EMS/Fire getting started

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HockeyEmt

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Hey guys/girls, gonna keep it short here, basically I am in school getting my Emt-B will be finished at the end of July and take NREMT near the end of August. Anyways my main question here is how many of you do both EMS/Fire and how would i go about becoming a FF as well... I've gotten a lot of different answers from different FF's that i know around town, some say get on with a volunteer station and have them sponsor you so you can get into the academy some say get my emt-b out of the way and i should be a shoe in, but no real answers as to which route to take. So if anyone would like to help me out with this, just some info. on how to get my foot in the door with a fire dept. it would be much appreciated. Thanks for your time.

-HockeyEMT
 
Welcome to EMTLife! Our answers for you are going to be dependent on where you live, or where you're looking to work.
 
Hey thanks Dan, I live in Charleston, SC and plan on staying in this area.
 
HockeyEmt said:
Hey guys/girls, gonna keep it short here, basically I am in school getting my Emt-B will be finished at the end of July and take NREMT near the end of August. Anyways my main question here is how many of you do both EMS/Fire and how would i go about becoming a FF as well... I've gotten a lot of different answers from different FF's that i know around town, some say get on with a volunteer station and have them sponsor you so you can get into the academy some say get my emt-b out of the way and i should be a shoe in, but no real answers as to which route to take. So if anyone would like to help me out with this, just some info. on how to get my foot in the door with a fire dept. it would be much appreciated. Thanks for your time.

-HockeyEMT
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In Michigan, you need Fire 1 & 2 plus haz mat ops.* NIMS 100,200, 700 is another thing you need. Your best bet, call a local FD or look on their website and ask what is required to join that department.

* it varies by department as well as city, state and county.
 
Getting your paramedic cert will be a huge help, but even that won't guarantee you a job. Getting some good overall life experience and proving yourself mature will help land you a gig.

Also, avoid doing anything stupid, like steal a car or get arrested for drunk driving. Fire departments can be very punishing on your background check.

Take care,
 
sweetpete said:
Getting your paramedic cert will be a huge help, but even that won't guarantee you a job. Getting some good overall life experience and proving yourself mature will help land you a gig.

Also, avoid doing anything stupid, like steal a car or get arrested for drunk driving. Fire departments can be very punishing on your background check.

Take care,
Click to expand...

Thanks Pete! Yea i gotta keep the record clean, dad works for the sheriff's dept. haha
 
Whatever a volunteer organization pays for, you would have been able to pay for yourself, with money left over, if you were compensated for the hours volunteered, instead of working for free.

Many large, well-paying departments put you through their own fire academy, so don't bother going to fire school on your own.

Fire departments in the southeast, particularly the Carolinas, tend not to pay well for firefighters. Expect to start anywhere from $22k/yr (Awendaw, North Charleston, for example), to the low 30's (The city). Actually, Colleton County pays well if you're a medic.

EMS pays better than fire in your area (I used to work for Charleston County EMS back in 2007-2008), so it might be a good idea to work per dem as a medic for one of the local counties, or one of the hospitals (MUSC, Roper, etc), so that you can survive as a $30k guy working in Mt. Pleasant or St. John's, for example (much love for Smiley and the guys at James Island FD - I used to work medic 4 on Folly Rd).

EMT may help, but everyone else is coming in with that too, nowadays.

My recommendations - apply to every local fire department. Meanwhile, go to EMT school, then medic school. Get hired by a county third service EMS if no FD has picked you up yet. When you get a fire job, keep the EMS job on a per diem basis to pad your salary. If you've got tons of extra time left over, then maybe volunteer.
 
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