# Does everyone on this site want to get into FDNY?



## patzyboi (May 22, 2013)

I mean, do most people here reside on the east coast or something? I always see FDNY posts with like 10 pages. I know its a big department, but is it THAT big?


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## RocketMedic (May 22, 2013)

No.


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## STXmedic (May 22, 2013)

Rocketmedic40 said:


> No.



What he said.


Seems like there's just been a couple people talking about it lately.


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## Scott33 (May 22, 2013)

No thanks -_-


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## chaz90 (May 22, 2013)

I think when you have a hiring where thousands of people are applying, many of them go to the Internet for additional information. A Google search for EMT info would easily lead to this site, and it is a good place to get questions answered from people who are familiar with various systems. It looks to me like many of the new posters on the FDNY threads are just interested in that and came here exclusively for FDNY hiring information.


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## Achilles (May 22, 2013)

chaz90 said:


> I think when you have a hiring where thousands of people are applying, many of them go to the Internet for additional information. A Google search for EMT info would easily lead to this site, and it is a good place to get questions answered from people who are familiar with various systems. It looks to me like many of the new posters on the FDNY threads are just interested in that and came here exclusively for FDNY hiring information.



<moderator edit>


FDNY is a pretty prestigious department and they're in the media a lot, but so is Detroit and they're not many threads asking how to get on their dept.


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## STXmedic (May 22, 2013)

Achilles said:


> FDNY is a pretty prestigious department and they're in the media a lot, but so is Detroit and they're not many threads asking how to get on their dept.









Prestigious? The only thing prestigious about working in Detroit is being able to brag that you still have a job. Pretty sure Detroit lays off more people than it hires.


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## Achilles (May 22, 2013)

PoeticInjustice said:


> Prestigious? The only thing prestigious about working in Detroit is being able to brag that you still have a job. Pretty sure Detroit lays off more people than it hires.



I should have clarified, in the media a lot is what I was aiming towards.
However I give those guys tons of credit because they do a lot with little.


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## Crackcicle (May 22, 2013)

It is big though - I believe we have about 3500 people on the ems side


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## Jim37F (May 22, 2013)

I'm far more interested in LAFD.


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## Wheel (May 22, 2013)

Definitely not. Many, many people go through their application process every time, and they look for information where they can. From what I can tell, there are as many or more people asking for info about SoCal jobs.


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## Handsome Robb (May 22, 2013)

Absolutely not.


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## Handsome Robb (May 22, 2013)

Achilles said:


> And it's the only forum that I belong to that you can get an infraction for having a different opinion than an Moderator.
> 
> 
> FDNY is a pretty prestigious department and they're in the media a lot, but so is Detroit and they're not many threads asking how to get on their dept.



You get infractions cause you question the mods and argue with them. It's a pattern I've noticed.

The suppression side of FDNY is prestigious. Hence why the majority of peeps promote, and yes I said promote, to suppression rather than staying on the EMS side. Isn't the starting pay as a medic there like 38k a year or something along those lines?


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## NomadicMedic (May 22, 2013)

There are some members here who started as FDNY EMS employees and made the transition to suppression. After reading those posts I believe that's the primary reason people apply there. Certainly not because its a Mecca of EMS awesomsauce.


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## firecoins (May 22, 2013)

At some point, I will apply to FDNY EMS.


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## ghost02 (May 22, 2013)

No thanks. The only FD I would ever apply to is SFFD. It is the only big city I like. (NYC was to much for me!)


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## 46Young (May 22, 2013)

I didn't work for FDNY EMS, but I worked in the NYC 911 system for one of the hospitals from 2003-2007. Basically, the hospital units do the same thing that the FDNY units do - just a different employer cutting their paycheck, and different equipment/uniforms. 

I think the FDNY people make a little more now, but back when I worked in the system, this was the general thought:

You look to work for FDNY EMS if you mostly want job security and benefits, and you look to work for the hospitals if you want higher pay, a better schedule, and better working conditions.

The NYC 911 system burns out a lot of FDNY EMS employees. Sitting on street corners waiting for jobs, getting mandated for OT a lot, having to go to work every day because it's eight hour shifts, the Conditions Bosses (supervisor) giving you a hard time, it all wears you down over time. You'll never own a decent home in NY, or have many nice things on a FDNY EMS salary.

