# Any good ambulance companies in Orange County



## AngelswillRise (Jun 18, 2013)

I barely got my nremt and state Cali license and ocems accredited 
And I applied at lynch , elite , priority one, medlife , medline , and pacific is not hiring  , I have applied at care I have an interview  on the 17th of July I heard its really hard to get hired so I want a plan b just in case


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## Aprz (Jun 18, 2013)

Are you sure Pacific Ambulance isn't hiring? There are three job postings (8 positions total) for it here.


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## CodeBru1984 (Jun 18, 2013)

To OP,

Bowers Ambulance (owned by Rural/Metro) has one job posting (10 positions total) listed for their operations in the LA County area listed here. I know it's not Orange County, but it might be worth applying.


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## AngelswillRise (Jun 18, 2013)

San Diego is far for me I'm located in orange city , and Also LA :// 
Thanks though for looking out !!!


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## CodeBru1984 (Jun 18, 2013)

AngelswillRise said:


> San Diego is far for me I'm located in orange city , and Also LA ://
> Thanks though for looking out !!!



What about checking out AmeriCare or Doctor's Ambulance? They both operate in Orange County, CA.


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## AngelswillRise (Jun 18, 2013)

I ask a doctors emt and he told to apply but he said only if I'm 21,
 I'm 20  haha :/ I heard there a good company also , thanks ill start on the americare app!!


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## Amberlamps916 (Jun 18, 2013)

For the love of all that is holy, please stay away from Medlife! They are on the brink of shutdown. I'm sure current employees can confirm that they just recently can't do direct deposit anymore and asked all their employees to hold off on cashing their checks until after 5 this Friday. You know what's funny? Tomorrow is the day they find out the result of their appeal.

Shady, shady company that takes advantage of new EMTs and uses them to churn out as much dialysis fraud money to fund their Mercedes and Range Rover purchases.

An employee told me that during EMS week, Medlife management put out a huge box of donuts....it was empty and had a note that read: "Just kidding"

What kind of self-respecting person would put up with that?

To the OP, apply to only licensed companies. Stay away from dialysis mobiles.
Care, McCormick, AMR, Schaefer, Americare, Bowers, Doctor's, Emergency, Gerber, Medix, and PRN should pretty much be your only choices. Choose your career path wisely.


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## CodeBru1984 (Jun 18, 2013)

As Addrobo has said, choose your career path wisely. I will however provide you with the link to the various ambulance providers in Orange County, CA. I hope this helps. http://healthdisasteroc.org/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?BlobID=22591


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## AngelswillRise (Jun 18, 2013)

Oh what ? Seriously ? Wow thank you for the info , I saw the Craigslist app for medlife ,ill steer away from them ,  I really appreciate it!


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## Amberlamps916 (Jun 18, 2013)

No problem. I don't want to see others make the same mistake I did. If only I had known about EMTLIFE before that. I seriously shudder like Sideshow Bob when I think about it. By the way, Lynch is a good company too.


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## AngelswillRise (Jun 18, 2013)

Codebru thanks for the list !
And addrobo , sorry to hear that man , but thanks though , for letting me know , it's going to be my first job as a emt and I want to get a good start!


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## CodeBru1984 (Jun 18, 2013)

If you're willing to relocate at all, Bowers (LA County) and Pacific (Orange County/San Diego County) are good companies to work from what I've heard... They're also owned by Rural/Metro which might mean that you could *possibly* transfer to other Rural/Metro divisions once you've put enough time in with the company.


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## Aprz (Jun 18, 2013)

I don't think it's easy to transfer with Rural/Metro.


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## CodeBru1984 (Jun 18, 2013)

Aprz said:


> I don't think it's easy to transfer with Rural/Metro.



Interesting... To the OP, basically you're going to need to apply to all the reputable companies in and around Orange County and not give up if you don't get picked up right away. I wish you the best of luck!


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## aquabear (Jun 19, 2013)

I worked for Bowers/Pacific and left a few months after the Rural/Metro take over. The policy when I left was that Bowers/Pacific employees couldn't transfer to another Rural/Metro Division, they would have to apply for openings on the regular Rural/Metro careers site.

That being said, if you're unable to get on with a 911 provider, Pacific is a pretty good place to work especially if you can get onto a CCT or NICU unit.

