# Salary for EMT-B



## NyceFella2 (Mar 11, 2012)

In NYC, what is the going starting salary for an EMT-B?

I just got a call back from SeniorCare. I am nervous that i will not be able to survive on thier starting salary, so I need to prepare myself and I would like to know if there is an increase in salary in the near future (after a few months or a year)?

If you have any info, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You


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## Steveb (Mar 11, 2012)

Ive heard in general EMT-B salary is bad in most places.


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## Miscusi (Mar 11, 2012)

yes you can survive, I am in NYC and I hear transports are paying around 10 / hr.  if you work 8 hour days thats 80 a day.  take out your taxes, and you have 50 a day.

in march we have 22 weekdays, thats .. a whopping 1100 dollars a month ! 

you can totally survive !


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## Steveb (Mar 11, 2012)

Miscusi said:


> take out your taxes, and you have 50 a day.


 
Here I Canada that is how much a school bus driver makes. EMT are under payed in my books for what they do daily.


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## Scott33 (Mar 11, 2012)

Miscusi said:


> yes you can survive, I am in NYC and I hear transports are paying around 10 / hr.  if you work 8 hour days thats 80 a day.  take out your taxes, and you have 50 a day.
> 
> in march we have 22 weekdays, thats .. a whopping 1100 dollars a month !
> 
> you can totally survive !



What do you pay in rent?


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## Miscusi (Mar 11, 2012)

My rent w/ electric is 700 / month.


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## Miscusi (Mar 11, 2012)

The man asked if he can survive, I am sure he can.  He will live like a bum in the worse places in town, with too many roommates, but it is survival none the less.   Not a bad situation if one intends to go to paramedic school which is pretty cheap at BMCC or La Guardia CC...


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## 46Young (Mar 11, 2012)

When I first worked as an EMT in 2002, it was for $9.50 at Hunter Ambulance (Inwood). Metrocare was paying $10/hr, and Citywide was around $9/hr. It saddens me to see that the privates still pay the same starting salary. $400 gross/week in 2002 is much less than $400 gross in 2012, considering inflation. 

You'll be left with around $300 after taxes or so, since you're probably paying city taxes in addition to state and federal. That's approx. $1,200/month to live on, with two extra paychecks a year, due to there being 26 pay periods in 12 months.

We look at a full time schedule as an necessary inconvenience to access time and a half OT. Many of us also work part time for other employers. If you don't mind working upwards of 60 hours a week, you can survive with a combination of OT and per diem work.

Welcome to EMS. this is how we get trapped. We learn to count on OT and a second job to survive. Our expenses eventually match this income, so we have no choice but to continue like this.

If you can schedule some doubles, 12's, or even 10 hour shifts if available, you'll have more free time to work on other days. If you can land an all night schedule, you'll have free time for school. 

Good luck, and get yourself a degree of some sort so that you have a way out, even though it may seem like you don't need a way out right now. At the least, get your medic (NY Methodist, my almer mater, has evening classes 1800-2200), get your NR-P, so that you can easily move out of state for a better standard of living and actually own these things called houses and retirement accounts.

I left NY for this reason. It was fun, but nearly all of my income went to paying bills, and it was looking to remain that way until I retire at 72 straight into a nursing home.


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## Justice (Mar 12, 2012)

Wait really? 

EMT-B makes $20.52 where I live.


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## Shishkabob (Mar 12, 2012)

Justice said:


> Wait really?
> 
> EMT-B makes $20.52 where I live.


Are you talking dual role, or single role?


I doubt EMT-Bs working traditional EMS in the US make that kind of money.


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## Justice (Mar 12, 2012)

$20.52 EMT-B $26.$$ for Medics. (its 26 and change dont know what the change is)  We dont use EMT-I.


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## Justice (Mar 12, 2012)

http://www.emt-resources.com/emt-salary.html


We actually arent even the highest paid


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## Shishkabob (Mar 12, 2012)

Again, is it traditional single role EMS, or something else?

Plus, that site is kind of misleading, as most EMS agencies I know don't work strict 40hr work weeks.  Otherwise, my pay would be about ~$21.32.


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## Justice (Mar 12, 2012)

Linuss said:


> Again, is it traditional single role EMS, or something else?
> 
> Plus, that site is kind of misleading, as most EMS agencies I know don't work strict 40hr work weeks.  Otherwise, my pay would be about ~$21.32.



Commercial, We do 911 and IFT.

A smaller company near us actually pays more but they only do IFT since 911 tends to not pay the biills.

It is a 40hr work week at the pay rates I stated. We have people making over 100k a year. 

Also I read an article a few years ago about Boston EMS making over 100k a year with OT but still the pay rate up there is around what we make.


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## Zeroo (Mar 12, 2012)

@justice boston ems from what I heard had EMT-B starting off at 20$. Paramedics at around 30$. I am not sure how accurate this information was though.


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## Steveb (Mar 13, 2012)

Zeroo said:


> @justice boston ems from what I heard had EMT-B starting off at 20$. Paramedics at around 30$. I am not sure how accurate this information was though.


Thats a lot better then what I have heard.


