CA to Washington ... I know, another one

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Samuel Willis

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Been lurking here for many months and this place rocks.

For what it's worth, I have read through pretty much every thread with Washington mentioned in it.

I am planning on moving from California, where I have been my entire 22 years, to Washington in the beginning of next year. I'm a new EMT working for Falck Northern California's IFT division with a total of 2 months experience. As you can imagine, trying to learn the ins and outs of another states EMS system via the internet can be a challenge.

I am trying to see if Washington will be a good fit for the goals and plans I have, career wise. More specifically, I am trying to narrow down WHERE in Washington.

My goal is to be a Fire Medic, and I hear Washington is a good place for that (thanks DEmedic). Here are some questions I have..

Is the 911 service up there EMT and Medic, or dual medic? From my understanding, the Seattle area is Medic One and thats dual medic? Currently working IFT, but I would like to work 911 while going to school and throughout a Paramedic program.

Where is an area that would be good for some one who is trying to work as an EMT and go through Paramedic school?

What is the pay range for IFT EMTs? 911 EMTs?

Lastly, what are some paramedic programs that you would recommend?

I'll be visiting Seattle area in two weeks, going to scope it out more.

Sorry if these have been answered elsewhere. Just looking for the most accurate information before I commit!

Thanks in advance.
 
A couple of things in no particular order.

You don't have enough EMS experience to qualify for any of the paramedic programs, with the exception of Central Washington in Ellensburg.

Paramedic service in western Washington is all fire based and ALS trucks in King are dual medic. Some fire runs a FF/EMT and a FF/Medic.

If you work on a 911 BLS truck in Seattle or south king, you'll be a stretcher monkey, that occasionally (okay, fairly often) gets turfed a very sick patient. :)

I don't know what the current pay scale is, but there's no real difference between 911 and IFT EMTs. You do a mix of both. TriMed AMR and Falck all run IFT and 911.

Living in NW WA is very expensive. Eastern WA is a lot cheaper. Also there are far more private 911 EMT/medic trucks. (Ballard, lifeline, ALS and AMR)

If you want to be a Medic One medic, you'll need 3 years experience to apply.
 
DEmedic said:
A couple of things in no particular order.

You don't have enough EMS experience to qualify for any of the paramedic programs, with the exception of Central Washington in Ellensburg.

Paramedic service in western Washington is all fire based and ALS trucks in King are dual medic. Some fire runs a FF/EMT and a FF/Medic.

If you work on a 911 BLS truck in Seattle or south king, you'll be a stretcher monkey, that occasionally (okay, fairly often) gets turfed a very sick patient. :)

I don't know what the current pay scale is, but there's no real difference between 911 and IFT EMTs. You do a mix of both. TriMed AMR and Falck all run IFT and 911.

Living in NW WA is very expensive. Eastern WA is a lot cheaper. Also there are far more private 911 EMT/medic trucks. (Ballard, lifeline, ALS and AMR)

If you want to be a Medic One medic, you'll need 3 years experience to apply.
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Thanks DEmedic, I was hoping you'd comment. Sounds like 911 BLS jobs are few and far between there. Although being a stretcher monkey doesn't worry me. I'll take any experience I can get.

I currently live in THE most expensive place in the states, so I can't imagine I would be worse off in NW WA. My intention is to move to Washington and accrue the experience to get into a program there.

Interesting that there's no real pay difference between IFT and 911 EMTs there. Definitely a big difference in pay here.

Definitely not against eastern WA, just need to do a bit more research. Thanks for the tips!
 
Well, as I've mentioned before, BLS jobs in Seattle/king are tough to land because they are the entry point to accrue patient contacts for medic school or as the fill in job before becoming a FF. The local schools keep churning out EMTs, so there is always a glut of cheap labor. You'll get a job, it just may take a while. Or, you may get hired on your first application. Ya never know.

Seattle AMR and TriMed in Kent will get you good experience, and teach you the ways of washington EMS. Good luck.
 
DEmedic said:
If you want to be a Medic One medic, you'll need 3 years experience to apply.
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And redo paramedic school through Harborview if I am not mistaken. Good luck.
 
Well, there's that. But, the OP isn't a medic, so it would be his first go around. But, they require 3 years of solid BLS experience, 2 at the same place.

Working BLS in King County, you either drink the KCM1 kool aid or quickly become very disenfranchised with the Medic One system and their culture.
 
DEmedic said:
Well, there's that. But, the OP isn't a medic, so it would be his first go around. But, they require 3 years of solid BLS experience, 2 at the same place.