:excl:As a general rule, I would AVOID working at any ambulance company that has a phone number on the side of their rigs other than 911 lol.:excl:


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## Jim37F (Jun 19, 2013)

aquabear said:


> :excl:As a general rule, I would AVOID working at any ambulance company that has a phone number on the side of their rigs other than 911 lol.:excl:


This +1, good rule of thumb wherever you go, unless you want to spend all day doing dialysis. 

Glad to see my company made Addrobo's list 



Addrobo said:


> Care, McCormick, AMR, Schaefer, Americare, Bowers, Doctor's, Emergency, Gerber, Medix, and PRN should pretty much be your only choices. Choose your career path wisely.



Quoted to reiterate those are the ones to work for, most if not all run 911 in LA/Orange Counties. I would add AMR for Riverside and Inland Counties (San Bernardino, Inyo and Mono counties share a LEMSA) and AMR and Rural/Metro for San Diego County. Being in Orange you're fairly central and wouldn't have too bad of a commute time.


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## Chupathangy (Jul 1, 2013)

So Im thinking of moving to OC also. Ive done IFT for a year plus now and Im trying to move on. Which companies do 911 in OC? Specifically, are there any that let BLS do 911 instead of just ALS?


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## JPINFV (Jul 1, 2013)

Chupathangy said:


> So Im thinking of moving to OC also. Ive done IFT for a year plus now and Im trying to move on. Which companies do 911 in OC? Specifically, are there any that let BLS do 911 instead of just ALS?



All of the contracted 911 companies (Care, Doctors, Medix, Emergency, Shoreline) are BLS and currently the only 911 ALS is the fire departments. The contracted companies provide transport and responds in conjunction with a paramedic fire crew. The fire medic rides along with the hospital if need be. In fact, the only OC company currently running paramedics of any kind is Lynch through a pilot study. The private company 911 paramedic policy is currently going through a public comment period.


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## Amberlamps916 (Jul 1, 2013)

JPINFV said:


> All of the contracted 911 companies (Care, Doctors, Medix, Emergency, Shoreline) are BLS and currently the only 911 ALS is the fire departments. The contracted companies provide transport and responds in conjunction with a paramedic fire crew. The fire medic rides along with the hospital if need be. In fact, the only OC company currently running paramedics of any kind is Lynch through a pilot study. The private company 911 paramedic policy is currently going through a public comment period.



Are the public comment documents available online yet?


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## JPINFV (Jul 1, 2013)

Addrobo said:


> Are the public comment documents available online yet?




Cover letter

"Emergency 911-Dispatch Paramedic Service Provider Criteria"

Comment form.


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## Amberlamps916 (Jul 1, 2013)

JPINFV said:


> Cover letter
> 
> "Emergency 911-Dispatch Paramedic Service Provider Criteria"
> 
> Comment form.



Thank you sir


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## v3nn3m (Jul 1, 2013)

Nope


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## JPINFV (Jul 1, 2013)

v3nn3m said:


> Nope




What is, "Is there any good EMS in OC?" You know... garbage in, garbage out.


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## Chupathangy (Jul 2, 2013)

JPINFV said:


> All of the contracted 911 companies (Care, Doctors, Medix, Emergency, Shoreline) are BLS and currently the only 911 ALS is the fire departments. The contracted companies provide transport and responds in conjunction with a paramedic fire crew. The fire medic rides along with the hospital if need be. In fact, the only OC company currently running paramedics of any kind is Lynch through a pilot study. The private company 911 paramedic policy is currently going through a public comment period.



Thanks for the response. I could be mistaken but doesn't mccormick also do als? Either way as long as i got in with one of the companies you mentioned I should be able to get some good 911 experience right?


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## JPINFV (Jul 2, 2013)

I'm not sure if McCormick does 911 response in OC. They do in Los Angeles though.


As far as "good 911 experience in OC" goes, those terms just don't go together. Orange County protocols are laughably small both in scope of practice and protocol (they're "comprehensive standing orders" is a sham given that the base hospital MICN guide has a ton of extra options, which even that is limited), the private companies often respond code 2 while the fire departments respond code 3. The end result is the 911 EMTs are often stretcher fetchers for the fire department. 

