto89 (Aug 1, 2013)

Hello I'm an EMT in Sacramento Ca and after a couple weeks of searching i have been offered 2 positions and I have no idea which company is a better one to work for. They are Medic ambulance and Nor Cal ambulance. I know that medic is 911 in Solano but in Sac i would be working standby at events and only as seasonal although i have a good chance of getting hired permanently after the season is over. They are close to getting the 911 contract in Yolo county so i was hoping maybe after a while i could transfer to a 911 rig. Nor cal as far as i can tell only does IFT and CCT, but i would probably get more hours right now with guaranteed employment. If you can please tell me any info you know about these 2 companies and your advice as to what would be best for my career i would greatly appreciate it. Thank you


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## CodeBru1984 (Aug 1, 2013)

How much is Medic paying? How much is NorCal paying? Which one is closer to where you live? Which one will give you better advancement in terms of a career? Food for though.


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## pinto89 (Aug 2, 2013)

Thanks. Medic is paying me 11.80. And I'm not positive what norcal is paying but i think it is around 10. And medic is closer. Im a brand new EMT. Just passed NREMT in June. But i was thinking medic would be better advancement because i can Get on a 911 rig after a while probably. Honestly I'm leaning more towards medic even though its less hours and not guaranteed full time. They just seem to have more going for them and i feel like it would be better in the wrong run


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## CodeBru1984 (Aug 2, 2013)

pinto89 said:


> Thanks. Medic is paying me 11.80. And I'm not positive what norcal is paying but i think it is around 10. And medic is closer. Im a brand new EMT. Just passed NREMT in June. But i was thinking medic would be better advancement because i can Get on a 911 rig after a while probably. Honestly I'm leaning more towards medic even though its less hours and not guaranteed full time. They just seem to have more going for them and i feel like it would be better in the wrong run



It sounds like your mind is made up in regards to choosing Medic. In my opinion, you made the right choice.


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## AnthonyTheEmt (Aug 2, 2013)

Medic ambulance is the better choice. You'll be running exclusively 911, whereas NorCal (assuming you're applying for the Sacramento branch) you'll be running backup 911 and IFT's


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## Akulahawk (Aug 2, 2013)

Medic seems to be a pretty decent company to work for. The only thing I'd be careful with is making sure you follow the rules. Know them and follow them. Especially the attendance. Medic Ambulance is a stickler for the rules. Follow them and you'll do just fine. 

They run lots of transfers, private/SNF emergency calls, back up 911, 911 in Solano (for now), CCT, and so on. With them, you'll get the full range of calls, or the opportunity to. Given a chance (and the time) I'd go back to work for them.


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## ms93 (Mar 21, 2014)

Anyone know what the pay is like for solano county medic ambulance as an emt? Do the bls emts get paid less than the als emts?


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## Angel (Mar 21, 2014)

ms93 said:


> Anyone know what the pay is like for solano county medic ambulance as an emt? Do the bls emts get paid less than the als emts?



it works like this. 
when youre first hired its 4 days of orientation and at least 8 up to 14 I think shifts of FTO on a 911 ambulance. during that time youre getting paid 8.00/hr

once you pass FTO as an EMT you will work on a BLS IFT ambulance until 911 spots open up.

pay depends on the shift you work
24s get paid 12.84 (OT after 40 hours)
the day shift (usually 10s) get 16.xx (daily OT after I THINK 8hrs)
the night/grave shift (theres one that starts at 4) gets 17.xx (OT same as day)

I've heard there hasn't been a raise in ~5 years, they write people up like MAD! I think in one week I had 2 write ups all for paperwork stuff, since you're trained on 911 and NOT IFT; the paperwork is different and I wasn't used to it or how it was supposed to be filled out (yes you will get written up if the nurse doesn't fill the paperwork out properly).

AND good luck moving to the 911 side. People who were hired in April of last year are still doing BLS transports.

I personally wish I would've waited until I was a medic to work there for that reason but having worked there I don't think I would go back. 

Some people like it there and have been there for many years, some people are just hoping they don't get fired before something better comes a long. (A lot of firefighter hopefuls).


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