# FEMA CERTIFICATIONS



## JosephDurham (Feb 22, 2015)

So, I'm curious, the more FEMA certificates that one has, does that make ones resume look better?   For the EMT-B I had to take 100 & 700 already, but there are a ton out there to take.  Just curious. 

Thanks,

Joseph


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## gotbeerz001 (Feb 22, 2015)

Meh. If you have certifications and use them to actually get additional experience, they can be useful. To simply collect certificates with no appreciable function does not impress me, in fact, it may even be a negative.


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## cfd3091 (Feb 22, 2015)

They probably do, some agency's require all of them to be promoted. I have most of them from the fire side. Not a single useful bit of information in any of them that you don't know already or will need to know. Like NFPA (No ****ing Practical Application)


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## DesertMedic66 (Feb 22, 2015)

gotshirtz001 said:


> Meh. If you have certifications and use them to actually get additional experience, they can be useful. To simply collect certificates with no appreciable function does not impress me, in fact, it may even be a negative.


How may it be negative?


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## gotbeerz001 (Feb 22, 2015)

There's a certain point where being a "collector" tells me more about your personality than you would want me to know. 

If you have genuine interest in a subject, receive training in it and find a way to use the training then "BRAVO".

If you are a Fire Technology student taking Driver Operator classes and Fire Captain level courses, you show a lack of understanding for educational process. You will have certifications with no application and you will be effectively useless 5-7 years down the road when you may actually need the information that you have since forgotten... But it's cool cuz u have the cert, right?

My advice: if you see a course that is interesting and is directly useful for your current role or in preparation to promote, take it. 

If you are simply trying to pad the resume in order to "be more marketable", your efforts will miss the mark.

This is where "certification" vs "qualification" comes in to play; to be certified means you passed the test, to be qualified means you can do the job.


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## gotbeerz001 (Feb 22, 2015)

^^^ In my experience, "collectors" tend to be a know-it-alls and a pain in the *** to work with.


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## NomadicMedic (Feb 22, 2015)

Just like EMTs who want to take ACLS.


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## SandpitMedic (Feb 22, 2015)

DEmedic said:


> Just like EMTs who want to take ACLS.


Hahaha. Cross thread points.


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## DesertMedic66 (Feb 22, 2015)

However it shows that the person is willing to do extra work that other may not. Taking additional classes may give the person/provider a different view point of how things are done on different levels. Heck you can use a lot of the certs as CME. 

Having ACLS as an EMT will help the EMT anticipate what is needed by the medic. 

I guess I'm just of a different mind set. If I see an EMT who has been working for 10 years and all he/she has is the bare minimum entry qualifications I am more concerned than that same EMT who has a ton of certs/classes.


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## TransportJockey (Feb 22, 2015)

gotshirtz001 said:


> ^^^ In my experience, "collectors" tend to be a know-it-alls and a pain in the *** to work with.


I DO know everything though.  And I'm only a pain in the *** if my partner is a complete moron


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## COmedic17 (Feb 22, 2015)

Depends. Since you can do FEMA certifications on the Internet and look up the answers on quizlet (this is not an admission of guilt. Just stating I am aware the answers are online) I would say no.  It's more of a company's CYA thing since you have certs saying you have had "training".

You also have to think wether it's pertinent to what your applying for. 

Ihave all my FEMA certs, but those were required when I took FireFighter1. 
Along side with FIRE1, I also have HazMat Ops, and my Paramedic. 

I work in an EMS only system as a Paramedic, and although I include my fire and hazmat certs in my resume, EMS jobs I have applied for tend to care about  certifications directed towards EMS such as my ACLS, PALS, AMLS, and PHTLS. I think most EMT courses require a couple fema classes, regardless. 

My fire (including the fema certs I took in fire) and hazmat backgrounds have never been brought up in an EMS only interview. If your applying for fire, those fema certs are mandatory for your fire cert in most states, so it would probably be assumed you have them.


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## NomadicMedic (Feb 22, 2015)

My last few EMS jobs have all required all of the FEMA NIMS certs. It takes a day to hammer them out, and when it's done, it's done.