Working BLS in King County, you either drink the KCM1 kool aid or quickly become very disenfranchised with the Medic One system and their culture.
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I still recall doing a pm refresher with a KCM1 paramedic, I had to ask if it was in fact true.

His response with a flat face was something to the effect of "Yep, 2 year medic, or 20 year medic. They all redo paramedic school."
 
VentMonkey said:
I still recall doing a pm refresher with a KCM1 paramedic, I had to ask if it was in fact true.

His response with a flat face was something to the effect of "Yep, 2 year medic, or 20 year medic. They all redo paramedic school."
Click to expand...

Yes. Exactly true. Their medics come out with an incredible skill set.
 
Nothing against CWU's program but it's hard for me to justify the student loan debt to get a BS in paramedicine. I took a little more than $5k in debt and consider myself so incredibly lucky to not be burdened by another $10k.

My best friend went through Harborview about 12 years ago. We were talking a couple weeks ago and mentioned that when he was riding with Seattle they had just stopped banding and taking blood vials for CHF/APE patients. They do get incredible training (both in school and CME) but they can be glacier-like to change. And yes I'd go back through Harborview in a heartbeat.
 
Another thing the OP should realize is, the EMS delivery model can vary widely from county to county. For example, King is all Medic One Paramedics for ALS calls, private BLS for BLS 911 and IFT, private CCT nurse/EMT trucks for ALS IFT and all of the fire departments have EMTs, who will usually make the determination of ALS or BLS. Private transport EMTs are at the bottom of the ladder.

In a different county, like Yakima, fire is only first responder BLS. A private will provide all ALS and BLS transport. A brand new medic may be the only ALS IFT provider and work with an EMT.

Every county is a little different, and it's all pretty political. For example, if you go to Seattle, you'll see AMR BLS trucks staging a block or two away from a BLS call that fire had been dispatched on. And, by the way, fire responds to medicals in all kinds of apparatus, including a tiller ladder truck and fully equipped ambulances (aid cars) that never transport unless it's a fire fighter that's hurt. The private ambulance can't respond until it's been summoned by the fire crew. When they're "dispatched", they go roaring in, lights and sirens, to the low acuity BLS call. It's 100% ridiculous.
 
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DEmedic said:
And, by the way, fire responds to medicalsnin all kinds of apparatus, including tiller ladder truck and fully equipped ambulances (aid cars) that never transport unless it's a fire fighter that's hurt.
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OP, I think the question should be "Do I really want to work in a system that does that?"
 
In other news op, @DEmedic and @chaz90 are a plethora of info for a hidden gem of an EMS system that many, definitely including myself, would be interested in if there's nothing holding you back from relocating.

Once you're a paramedic, of course.
 
VentMonkey said:
In other news op, @DEmedic and @chaz90 are a plethora of info for a hidden gem of an EMS system that many, definitely including myself, would be interested in if there's nothing holding you back from relocating.

Once you're a paramedic, of course.
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A system that has quite a rational response model. One that's literature-justified and fiscally sensible!
 
Sure, but the OP wants to live in Washington… And I can't say that I blame him. It's a beautiful place to live. It's just a pretty crappy place to do EMS, and less you're a fire medic or you work for one of the hidden jewel systems like Skagit or Thurston County.

Working as a medic for a private in Washington is a good way to go broke, even though you'll get great experience. Working in Sequim or Yakima County is loads of fun. Oh, Mason County Medic One is a misnomer. Even though they brand as medic one, and appear to be a county third service, they are still a private. They are a branch of Olympic Ambulance and they pay their medics a whopping 12 bucks an hour. You've been warned.
 
DEmedic said:
It's just a pretty crappy place to do EMS, and less you're a fire medic or you work for one of the hidden jewel systems like Skagit or Thurston County.
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So, how does one interested in one of these two systems score a job there?

Luck? Who you know? Experience? All three?
 
VentMonkey said:
So, how does one interested in one of these two systems score a job there?

Luck? Who you know? Experience? All three?
Click to expand...

Ha. Sure. It's how well you test. How well you interview. How well you mesh with the other medics. How you look. How you behave. What other people say about you. All of it. They're extremely competitive jobs.
 
DEmedic said:
Ha. Sure. It's how well you test. How well you interview. How well you mesh with the other medics. How you look. How you behave. What other people say about you. All of it. They're extremely competitive jobs.
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Sounds a lot like HEMS, or ANY job for that matter.
 
How was working for Falck/ how was the pay? I have an interview coming up soon and all I know is that they operate in about 30 countries which is awesome!
 
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