I was in the process for FDNY EMS as a medic, but then I lost interest and moved to Virginia for a firefighter/medic career. Five others from that hospital have done the same so far.


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## NYMedic828 (May 22, 2013)

Realistically, the 911 EMS system in NYC is god awful with protocols and undereducated providers to match. As stated above, it easily burns people out in a hurry. 

If you want to be a firefighter in NYC getting on EMS is well worth it.

For the record though, I believe FDNY EMS is in fact the largest EMS organization in the world. Roughly 4,000 employees and over 1,000,000 calls a year.





Robb said:


> Isn't the starting pay as a medic there like 38k a year or something along those lines?



44,000 a year base pay.


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## Stoked (May 22, 2013)

No thanks. Not only am I on the wrong coast, but big cities make me nauseous.  I'd rather vollie for a small, rural FD that also does EMS, and continue paid work at my other pursuits.


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## Amberlamps916 (May 23, 2013)

I don't know why they insist on 8 hour shifts. That's horrible.


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## chaz90 (May 23, 2013)

Addrobo said:


> I don't know why they insist on 8 hour shifts. That's horrible.



8 hr shifts with the call volume they have might be reasonable. If there are calls pending every time you drop a patient off I might hit my limit ~8 hrs too.


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## firecoins (May 23, 2013)

nothing wrong with an 8 hour tour in NYC.  8 hours is plenty.


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## DrParasite (May 23, 2013)

as an east coaster, I can say I have absolutely no desire to work for FDNY EMS.  

The only reason you should want to work there is if you want to be promoted to the suppression side.  Other than that it's a horrible system to work in.


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## NYMedic828 (May 24, 2013)

8 hours trapped in a box with the same person is too long as is...


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## Stoked (May 24, 2013)

Try being trapped 12 hours in a car on Wednesday day shift with a partner who attended dispatch's "Taco Tuesday" party the night before (read that any way you want).


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## Handsome Robb (May 24, 2013)

NYMedic828 said:


> 8 hours trapped in a box with the same person is too long as is...



Dude, I did a 16 with this chick yesterday who's really cool. But I found out she doesn't stop talking...for 16 hours straight.

Holy balls.

On days where we're running back to back to back with calls pending constantly I agree with Chaz, I know I hit my burnt out, over it stage right around 8 hours in.


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## NYMedic828 (May 24, 2013)

Robb said:


> Dude, I did a 16 with this chick yesterday who's really cool. But I found out she doesn't stop talking...for 16 hours straight.
> 
> Holy balls.
> 
> On days where we're running back to back to back with calls pending constantly I agree with Chaz, I know I hit my burnt out, over it stage right around 8 hours in.



When I was on the bus, I almost always had a movie to watch on my tablet or music to listen to. If we were between jobs, headphones went right on. You would think headphones signalled "Hey don't bug me unless its important im relaxing." 

You know how that goes...


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## JPat86 (May 24, 2013)

Being from nyc the big thing ahout going into FDNY is because of the job security, pension, benefits, 401k, Ect. The pay sucks.the hospitals  here are struggling and threat to close. A few already have over the past couple of years. The city (FDNY., NYPD, DSNY,) Will never close, and everyone who's in FDNY EMS gets a higher and faster chance of rolling over to fire FDNY. Now that's a job that everyone wants. Why? The pay is great with full benefits, pension and the work week is short.


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## 46Young (May 24, 2013)

Addrobo said:


> I don't know why they insist on 8 hour shifts. That's horrible.



If you do eight hour shifts, FDNY can mandate you for another eight on the same day. In NYC, you're not allowed to work more than sixteen consecutive hours in a twenty-four hour period. It's easy to just make someone stay on the bus if the relief bangs in sick.


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## 46Young (May 24, 2013)

NYMedic828 said:


> Realistically, the 911 EMS system in NYC is god awful with protocols and undereducated providers to match. As stated above, it easily burns people out in a hurry.
> 
> If you want to be a firefighter in NYC getting on EMS is well worth it.
> 
> ...



Funny that you mention protocols - just the other day, I was showing my medic partner the REMSCO ALS protocols, how restrictive they were, and how much of the OLMC options we can give on standing orders. I suppose this is due to having numerous agencies doing NYC 911 along with FDNY, and having no control over their hiring standards, and limited influence with QA/QI.