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## gotbeerz001 (Feb 22, 2015)

DesertEMT66 said:


> However it shows that the person is willing to do extra work that other may not. Taking additional classes may give the person/provider a different view point of how things are done on different levels. Heck you can use a lot of the certs as CME.
> 
> Having ACLS as an EMT will help the EMT anticipate what is needed by the medic.
> 
> I guess I'm just of a different mind set. If I see an EMT who has been working for 10 years and all he/she has is the bare minimum entry qualifications I am more concerned than that same EMT who has a ton of certs/classes.


The OP does not strike me as a 10 year, working EMT. (Not a bad thing)

Those who are willing to "do extra work" will find demonstrable ways to use the training that they take and will have a line item on their resume under EXPERIENCE rather than simply a certificate under EDUCATION... These are not the people I am talking about. 

I am simply saying that as a student, or one learning your craft, stick to classes that will make you better at what you are actually doing. A seasonal firefighter who is certified as a Strike Team Leader is a toolbag and won't be working with me at my station.

There are plenty of officers out there who value the cert collecting golden children... No one really likes to work with/for them, either.


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## COmedic17 (Feb 22, 2015)

DesertEMT66 said:


> Having ACLS as an EMT will help the EMT anticipate what is needed by the medic.
> 
> .


Eh. That's debatable. 
The issue is cardiology is not taught in your typical EMTB class. Then they attempt to take ACLS and think they are going to be taught cardiology in that short time frame and typically one of three things happen. 
1)- They are completely lost and fail/drop out
2)- they memorize enough just to pass the test and still have zero idea what to do in the field and therefore just obtain a card saying they have ACLS, but do not obtain the knowledge. This does not help the medic. It's really annoying. 
3)-They teach themselves the ACLS book prior to beginning the class, have a basic concept of ACLS, but are still lost in the field because cardiology is not something that can typically be grasped in mere days, and spend more time asking the medic questions to better understand rather then actually helping. Or Atleast that's my experience. 


An EMT that just knows how to place 12 lead electrodes and start an IV is good with me.


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## cfd3091 (Feb 22, 2015)

As an EMT-I we are technically ALS. When your riding with a Paramedic (we always do) that's not really so or needed, certainly that is the case with a Basic. Just doing the procedures in your scope without having to be told or coached is all that any Paramedic should need and in most cases wants. If they need you to do something they will say so, they know what your scope is. Do your job and give them any pertinent information you find that they may need to do theirs. All the BLS calls are yours... that's only fair.


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## DesertMedic66 (Feb 22, 2015)

COmedic17 said:


> Eh. That's debatable.
> The issue is cardiology is not taught in your typical EMTB class. Then they attempt to take ACLS and think they are going to be taught cardiology in that short time frame and typically one of three things happen.
> 1)- They are completely lost and fail/drop out
> 2)- they memorize enough just to pass the test and still have zero idea what to do in the field and therefore just obtain a card saying they have ACLS, but do not obtain the knowledge. This does not help the medic. It's really annoying.
> ...


The majority of ACLS is very simple. If the squiggly line looks like this you do this and then this. Having meds already set up during a full arrest is very nice


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## OnceAnEMT (Feb 22, 2015)

Common ICS course are IS 100, 200, 700, and 800. All available free online. If you are interested in NIMS and ICS and potentially a career path involving being a DC or supervisor or emergency manager or something other than front line work, consider ICS 300 and 400, which are in-person lecture-based classes that go much further in depth and to a truly professional level (ie, google won't be your friend here). If a company knows what they are looking for, ICS 300 and 400 will mean something (assuming the company isn't Trans Med Co Ambo that IFTs all day).


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## COmedic17 (Feb 22, 2015)

DesertEMT66 said:


> The majority of ACLS is very simple. If the squiggly line looks like this you do this and then this. Having meds already set up during a full arrest is very nice


I think it's more in depth then that. Is an EMT going to understand the difference between monomorphic vtach and polymorphic vtach? Are they going to recognize it in the field? Are they going to have the ability to distinguish rhythms after a couple days? I don't believe so. And if they do happen to remember the algorithms, they won't understand WHY they are doing it. If a student ever did a ride along with me and wanted to push a drug, but couldn't tell me why to use it, how the drug works ,contraindications and indications- the correct dose -there's no way in hell I would let them do it.


