Anyone here from Phoenix/Scottsdale/Glendale/Tempe, Arizona?

[Pittsburgh77]

[I did a search and didn't really find any current info/what I was looking for]

I'm from Pittsburgh,PA currently waiting to take my NREMT-P written in about a week and then I'm planning on moving to Phoenix,AZ [or whatever I can find near there] this winter. I've been doing some research about the area, but haven't been able to come up with solid answers.

-How is the system set up there for 911 response?
*I've looked at SWEms, and it seems like a decent service. I just don't want to do interfacility trips.

-How is the general pay there for medics?

-If you do live there or have lived there; how do you feel about living there?

Thanks!

 

[Symbolic]

Phoenix is awesome, I live about 100 miles south in the next city-- Tucson, AZ. Weather is nice all year around, but can be scalding during the summer. I really love it. The salary is pretty much the same $31-40 a year. I guess it really depends on the ambulance company. Here in Tucson, Tucson Fire Department gets all the ALS calls in the city. As a result, Rural metro and southwest ambulance get all the BLS transports to free up the TFD units. Of course you could be a medic on either of the transport units and still take ALS In the rural parts of town. I believe Northwest Fire doesn't have an ambulance unit, so they use southwest or rural metro.

I can't speak specifically on how phoenix runs things, because there are so many subdivisions, but I know they have more ambulance companies than Tucson. I'm also pretty sure that the FD's have their own ambulances also. So, I can't say for sure what parts of the city use what services..

 

[JJR512]

I'm from Phoenix but I'm not there now. So although I can't answer your technical questions, I can answer your last one by saying that I wish I was there now, and would very much like to return there permanently as soon as possible. That's not likely to be in the immediate future, unfortunately.

Since you're from the East, I can tell you that you will love the road system. The major roads are on a 1 mi. x 1 mi. grid, with most of the secondary streets filling in on a regular grid pattern as well.

 

[LonghornMedic]

Phoenix Fire handles all of the 911 EMS business in the city limits. Their EMT's and Paramedics are all firefighters. There are a few other fire based EMS systems in the area.

The big private ambulance players are Southwest Ambulance(owned by Rural-Metro), Rural-Metro Ambulance and PMT Ambulance. They mostly run ALS rigs with a Medic/EMT and some BLS rigs. You can can be guaranteed to run IFT calls. Some of the 911 contracts the privates have won't run IFT, but they are few and far between and those trucks get assigned to employees with seniority. IFT is the bread and butter for private ambulances. The pay is about what any West Coast private pays- Approx $9-11 an hour for EMT-B, a little more if you are an EMT-I(99). Paramedic pay is approx $12-17 an hour.

 

[Symbolic]

Phoenix Fire handles all of the 911 EMS business in the city limits. Their EMT's and Paramedics are all firefighters. There are a few other fire based EMS systems in the area.

My suspicions were confirmed. Pretty much how its run down In Tucson. That's why I'm primarily holding out to work for a FD. Medics make more working through the Fire department, because the medic position is considered a promotion and requires 3 years on as a fire-firefighter/EMT before consideration for the position. The other obvious benefit working for a fire department Is the eligibility to move up the ranks and ultimately make a career out of EMS and not be completely disposable-- which is unfortunately how most transport agencies treat their employees.

If I were you, I would try to get on with a Fire department. Due to the serious budget cuts, the departments are really selective with who they hire. Last year in Tucson, a couple departments selected the majority of the candidates who had their medic, something like 80%. So, you would have a one up on most others. Either way you decide to go, the Job market Is pretty saturated all over the country.

 

[Pittsburgh77]

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm pretty damn excited about moving to the west coast, mainly so I can ride my motorcycle all year but also to see life outside of Pittsburgh.

My long-term goal is to get on with a fire department. So we'll see how things go.

Thanks.

 

[LonghornMedic]

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm pretty damn excited about moving to the west coast, mainly so I can ride my motorcycle all year but also to see life outside of Pittsburgh.

My long-term goal is to get on with a fire department. So we'll see how things go.

Thanks.

Good luck. But it is going to be very difficult to get on with a FD on the West Coast. State budgets are getting slashed left and right and the majority of governments have hiring freezes. CA, NV and AZ are all in bad shape. Those states are in the worst shape financially in the U.S. Have you looked at Texas? We have faired the economic storm pretty well and the few hiring freezes there were are lifted now. Both Williamson County and Austin-Travis County EMS are really good 3rd services that are hiring. They pay well. Starting medics with no experience start around $55,000 a year. Williamson County runs a 24/48 schedule and Austin-Travis runs a hybrid of two 12's and one 24 a week. There are several other 3rd services around the Austin/Central Texas area that are good and pay well. The weather is nice year round too.

 

[WVEmt]

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm pretty damn excited about moving to the west coast, mainly so I can ride my motorcycle all year but also to see life outside of Pittsburgh.

My long-term goal is to get on with a fire department. So we'll see how things go.

Thanks.

I went through my EMT-B training in Phoenix. Certification is pretty straight forward. Arizona doesn't have a state test. Everything is done through the National Registry. Phoenix Fire Dept has a hiring freeze until at least through 2011 last I heard. I moved away in March. Mesa FD has an ems service and when i left i knew of 2 new stations that they were getting ready to open. EMT-Bs are a dime a dozen out there. I know guys from my EMT class that have yet to find a job, even as an ED Tech. Even as a Medic, jobs are hard to come by. My advice would be contact the Arizona Department of Emergency and Trauma Services and see if you have your National Registry if you can get your card before you move and then start applying. Don't move out there and expect to walk into a job. The economy blows out there. Biggest reason I moved away. Hope everything works out for you and good luck with it. Arizona is a one of a kind state. Has a little of everything.

 

[Pittsburgh77]

Good luck. But it is going to be very difficult to get on with a FD on the West Coast. State budgets are getting slashed left and right and the majority of governments have hiring freezes. CA, NV and AZ are all in bad shape. Those states are in the worst shape financially in the U.S. Have you looked at Texas? We have faired the economic storm pretty well and the few hiring freezes there were are lifted now. Both Williamson County and Austin-Travis County EMS are really good 3rd services that are hiring. They pay well. Starting medics with no experience start around $55,000 a year. Williamson County runs a 24/48 schedule and Austin-Travis runs a hybrid of two 12's and one 24 a week. There are several other 3rd services around the Austin/Central Texas area that are good and pay well. The weather is nice year round too.

I will look into that. Thanks.... basically I'm open to moving to anywhere that isn't in Pittsburgh so I can see what else is out there & ride my motorcycle all yearB)