Well for those that replied to this thread, I took the picture of my work vehicle. And, yes, I am a pipeline Medic. And, yes, I'm armed..
I work for Doyon Universal Services as a contractor for the Alyeska pipeline. I spent the majority of my EMS career getting run hard and put away wet. I have worked as a field medic, Lt., Captain and even an EMS Director. My last employment before the pipeline gig was with Bioterrorism and Homeland security.
The pipeline is not for everyone. In fact we are a very exclusive group. Many of the Medics have been on the pipeline for over 20+ years. These guys were the ones who basically invented EMS as you know it and set off to "retire" as one person put it, to the pipeline. While the pipeline is not a meca for major accidents or violent crime, it's unique in that you are all alone with no other trained Paramedics for miles. No hospitals and limited helicopter service. You are the one who holds life in your hands.
Of course we have medical direction through our Pipeline physician who is on call 24/7 for all of our questions. We are not just here to see the emergencies. We also treat everything from the sniffles to chronic issues. We are one stop shops along the pipeline for all the workers.
As part of our training we are also required to carry a duty weapon on our hip and long guns in our patrol vehicles. We are trained in tactics and critical infrastructure protection. While at times, the call volume (as you would call it) is slow, we must always be thinking about possible threats.
As for othe schedule, if you live here in Alaska, it is very manageable, but it is not a simple 2 week on/2 week off schedule. While we do have that as our basic schedule, as Medics, we are required to spend one week a year at specialty medical training for the clinical side of our jobs. We also spend a week a year doing specialty weapons training, on top of all the mandatory on shift weapons training we do. Then to keep our medical skills up, we are required to spend pone week a quarter with a high speed EMS or ER somewhere in the US. Add in the several special projects that require medics and the standbys on spill response training (on water). So, we don't get a lot of our 2 weeks off actually off.
If you commute, its even harder as you lose at least one day on either end of your 2 week shift just for travel. Most guys lose 2 days to travel. It's a lifestyle choice for sure.
Pay is better than anything you find as a field medic in the lower 48. But they don't pay us for what we do, they pay us for what we know. Experience is the key. Anyone who makes it up here without a lot of experience doesn't last long. You have to be self sufficient and able to handle nearly any situation without medical direction or the ability to transport out. Snow storms often block our only way of transporting patients out.
All in all it is a great way to spend the rest of a hard career. It's not for the young or timid. But if you like good food and don't mind living in a dorm for two weeks every month, we may just be looking for you. Bring experience!
Currently we're not hiring and we rarely advertise our openings. So if you interested seek out Doyon Universal Services and apply for the Tech Medic position. Keep in mind, if you have no weapons experience, you should make the effort to learn before you come. It will help you tremendously.
If you have any others questions, don't hesitate to ask.
Joshua
