Does anyone have any information on American ambulance in Fresno Ca. Shifts, management/partners, ect..? I've heard they are very busy and it's great experience, I'm interviewing next week for emt and want to get my paramedic there and experience. Thanks for any info.
American Ambulance in Fresno
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VentMonkey
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No idea about management and partners. They're how I stumbled across Hall. By all accounts a very reputable, and solid service.
They, like us, respond with pretty much all BLS fire departments. I believe their outfit is much bigger as they cover 2 counties (Fresno and Kings) within the CCEMSA.
They get nifty quarter zip pullover sweaters, and ball caps, drive and entire Sprinter fleet, and have their own HEMS ops with 2? Full time helicopters and a FW (I believe their vendor, Rogers, is turning it over to Air Methods soon though). As far as I know they supply the flight paramedics and nurses, and the vendor supplies the pilots and aircrafts.
They have a mixture of shifts, and I want to say they split 24's and 12's, or did in the past. I think all or most new-hires start in Fresno, but with seniority can bid out to other areas in Fresno or Kings County.
Their protocols are very, um, structured? Or were last time I checked (almost a decade ago). About all I know, though.
They, like us, respond with pretty much all BLS fire departments. I believe their outfit is much bigger as they cover 2 counties (Fresno and Kings) within the CCEMSA.
They get nifty quarter zip pullover sweaters, and ball caps, drive and entire Sprinter fleet, and have their own HEMS ops with 2? Full time helicopters and a FW (I believe their vendor, Rogers, is turning it over to Air Methods soon though). As far as I know they supply the flight paramedics and nurses, and the vendor supplies the pilots and aircrafts.
They have a mixture of shifts, and I want to say they split 24's and 12's, or did in the past. I think all or most new-hires start in Fresno, but with seniority can bid out to other areas in Fresno or Kings County.
Their protocols are very, um, structured? Or were last time I checked (almost a decade ago). About all I know, though.
CALEMT
The Other Guy/ Paramaybe?
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Kinda surprised my pal VentMonkey didn't attempt to recruit you to the Kern County Cult (Hall ambulance) since you're inquiring about a Fresno ambulance company, practically in Kern Co's backyard.
VentMonkey
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Guess I just figured I'd let the OP do his own homework for a change.
My paramedic preceptor worked at American in the 90's and said it was indeed a great place for experience, and also encouraged me to apply. Being 2 hours closer to our families now with the same type of experience, calls, and an owner who's got to be the most respected in the state in regards to the ambulance industry has worked out just fine for my family and I.
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SADDLE UP BOYS!
@VentMonkey
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American Ambulance is a strong ambulance company currently on hard times, as are many ambulance services.
They are currently offering a VERY attractive recruitment package and just increased paramedic starting salary.
Your schedule is 48 hours per week. This will start out as 4 12s per week, but with enough seniority you can increase that to include up to 1 24 hour shift per week. Yes. One. They do their schedule weird. You don't bid a single shift, you bid a set of shifts. You bid for a shift on a specific week day, as long as the hours equal 48. For example you may want to work a 12 Monday, Wednesday and a 24 Saturday. It also means you can work various times each day, with a different partner each of the days. It's quite cumbersome to me, but maybe the people working there have a system figured out.
They are the primary ALS provider for their area, and as mentioned, they cover a large area. FD only responds to priority 1 calls, and BLS is now allowed to respond to some priority 3 calls (code 2 911). Late last year they allowed them to respond to psych calls, and prior to that no 911 calls.
They also have their STAR team which is trained in TCC and rescue including swift water and stuff. It sounds pretty cool, but I've heard they don't actually get utilized much, and they are run just like a normal 911 car. But the training would be cool!
They have been having trouble with staffing for several months following a mass exodus of senior medics after some internal issues last year.
Source: partners brother is a dispatcher there
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@VentMonkey
@codebru
@gonefishing
American Ambulance is a strong ambulance company currently on hard times, as are many ambulance services.
