Best 911 operations to work at in CA?

sunshine girl

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Hi everyone, you may remember me if you read my post “Am I getting fired” a few weeks ago. Since I was indeed asked to resign from my position at AMR Santa Barbara, I’m now looking to possibly relocate so I can continue pursuing 911. Somewhere in the east bay would be awesome since I have a lead on a great housing arrangement there, but all I can find online is information on IFT companies and fire in the Oakland/Alameda area. Does fire really handle all the EMS there, or am I missing something? Can you work on a fire owned ambulance if you don’t have any training as a firefighter? Santa Cruz would also be great but I’ve heard that AMR only staffs dual medic cars there, so that wouldn’t work for me since I’m just an EMT. Any advice from people working in those places, or just people who can reccomend a good EMS job in CA would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance you guys.
 
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Here’s three services in the Central Valley that immediately come to mine as places to gain good 911 experience.

1. Hall Ambulance (Bakersfield)
2. Riggs Ambulance (Merced)
3. American Ambulance (Fresno)

I can’t speak for the Bay Area as I’m not familiar with their EMS operations.

@Aprz, can you chime in?
 
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RocketMedic

Californian, Lost in Texas
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Off the top of my head, Paramedics Plus in Alameda County seems to be a place that runs 911. Personally, I'd look hard at commuting inland to Riggs (Merced), American (Fresno), American (Visalia), Hall (you'd likely have to move to Bakersfield), Liberty-Ridgecrest (commute, but long hours make it OK).

If you're in the SF area, I'm just going to randomly say whoever does EMS in Ukiah. It's a relatively rural area, there's a lot of people out there, and it's far enough away from AMR that you're not going to have to get silly.

Bi-County Ambulance in Yuba City exists, that's all I know. They took good care of Grandma several times.

If you're relocatable, then can you go to Texas?
 

Aprz

The New Beach Medic
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Honestly, if you were asked to resign from AMR, I don't think they would hire you back anytime soon. Unfortunately, AMR dominates most of the SF Bay Area. There are several Fire Departments that do their own transport, but they are extremely competitive to get into it. Fortunately, you are looking at the East Bay, which is mostly covered by Paramedics Plus in Alameda County.

http://www.paramedicsplus.com/location/alameda-county-california/careers/

If still want to try AMR, they have a bunch of 9-1-1 contracts in the Bay Area: Napa County, Santa Rosa County, they are second for San Francisco County, San Mateo County, Santa Clara County, Contra Costa County, Yolo County, Placer County, and San Juaquin County.

There are several city fire departments that do their own transport as well, but they are also very competitive to get into: Alameda, Albany, Moraga-Orinda, Berkely, Palo Alta, San Francisco, South San Francisco, and Sac Metro Fire Department. San Jose Fire Department and Santa Clara City Fire Department have ambulances that respond to calls, but they do not transport except under certain conditions.

In the past, it has been extremely hard to get into 9-1-1 services in the Bay Area since they tend to be unionized and paid well. The last I checked (I know it has changed since I don't look at EMT pays anymore), a step 1 EMT working in Santa Clara County makes $20.39/hour working a 12/42, a step 1 EMT in San Mateo County makes $17.60/hour, and I believe a step 1 EMT in SF makes $19.10/hour (I do not know their shifts). Generally 9-1-1 EMTs make around $45k annually in the Bay Area. Working IFT, you'll make significantly less, like near minimum wage. At least when I was an EMT in IFT, the average pay seemed like it was $9-12/hour or around $25k-30k annually, which is horrendous pay in the Bay Area. It took me nearly 4 years to get into a 9-1-1 service as an EMT. By the way, I did temporarily work for Paramedics Plus Alameda County as an EMT, and their pay was pretty garbage for both EMTs and paramedics (I think a step 1 EMT was like $15.88/hour working a 12/42); It was one of the poorest paying 9-1-1 services in the Bay Area, and my pay went from $42k annually as a tier 2 step 1 paramedic to $63k annually as a step 1 paramedic at an adjacent county. As a paramedic at Paramedics Plus, I was making almost the same as an EMT in San Mateo County and Santa Clara County! I know things have changed since I've left, but I don't know how much. I was personally not happy at Paramedics Plus.

If you are willing to commute out of the Bay Area, you can also check out Riggs Ambulance in Merced County, American Ambulance in Fresno and King County I think, and Halls Ambulance in Kern County.

Anyways, my best recommendation is not to limit yourself; Apply absolutely everywhere. It is very hard to get hired onto 9-1-1 out here. It might be worth it to look at IFT options temporarily (temporary might be years). If you are willing to commute or look outside of the SF Bay Area, that might help.

If you more specific questions, I have experience both as an EMT and paramedic in several counties for both IFT and 9-1-1. I have not worked for any fire department though, and I do not plan to.
 

DrParasite

The fire extinguisher is not just for show
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Since I was indeed asked to resign from my position at AMR Santa Barbara, I’m now looking to possibly relocate so I can continue pursuing 911.
Plenty of places in NC hire EMTs, and the cost of living is much less than California. NJ has some good 911 EMT careers (and if you can handle Jersey, you can handle anything), as does upstate NY. All are non-fire systems.

I've never worked in California, but there are likely better places to be an EMT.

If you are willing to move 5 hours for a career, why not look at moving to a different state?
 
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Aprz

The New Beach Medic
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By the way, I did temporarily work for Paramedics Plus Alameda County as an EMT.
Correction... I worked as a paramedic for Paramedics Plus... I was just rereading this and noticed the mistake. I was a tier 2 step 1 paramedic at Paramedics Plus making $42k annually and I went up to $63k annual working as a step 1 paramedic in an adjacent county. Paramedics Plus was my first paramedic job, and I was making $42k annual as an EMT in an adjacent county before I got hired at Paramedics Plus as a paramedic, so no real pay increase even though I was working at a higher level. I've been all over the Bay Area, lol. Of all the 911 operations I've worked in the Bay Area, Paramedics Plus was the worst paying by far...
 

RocketMedic

Californian, Lost in Texas
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Serious question: If you want to set yourself up for long-term success and you're up for adventure, have you considered enlistment?
 
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