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## DesertMedic66 (Feb 22, 2015)

COmedic17 said:


> I think it's more in depth then that. Is an EMT going to understand the difference between monomorphic vtach and polymorphic vtach? Are they going to recognize it in the field? Are they going to have the ability to distinguish rhythms after a couple days? I don't believe so. And if they do happen to remember the algorithms, they won't understand WHY they are doing it. If a student ever did a ride along with me and wanted to push a drug, but couldn't tell me why to use it, how the drug works ,contraindications and indications- the correct dose -there's no way in hell I would let them do it.


The very basic rhythms are not very hard to identify. I'm not talking about having an EMT push meds I'm talking about them seeing V-Fib on the monitor and getting the epi and/or amio and knowing when they come into play.


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## COmedic17 (Feb 22, 2015)

DesertEMT66 said:


> The very basic rhythms are not very hard to identify. I'm not talking about having an EMT push meds I'm talking about them seeing V-Fib on the monitor and getting the epi and/or amio and knowing when they come into play.


It doesn't take very long for me to say " grab epi" either. 


I mean do what you want, but I don't see EMTs having ACLS being particularly helpful or necessary. If they told me a patients rhythm I'm going to take it with a very small grain of salt and check it out myself regardless.


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## DesertMedic66 (Feb 22, 2015)

gotshirtz001 said:


> The OP does not strike me as a 10 year, working EMT. (Not a bad thing)
> 
> Those who are willing to "do extra work" will find demonstrable ways to use the training that they take and will have a line item on their resume under EXPERIENCE rather than simply a certificate under EDUCATION... These are not the people I am talking about.
> 
> ...


Just got off shift so I can type a response now. Yes experience is a great thing to have on a resume, however in some areas getting the experience is very hard to do. Anything you can put on your resume to make yourself stand out from John Q Public will help you land a decent job. 

In my area of SoCal everyone has their EMT cert and a lot of them are looking for jobs. A definite way to stand out is to have more than the entry requirements. Normally it shows they are really trying to get a job and not just "putting in an application just because".

Experience is not everything. Education is also a huge factor. I would be shocked if you didn't know a medic or EMT with a lot of experience who is horrible at patient care. I can easily name a lot. I can also name a lot of amazing medics who have very little experience but a good deal of education.


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## Ewok Jerky (Feb 22, 2015)

JosephDurham said:


> So, I'm curious, the more FEMA certificates that one has, does that make ones resume look better?   For the EMT-B I had to take 100 & 700 already, but there are a ton out there to take.  Just curious.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Joseph



I think ICS 100, 200, 700 & 800 are useful and can set you apart without looking like a whacker.

If you roll up on an MCI having a basic idea of what the command structure will look like is important and these courses help.

A sufficiently motivated EMT could do ACLS but so could a suficientity motivated accountant. It's algorithms. But there is no need as you can learn how to be an effective team member during a code without the course just read your protocols and talk to your partner. An EMT with ACLS or PALS will look like a whacker.


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## JosephDurham (Feb 22, 2015)

Seems like I raised an interesting issue here lol


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## CALEMT (Feb 22, 2015)

Ewok Jerky said:


> I think ICS 100, 200, 700 & 800 are useful and can set you apart without looking like a whacker.
> 
> If you roll up on an MCI having a basic idea of what the command structure will look like is important and these courses help.
> 
> A sufficiently motivated EMT could do ACLS but so could a suficientity motivated accountant. It's algorithms. But there is no need as you can learn how to be an effective team member during a code without the course just read your protocols and talk to your partner. An EMT with ACLS or PALS will look like a whacker.



Im going to add a couple to Beano's list here. IS 907 (active shooter) and IS 5a (intro to hazmat). What Beano listed is the requirement for most ambulance companies down here (So CAL) and in my own opinion it never hurts to get more certs, but then again I'm relating to the fire dept side of things. Other than IS 100, 200, 700, 800, 907, and 5a you don't need much more than that (for a job).