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## Zeroo (Mar 13, 2012)

@steveb ya I know. However the amount of hiring* -.- they do is minimal every year. Not to mention how many people want that job and are applying. I also hear they only work 8 hour shifts? So that their emts/medics don't burn out.  Anyways every other place around here pays 12-14$ starting. With a few probably going as high as 16$ and some going as low as 10$.


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## Miscusi (Mar 13, 2012)

to make ends meet, there are many places that gives food for free. there is one at 116th street off the B train, has dinner and groceries. plenty more places you can just goggle food pantry or food bank.


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## Handsome Robb (Mar 13, 2012)

Miscusi said:


> to make ends meet, there are many places that gives food for free. there is one at 116th street off the B train, has dinner and groceries. plenty more places you can just goggle food pantry or food bank.



You aren't adding anything to this thread, my friend. 

I make $12/hr as an Intermediate. Working 48 hours/week I usually bring home ~1900/month after taxes, sometimes more if we get held over or I pick up an OT shift. 

For a single dude with one roommate it works just fine. 

I'm not in NYC and my cost of living is lower so you have to take that into account.


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## Miscusi (Mar 13, 2012)

NVRob said:


> You aren't adding anything to this thread, my friend.
> .



Oh, I didnt know the EMT community already knows about the free food.. I do know that they know about the food stamps, but the soup kitchens and pantrys I thought was less well known...


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## EFDUnit823 (Mar 14, 2012)

Starting for EMT-B here is $9.50hr.

I work seven days on and seven days off, 1900-0700 (84 hrs wk). Overtime every pay period. I also get night and weekend differential.


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## Tigger (Mar 14, 2012)

Zeroo said:


> @justice boston ems from what I heard had EMT-B starting off at 20$. Paramedics at around 30$. I am not sure how accurate this information was though.



Following completion of the recruit academy, a Boston EMS EMT-B makes a little over 47k a year. I believe they are on 8 hour shifts but I don't know what their work week is so I can't come up with an hourly figure. There are few municipal agencies out there that still hires like Boston does and compensates them appropriately. 

Where I work we start at 12.50 for no experience. That number can be higher if you're a firefighter since you can drive the ambulance from day one, apparently.


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## Zeroo (Mar 14, 2012)

Tigger said:


> Following completion of the recruit academy, a Boston EMS EMT-B makes a little over 47k a year. I believe they are on 8 hour shifts but I don't know what their work week is so I can't come up with an hourly figure. There are few municipal agencies out there that still hires like Boston does and compensates them appropriately.
> 
> Where I work we start at 12.50 for no experience. That number can be higher if you're a firefighter since you can drive the ambulance from day one, apparently.



What company do you work for?


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## Steveb (Mar 15, 2012)

So what is the highest a EMT-B makes


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## Tigger (Mar 16, 2012)

Steveb said:


> So what is the highest a EMT-B makes



That's not a question that can be answered accurately given the variances in the cost of living over different regions as well as how much overtime is available. 

Nonetheless I'd bet that it's tough to find a single role EMS agency that pays their basics more than Boston EMS.


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## Justice (Mar 16, 2012)

Steveb said:


> So what is the highest a EMT-B makes



$21.50 Nelson Ambulance, North Haven Connecticut.

Ift only. Will do a 911 for towns with no,mutual aid but that is extremely rare


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## VirginiaEMT (Mar 18, 2012)

EMT-Bs in our area start at 12.95 if working for an actual EMS agency.



46Young said:


> When I first worked as an EMT in 2002, it was for $9.50 at Hunter Ambulance (Inwood). Metrocare was paying $10/hr, and Citywide was around $9/hr. It saddens me to see that the privates still pay the same starting salary. $400 gross/week in 2002 is much less than $400 gross in 2012, considering inflation.
> 
> You'll be left with around $300 after taxes or so, since you're probably paying city taxes in addition to state and federal. That's approx. $1,200/month to live on, with two extra paychecks a year, due to there being 26 pay periods in 12 months.
> 
> ...


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## DrParasite (Mar 18, 2012)

Tigger said:


> Following completion of the recruit academy, a Boston EMS EMT-B makes a little over 47k a year. I believe they are on 8 hour shifts but I don't know what their work week is so I can't come up with an hourly figure. There are few municipal agencies out there that still hires like Boston does and compensates them appropriately.


which isn't entirely accurate, since Boston EMS has a lot of paramedics who are working as EMTs until a BEMS paramedic spot opens up and they can transfer to an ALS position.


my agency starts its FT and per diem EMTs at around 17-18 an hour, and FT paramedics start around 31/hr.


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## Tigger (Mar 18, 2012)

DrParasite said:


> which isn't entirely accurate, since Boston EMS has a lot of paramedics who are working as EMTs until a BEMS paramedic spot opens up and they can transfer to an ALS position.
> 
> 
> my agency starts its FT and per diem EMTs at around 17-18 an hour, and FT paramedics start around 31/hr.



The majority of basics working there are basics. Yes they have medics working on BLS trucks but it is not as common as some make it out to be. Even as a 1st year medic 47k is not something to shake ones head at.


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## EMTHokie (Mar 19, 2012)

Starting for EMT/FF (trained concurrently) here is around $34,000. Being a medic will get you around $46,000


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