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## 46Young (May 24, 2013)

chaz90 said:


> 8 hr shifts with the call volume they have might be reasonable. If there are calls pending every time you drop a patient off I might hit my limit ~8 hrs too.



I'd rather do the extra 4-8 hours and have more days off, like two 16's and an eight, two 12's/two 8's, or 16/12/12. These are typical hospital based NYC EMS schedules. The doubles are typically morning/afternoon shifts. You won't typically see someone come in at 2000 and leave at noon, for example. The 12's could start ant any time.


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## 46Young (May 24, 2013)

DrParasite said:


> as an east coaster, I can say I have absolutely no desire to work for FDNY EMS.
> 
> The only reason you should want to work there is if you want to be promoted to the suppression side.  Other than that it's a horrible system to work in.



I felt that the system is useful for a new medic, since you're using your protocols a lot. If you want to be an (appropriately) aggressive, forward thinking medic, NYC is too restrictive with having to stick to protocols, and all of the OLMC required contacts. Basically, get a few year's experience seeing a lot of sick patients, then move somewhere else that has more progressive guidelines, but typically has far fewer acutely ill patient contacts.

That's the irony - as a NYC/FDNY medic, you'll see many sick patients that need ALS interventions (meds, airway management, etc), but the protocols and OLMD you work under are markedly restrictive compared to many other places, where most of the patients don't need any significant (but available on standing order) interventions most of the time.


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## 46Young (May 24, 2013)

JPat86 said:


> Being from nyc the big thing ahout going into FDNY is because of the job security, pension, benefits, 401k, Ect. The pay sucks.the hospitals  here are struggling and threat to close. A few already have over the past couple of years. The city (FDNY., NYPD, DSNY,) Will never close, and everyone who's in FDNY EMS gets a higher and faster chance of rolling over to fire FDNY. Now that's a job that everyone wants. Why? The pay is great with full benefits, pension and the work week is short.



It's going to get worse for the hospitals. Due to the unfunded EMTALA mandates, they have to treat everyone. Reimbursement for the insured under the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare") will be much less than the privately insured. There's a rule that if a patient is re-admitted in three weeks or less after discharge, there's no reimbursement. How many people in the city wait until the last minute to call 911 because they're tired of going to the hospital all the time for their COPD, CHF, etc? 

In my neck of the woods, a large hospital system has mandated 1200 layoffs by 2015, the first 200 by the end of this summer. Per diem and part time nurses will be forced to either go full-time or quit. It gets worse - the banks are refusing to lend credit to hospitals for capital projects unless the hospital maintains an equal amount of capital in reserve as collateral. This will (is costing) jobs, and will certainly retard future plans for economic development of these hospital systems.

Look at the border hospitals in Texas. They're set to go down like dominoes. Illegals keep crossing the border, entering these hospitals, getting expensive surgeries, then disappearing without having to pay (unfunded gov't mandate )to provide these services. 

As an aside, I wonder if the "three week re-admission mandate" will generate business for inter-facility EMS, since the 911 receiving hospital may look to "GOMER" them to another hospital, since they aren't getting paid for the re-admission at all. My understanding is that "No beds available" is a valid reason for reimbursement for an ED to ED, or ED to floor transfer. It should be easy to just say that they have no beds available, and the other hospitals can do the same, so that they can still get paid for the patients that need to be re-admitted within the three week window.


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## RocketMedic (May 24, 2013)

Its going to be ugly for border hospitals, hell on anyone in the city. Nursing homes are going to explode- what about the Old Lady Falls 3x a week, every week?


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## 46Young (May 24, 2013)

Rocketmedic40 said:


> Its going to be ugly for border hospitals, hell on anyone in the city. Nursing homes are going to explode- what about the Old Lady Falls 3x a week, every week?



I suppose this would be an excellent time to invest in corporations that invest in developing urgent care facilities. Sooner or later, people that have insurance will figure out that they can go to urgent care instead of the ED. The urgent care facilities will do well, the private and non profit hospitals will either go belly up, or convert to private care, or whatever you call the type of hospital that only accepts the affluent. The municipal hospitals will become zoos.


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