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Want2BAFireMedic

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New to the forum...

Going to school for EMT and then would like to go on to medic, and eventually get a position as fire-medic. I dont live in FL right now, but hope to come back. I know, I know...competition is tough, nobody is hiring, etc. Same as where I'm at now.

Anyone had any luck transfering EMT/Medic/Fire certs to FL from another Southeastern state? I'm in NC right now, and EMT, medic and fire courses are a lot cheaper here. I'd like to get EMT and Fire here and transfer them to FL, but I know Fire certs are really tough to transfer. Have to challenge state exam, and that's IF my hours are even up to par with FL. How bout medic? Anyone had any luck transfering medic into FL?

My background... 30 yrs old, graduated from college about 6 yrs ago with a degree in Finance, but never wanted to go into finance field. Went straight into construction after graduating college. Worked for a couple developers helping manage the process. Had a lot of fun. Got certified in estimating and project management. After the real estate bust, decided I wanted to try something else. I really enjoyed EMT class so I thought I'd continue to pursue more (fire and medic). I work in something totally unrelated at the moment. Got bills to pay and mouths to feed. Look forward to hearing from you all. I apologize in advance if there's a "meet and greet" thread, but I wanted to hear from FL people. Thanks.
 
If you are Nationally Registered you will have no issue transferring medical certs to Florida.

Good Luck on fire certs...I had to redo the academy when I moved to FL.
 
akflightmedic said:
If you are Nationally Registered you will have no issue transferring medical certs to Florida.

Good Luck on fire certs...I had to redo the academy when I moved to FL.
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You had to re-do your fire certs? That stinks man! What state did you move from? Is it possible to just have to retake fire 1 and not fire 2, if my fire 1 hrs match up with FL's fire 1? Where did you go to get certified in FL? Did you find the fire academy in FL easier since you'd been through it before?

Where are you working now? I'm going to fire school in NC and the hours are 561 total hrs. The 561 hrs consists of FF1 and FF2 program which, according to the brochure, is "between 336-402 hours." Then we have Tec Res at 31hours, wildland, chainsaw safety is another 40 hrs, mayday/RIT is 48 hrs, and then EVD is 16 hours. So it's really hard to tell if my hours are going to be enough to transfer to FL or not. At the fire academy here in NC, the fire 1 and 2 consists of "between 336-402 hours," and then they have Tec Rescue of 31 hours and Emergency Vehicle Driving of 16 hrs listed seperate. I'll get the EVD hours, but it's not included in the "336-402 hrs" so it's really hard to tell what's what.
 
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I moved from SC, I originally took the SC Fire Academy as a recruit with Myrtle Beach FD.

When I arrived in FL, I went to work as a medic on a dual ALS truck, the country was separate. Merger was eminent so I went back to the academy at age 32 to keep my job and stay ahead of the game.

Yes it was much easier cause I was an adult, had a career and all I had to do was jump thru their hoops. I also lost 25 lbs!! :) I was next to oldest recruit in the class and really could care less about all the drama the kids were going through. I did my part but I did not have to kill myself doing it, so yes the entire experience was much easier. Doing pushups, doing PT...(academies are boot camps in FL)....was a non issue.

I went to Brevard Community College. I strongly encourage you if doing the academy, look to those smaller technical schools in surrounding counties. Fire school is fire school as long as it is done in Florida. Do not sit around on a long waiting list to get into Central FL Fire Academy because its the best...when at the end of the day, you have the same certs as the tech schools with no waiting lists.

As for your hours transfers...again as I said good luck. I came to FL with experience, as did many other firefighters. Even had a FF from FDNY who had retired and was coming down for a second career...redid fire school. People from Ohio, Jersey, PA, etc...all had to redo the academy. FL is tough on reciprocity.

Go to firehouse.com and read the dozens upon dozens threads on this topic under the FL category.
 
akflightmedic said:
I moved from SC, I originally took the SC Fire Academy as a recruit with Myrtle Beach FD.