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## gotbeerz001 (Feb 23, 2015)

DesertEMT66 said:


> Just got off shift so I can type a response now. Yes experience is a great thing to have on a resume, however in some areas getting the experience is very hard to do. Anything you can put on your resume to make yourself stand out from John Q Public will help you land a decent job.
> 
> In my area of SoCal everyone has their EMT cert and a lot of them are looking for jobs. A definite way to stand out is to have more than the entry requirements. Normally it shows they are really trying to get a job and not just "putting in an application just because".
> 
> Experience is not everything. Education is also a huge factor. I would be shocked if you didn't know a medic or EMT with a lot of experience who is horrible at patient care. I can easily name a lot. I can also name a lot of amazing medics who have very little experience but a good deal of education.


I will reiterate what I said in my very first response:

Obtain certs that will help you do your current job or the job you are applying/promoting to. 

For firefighters, this means taking S-290 or Fire Control 3 or even Art of Reading Smoke before taking Driver Operator. 

For EMTs, this means focusing on Paramedic prereqs before taking something cool like Tactical medicine. 

Lastly, I do not know any "amazing medics" that have very little experience. An amazing medic is one who has the knowledge to do the job, the experience to have developed a functional intuition and the bedside manner to manage the emotional side of the pt; nobody has all of these things these out of the gate.


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## gotbeerz001 (Feb 23, 2015)

DesertEMT66 said:


> i
> Experience is not everything.



I believe I used to say the same thing before I had experience. 

Spend your time finding translatable experience rather than taking classes you will not use. The department you go to work for will provide the specific training you need beyond the basics. What they want to hear from you is a story about something you did that nobody else has done.


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## TransportJockey (Feb 23, 2015)

gotshirtz001 said:


> I believe I used to say the same thing before I had experience.
> 
> Spend your time finding translatable experience rather than taking classes you will not use. The department you go to work for will provide the specific training you need beyond the basics. What they want to hear from you is a story about something you did that nobody else has done.


I have experience and still say the same thing. Experience is a good thing but it's not everything.


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## gotbeerz001 (Feb 23, 2015)

TransportJockey said:


> I have experience and still say the same thing. Experience is a good thing but it's not everything.


Never once have I said experience is everything nor have I said that education is irrelevant. My advice to OP was to get training that was pertinent and find experience to complement and avoid classes that are way out of the scope. 

Imagine 2 EMTs applying for an IFT job; both have the required certs but one has a year volunteering with the target population and the other has an ultrasound certificate with no time working with pts. 

Maybe you choose the ultrasound guy. I choose the volunteer.


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## DesertMedic66 (Feb 23, 2015)

gotshirtz001 said:


> Never once have I said experience is everything nor have I said that education is irrelevant. My advice to OP was to get training that was pertinent and find experience to complement and avoid classes that are way out of the scope.
> 
> Imagine 2 EMTs applying for an IFT job; both have the required certs but one has a year volunteering with the target population and the other has an ultrasound certificate with no time working with pts.
> 
> Maybe you choose the ultrasound guy. I choose the volunteer.


Volunteering isn't possible in all areas. So if that is the case where the OP is at I would rather see someone take classes than sit on their butt for months waiting. Not all volunteer positions are beneficial.


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## gotbeerz001 (Feb 23, 2015)

DesertEMT66 said:


> Volunteering isn't possible in all areas. So if that is the case where the OP is at I would rather see someone take classes than sit on their butt for months waiting. Not all volunteer positions are beneficial.


Dude, the advice is sound. 
You don't like it? Don't follow it. 
ZFG over here.


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## DesertMedic66 (Feb 23, 2015)

gotshirtz001 said:


> Dude, the advice is sound.
> You don't like it? Don't follow it.
> ZFG over here.


If you were in the only person incharge of hiring EMTs then your advise would be sound. However you are not.


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## Ewok Jerky (Feb 23, 2015)

Dudes calm down. Advice is never 100% right for 100% of people. You both gave good advice.


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## gotbeerz001 (Feb 23, 2015)

DesertEMT66 said:


> If you were in the only person incharge of hiring EMTs then your advise would be sound. However you are not.


Copy that.


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