Alright, let's see if I can answer a few questions for you regarding Santa Barbara. There is quite a large amount of people on here referring to Kern county as the mecca of California EMS. Seriously though, I'd rather stay away from the desert and not work amongst the most poorly educated citizens of California (actual fact, look it up).
The quality of life is much better here.
This is coming from someone who worked other parts of Socal that were extremely ghetto with high call volume and low morale. I made the decision to work here a while back and it ended up being the best thing I've ever done.
Where else in California can you live and work by the beach, with mostly BLS fire departments and absolutely zero bed delay?
1. The pay is pretty good in my opinion. You're not going to be making a million dollars but compared to the cost of living, it's reasonable.
There are two shift types, 12s and 24s. There is a night differential for the 12s.
Depending on experience, EMTs start out around $15-19 on 12s, $13-15 on 24s. Medics start around $20-25 on 12s, $16-18 on 24s.
2. Compared to other operations, management is spread relatively thin. There are six supervisors, three for North county and three for South county. There is only one operations manager and that's it when it comes to management. Also, there are no VSTs or mechanics.
3. The relationships with fire are great. It's understood that AMR is the main medical provider in the county, unlike other counties where they are seen as the redheaded-stepchild. Most departments are BLS here and the ones that are ALS aren't big headed and work well with AMR. It's also nice to train together.
4. The county is split in half. South county has the nicer areas with the beaches: Carpinteria, Summerland, Montecito, Santa Barbara and Goleta.
North County has Solvang, Buellton, Lompoc, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Orcutt, Santa Maria, and Guadalupe.
You can pick up shifts in either part of the county. Seniority is county-wide as well. The two deployment areas are about an hour apart.
5. There are a total of 7 24 hour stations, 5 north and 2 south. It's pretty hard to get on a 24 as a medic due to it being highly desirable. The lowest seniority for a medic on a 24 in the south county is 10 years. It's easier for an EMT to get a 24 though. Also, there are many 12 hour cars Most of the 24s don't post and when they do, it's only when it's low levels. Almost all of the 12s post aside from one in Lompoc.
6. There are mandatories and force hires here. It's not like other AMR divisions that broen out units constantly. The county stipulates how many ambulances need to be on the road so that's why there are mandatory overtime shifts (assigned in advance when they can't find anyone to fill them). The nice thing is that these shifts are double-time and triple-time on holidays.
Also, call volume is below average in this county. There is one 24 hour station that averages 3-4 calls a month. As a result, the 24 hour stations in the north rotate every two months so their skills won't diminish.
7. The system is great. There are no MICNs. Most of the time you can talk to the physician directly. There are five hospitals and they are all base hospitals. Paramedics can have their EMT partner ride in the back on 911 calls that they deem BLS.
The county has a pit crew cpr system. They have ventilators on the ambulances as well.
Protocols are pretty good compared to LA and OC, but similar to Icema, Kern, and Riverside. Most traumas are flown by helicopter to the main trauma center in Santa Barbara.
They reimburse your meals on long distance transports.
They are in the midst of developing a CCT-Paramedic program.
Anything else, just shoot the questions this way.