I'm in NC, so if you're from SC, I'd assume the two programs are pretty similar. So I'm not too confident mine will transfer when I complete the academy here in NC. :(

When I arrived in FL, I went to work as a medic on a dual ALS truck, the country was separate. Merger was eminent so I went back to the academy at age 32 to keep my job and stay ahead of the game.
I'm 31, and I feel pretty good physically. Not too worried about the younger guys, but I do realize I could be one of the older guys.

Yes it was much easier cause I was an adult, had a career and all I had to do was jump thru their hoops. I also lost 25 lbs!! :) I was next to oldest recruit in the class and really could care less about all the drama the kids were going through. I did my part but I did not have to kill myself doing it, so yes the entire experience was much easier. Doing pushups, doing PT...(academies are boot camps in FL)....was a non issue.

Did you find the academy any easier in FL since you had been through it in SC? Or do you feel like your maturity level is why you were confident when re-taking it in FL?

I went to Brevard Community College. I strongly encourage you if doing the academy, look to those smaller technical schools in surrounding counties. Fire school is fire school as long as it is done in Florida. Do not sit around on a long waiting list to get into Central FL Fire Academy because its the best...when at the end of the day, you have the same certs as the tech schools with no waiting lists.

Right, I was interested in CFFA, which is where I wanted to go. But $5k is a lot of money. Here my fire certs will cost me about $1k. But the kicker is, I want to be FL certified, so I dont know if I should skip fire academy here, or take it here because it will make me more confident at the fire academy in FL since I would have taken it before.

As for your hours transfers...again as I said good luck. I came to FL with experience, as did many other firefighters. Even had a FF from FDNY who had retired and was coming down for a second career...redid fire school. People from Ohio, Jersey, PA, etc...all had to redo the academy. FL is tough on reciprocity.

Yes, FL is. And it's unfortunate that they're so tough on reciprocity.

Go to firehouse.com and read the dozens upon dozens threads on this topic under the FL category.

PS - I've heard that transferring medic is very tricky too. I was under the impression FL doesnt accept National Registry anymore. I thought you have to take and pass the FL medic test?
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I think the academy was easier because I was mature and had a job. I started as EMT at 18 and was medic at 19, so being in and around emergency services was not new to me. There was no glamor going thru the second time and no one to impress. I am sure that had a lot to do with it. Physically it was not a challenge, only when I decided to push myself, not when others demanded that I push myself...make sense? If I cannot run faster or do one more push up, I had no issue saying I was done. They could not fail me or boot me based on that.

If you are definitely coming to FL, skip the academy and do it in FL. Look in Brevard County, Seminole County, Lake-Sumter, Daytona....stay north of Orlando, hit the rural areas...you will pay less and wait less. Having CFFA as your academy means nothing to employers. All must teach to state standards...all employers want is that FL cert.

Nothing tricky about medic. If you have NR, you take the state test. In and out...its easy. I never understood people having issue over repeating an exam...remember these exams are entry level tests. They are testing for the bare minimum...so if you have been a medic for any length of time it should be easy. If you are a new owner of a NR card, then the state test should be even easier as it is all fresh in your head and you are in test mode.
 
Thanks my man. I appreciate the insight. The reason I was thinking about taking fire school here is that so I'd be familiar with it once I had to take it in FL, and being more confident while doing it.

So what brought you to FL and what are you doing currently? If you don't mind me asking.

PS - CFFA has a waiting list? I talked to the dept head there and he was very helpful answering all my questions, etc. I dont know if it was due to my background or my age or what, but I was under the impression I was not going to have to wait in order to get in. Could be wrong. I was all set to start in March at CFFA, but my wife pulled the plug on that because she wants me to get more experience/certs to make me more valuable before moving back.
 
cant speak on their current rosters...have to contact them. Just do not get so hung up on the name of a school especially if time or money is concerned.

I have never cared what school my docs had hanging on their wall...truly never looked.

Moved to FL in '99 cause that is where my wife's family is from. Now I am a business owner overseas.
 
It's definitely possible that we may stay in NC. If we don't move back to FL then I'll want to work for a fire dept here. And then maybe work as a medic or EMT part-time on days off. Pay is a bit lower here, so I may have to try to pull some OT or part-time job. This area of NC is great. I was born in FL and have a lot of family there myself, so I'd like to get back. Their pay and benefits are very good too. But I can see myself working here in NC too.
 
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