So, sure... if you get hired at Care or Doctors you'll get some 911 experience. Whether it qualifies as "good" or not is open to interpretation.


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## Danno (Jul 2, 2013)

JPINFV said:


> I'm not sure if McCormick does 911 response in OC. They do in Los Angeles though.
> 
> 
> As far as "good 911 experience in OC" goes, those terms just don't go together. Orange County protocols are laughably small both in scope of practice and protocol (they're "comprehensive standing orders" is a sham given that the base hospital MICN guide has a ton of extra options, which even that is limited), the private companies often respond code 2 while the fire departments respond code 3. The end result is the 911 EMTs are often stretcher fetchers for the fire department.
> ...



To add to this, I've been told that most OC fire crews will get mad if you as do as much as touch their box or monitor.


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## Chupathangy (Jul 2, 2013)

I see. Well that's a bit dissapointing i guess. And i know what you mean about the scope. I was looking at that online.


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## slewy (Jul 3, 2013)

JPINFV said:


> I'm not sure if McCormick does 911 response in OC. They do in Los Angeles though.
> 
> 
> As far as "good 911 experience in OC" goes, those terms just don't go together. Orange County protocols are laughably small both in scope of practice and protocol (they're "comprehensive standing orders" is a sham given that the base hospital MICN guide has a ton of extra options, which even that is limited), the private companies often respond code 2 while the fire departments respond code 3. The end result is the 911 EMTs are often stretcher fetchers for the fire department.
> ...



You nailed it on the coffin, however, Care responds code 3 to every call in LA,Fullerton, and Anaheim. Go to Care over Doctors if you can because at Care you will get more experience. You can work in house at the fire stations with the crews in Anaheim,Fullerton, and La habra. Also, in LA the medics let the EMT's do a LOT of stuff, whereas in Orange County the medics don't let you do sh*t. So if you're not in house with the fire crews in Orange County, the vibe on scene is going to suck because you are simply a gurney jockey.


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## MikloHP (Jul 3, 2013)

Of all the companies listed, Care is superior, though I hate to admit it. I used to work their among other companies. I worked in LA for two years. My family has a lot of ties with EMS in LA and Orange County, and have equally worked for many. Of all of them, Care is probably the best. Bowers/Pacific ambulance is full of shinanigans as are most others. In OC, Care is your best option. Caries slowly becoming the Hall ambulance of Orange County. For those that don't know, Hall ambulance is more like a well played game of Monopoly than anything else. Likewise, Care pretty much has OC in the palm of their hand. They have the thickest knee pads of any company and will fight tooth and nail to keep/obtain their contracts. 

If you want a good company, Care is the spot. However I would highly discourage working in the OC division if possible. Unless of course your into S&M, which is how you are treated by their firefighters. 

The Los Angeles division is somewhat better. Way more laxed and somewhat better calls. The firefighters treat you better, though they are subject to some of the highest ridicule since they lowered their hiring standard to just above the leve of a primate. Either way, you will find your niche. Just remember, no matter where you go, you are just a number. The days of Mother Jugs and Speed are over.


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## JPINFV (Jul 3, 2013)

MikloHP said:


> Likewise, Care pretty much has OC in the palm of their hand. They have the thickest knee pads of any company and will fight tooth and nail to keep/obtain their contracts.


 Don't forget that OCFA (which, granted, does relatively little business with Care compared to Doctors and what Medix used to be) has no issue [female dog] slapping ambulance companies for not towing their line. Example? Medix. 


> If you want a good company, Care is the spot. However I would highly discourage working in the OC division if possible. Unless of course your into S&M, which is how you are treated by their firefighters.



I'm sure that there are plenty of people who would get all hot and bothered by being subjected to S&M by firefighters. 


> The Los Angeles division is somewhat better.



Yea... but it's LA.


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## Chupathangy (Jul 5, 2013)

Cool Thanks for all the help. MikloHP, what do you mean "days of Mother Jugs and Speed"? Also, I saw a company called Liberty that says they operate IFT and some 911 out of LA and OC. All I found on here was a thread from a year, maybe 2 years ago. Anyone know a little bit about them?


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## chaz90 (Jul 5, 2013)

Chupathangy said:


> what do you mean "days of Mother Jugs and Speed"?



http://bit.ly/15lwPu7

I apologize in advance for the minor snarkiness.