They are currently offering a VERY attractive recruitment package and just increased paramedic starting salary.
Your schedule is 48 hours per week. This will start out as 4 12s per week, but with enough seniority you can increase that to include up to 1 24 hour shift per week. Yes. One. They do their schedule weird. You don't bid a single shift, you bid a set of shifts. You bid for a shift on a specific week day, as long as the hours equal 48. For example you may want to work a 12 Monday, Wednesday and a 24 Saturday. It also means you can work various times each day, with a different partner each of the days. It's quite cumbersome to me, but maybe the people working there have a system figured out.
They are the primary ALS provider for their area, and as mentioned, they cover a large area. FD only responds to priority 1 calls, and BLS is now allowed to respond to some priority 3 calls (code 2 911). Late last year they allowed them to respond to psych calls, and prior to that no 911 calls.
They also have their STAR team which is trained in TCC and rescue including swift water and stuff. It sounds pretty cool, but I've heard they don't actually get utilized much, and they are run just like a normal 911 car. But the training would be cool!
They have been having trouble with staffing for several months following a mass exodus of senior medics after some internal issues last year.
Source: partners brother is a dispatcher there
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gonefishing
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Everyones on hard times for emts and paramedics lol
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NPO
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We don't seem to have a shortage of EMTs, just medics. And in a few months when our latest academy finishes, we will have ~20 more EMTs.
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VentMonkey
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In no rush to move to "a bigger Bakersfield", and 2-3 hours further from civilization, aka LA, aka, the rest of the world.
NPO
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But think of all of the reasons to move there!
No really. Think of them. And let me know when you come up with something.
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gonefishing
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VentMonkey
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Uhhh try equally bad if not worse. It was how I found Bako, happenstance. Haven't regretted it one bit.
RocketMedic
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I take it that I would find transitioning to CCEMSA protocols a challenge coming from "I just gave ketamine on my own" Texas?
VentMonkey
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Yes.
CentralCalEMT
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Something to consider for people who don't want to move from LA, but still want to work in a First In 911 ALS system. Several agencies in Tulare County (the county between Kern and Fresno) are hiring medics on a schedule that allows them to only commute once a week to work. The schedule has set days. For instance, one week you work a 48 Monday/Tuesday and the next week a 72 Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday. This gives alternating 4 and 5 day weekends every week. The commute from LA is like 2 1/2 hours which is a little long, but doable if it only has to be made once a week. If anyone wants more information, PM me.
CALEMT
The Other Guy/ Paramaybe?
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Hell I commuted 300 miles (about 5hrs) for a 72/96 in Tulare Co.
VentMonkey
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On the money. This actually got a chuckle out of me.We don't seem to have a shortage of EMTs, just medics. And in a few months when our latest academy finishes, we will have ~20 more EMTs.
It's probably realistically closer to a ~3 hour drive from the greater LA area to Kern County easy factoring in traffic. This excludes AV (the vestigial appendage of LA County), Santa Clarita, and the SF Valley.
We were driven in to VCH from Fresno Airport by their day-car STAR team unit a few weeks back. The paramedic said it's 3? units. I believe one is a 24, the others are 12's or what have you, and correct they're used in their system and respond to rescues as needed.
Kind of an interesting set up, though physically my back is little long in the tooth for such activities.
CALEMT
The Other Guy/ Paramaybe?
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3 hours from LA yes. 5 hours from the Coachella valley.
Jim37F
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I live in the San Gabriel Valley, north west of the LA Co metro area south of the mountains (just down the freeway from Rancho), it's 130 miles from my house to Hall, took me right about 2 hrs to make it there when I went to interview years ago (also just about 130 miles to my Reserve unit down in San Diego which takes me about an hour 50 min to drive there)
VentMonkey
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Woof, no thanks. I hate SoCal traffic, don't miss it one bit. I vowed when I moved I would be within a reasonable drive to where I worked.
From where I lived in LA to where I had worked in Redlands should have taken me about an hour, but was easily 2-2 and a half hours each way. Never again...never again.