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## Chupathangy (Jul 5, 2013)

chaz90 said:


> http://bit.ly/15lwPu7
> 
> I apologize in advance for the minor snarkiness.



Haha. No problem. Thanks.


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## IndyEMT (Aug 12, 2013)

*Try Liberty?*

Liberty Ambulance is based in Downey but they have an OC station in Lake Forest. I'm working there currently, good company on the rise. Only problem I have is that it's not 911 so I'm looking for an alternative. Also Liberty pays $11/hr starting for EMTs


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## SkiMaskWay (Jul 15, 2014)

CodeBru1984 said:


> What about checking out AmeriCare or Doctor's Ambulance? They both operate in Orange County, CA.



Stay away from Americare


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## toyskater86 (Jul 17, 2014)

Americare has an ad on Craigslist for supervisors, EMTs and athletic trainers lol


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## SkiMaskWay (Jul 17, 2014)

toyskater86 said:


> Americare has an ad on Craigslist for supervisors, EMTs and athletic trainers lol



Americare is a joke


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## TransportJockey (Jul 20, 2014)

edwardorr874 said:


> You can google it.



How about you post some actually decent posts instead of hte one or two word replies you've been doing?


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## SkiMaskWay (Aug 13, 2014)

TransportJockey said:


> How about you post some actually decent posts instead of hte one or two word replies you've been doing?



Americare is a big sham....they pretend to be so good... And the reality is they are just As bad as any other dialysis company ...they have one little Santa Monica Fire contract 5 units. A lot of new EMTs think they're gonna get a spot there  but they actually find themselves doing non stop dialysis and Torrance Memorial discharges with no sleep( no no that's not ems its more like scheduled medical transportation) . Recently when minimum wage was increased. They stopped paying 24 out of 24 and docked the Paramedics pay by 30 dollars on a 24 hour shift. The insurance sucks no real bennies. The supervisors are just as rotten as the greedy owner. They cut so many corners to one up you its too much to list here . its the epitome of a dead end .they used to pay 19.24 an hour for Paramedics now the Medics are down to around 15....how is it possible that you make less money with more time you put in...


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## Mufasa556 (Aug 14, 2014)

SkiMaskWay said:


> ...how is it possible that you make less money with more time you put in...



It's jaw dropping, steam shooting from your ears level angry, possible.  

I typed up a long winded reply for the OP then realized this thread was back from the dead. Wonder where the OP ended up?


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## FoleyArtist (Aug 15, 2014)

Mufasa556 said:


> It's jaw dropping, steam shooting from your ears level angry, possible.
> 
> I typed up a long winded reply for the OP then realized this thread was back from the dead. Wonder where the OP ended up?



hahahaha. well lemme contribute too. if i can guide one bright eyed bushy tailed youngling to safety i can die a happy man. someone's bound to skim these pages.

first, steer clear of liberty. second, i strongly believe medix as a company has gone belly up so lets update that(i'm surprised there's no thread about any of it). doctors has already been doing mission viejo 911 interim. care is exactly what the previous positive comments have stated but right now there's high turnover due to Falck corporate  (i always assumed during my short stint there) maximizing the minimization of OT. if you're new i hope you like working full time doing IFTs on a 5 8's schedule with little opportunity of OT. last i heard 8 hour shifts spilled over into the 911 scheduling as well. ppl there are not happy. theres talk amongst the emts of unioning up. still if you have the availability to work 5 8's at minimum wage for up to 9 months. then stick it out cuz CARE does take care of their employees. if they had medics i'd go back.


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## Mufasa556 (Aug 15, 2014)

While it has been brought up, can anyone confirm if Medix Ambulance still exists? I haven't seen them around in a long time and their rigs keep popping up on Craigslist.


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## WildlandEMT89 (Aug 15, 2014)

Mufasa556 said:


> While it has been brought up, can anyone confirm if Medix Ambulance still exists? I haven't seen them around in a long time and their rigs keep popping up on Craigslist.


http://m.ocregister.com/articles/medix-600524-service-city.html

Not looking too good. I don't live in the area anymore but last I heard they were hoping to secure paramedic ift contracts after some problems.

Sucks because I used to really want to with for and I only ever heard good things from employees.


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