EMT vs Firefighter

[jhall98]

I know they work very closely to each other.. and some are emt and firefighters.. But.. Do they give each other crap? I've seen some discussions and stuff.. I was just wondering if they give each other crap like firefighters and cops lol.. Not that they hate each other.. just that they make fun of each other?

 

[Martyn]

 

[Aprz]

The relationship between EMS and Fire can vary greatly by people, location, time, agency, etc. In my experience, usually EMS and Fire are a bit abrasive to each other and not in a friendly way. I literally mean a bit though. We aren't brawling each other. We are usually still somewhat respectful to each other and can work together.

 

[SandpitMedic]

.....

?

 

[Underoath87]

We have EMS and Fire separate, where fire engines run as first responders for us but lack transport capabilities. Our interactions with each Fire crew vary based on how they treat us and vice versa. It really depends on where you are and on the personalities of the crews involved.

 

[jhall98]

Wow that sucks my whole outlook has changed greatly.

 

[Jim37F]

^why's that? What were you imagining?

 

[Bullets]

Depends on the area. Both my jobs have poor relationships with the FD largely because we do the rescue stuff and since we are busier we get money and support from the municipality. We also play politics and PR better so we get more money. And because when we do operate together we have to drag them kicking and screaming into modern medicine. Ive got a dozen stories about why we dont get along

 

[jhall98]

^why's that? What were you imagining?

I thought for the most part everyone worked as a team and got along with each other.

 

[Jim37F]

Ah. Well its going to be extremely location dependent, as well as highly dependent on the individuals involved on top of that. Locally our police and firefighters get along great. Our EMTs are employed by the fire department and we're stationed right alongside them in house on the same shifts. We are considered entry level employees so we do get a lighter version of the "rookie" experience the probationary firefighters get, but that's also just until everyone gets to know you and you've proven yourself on calls and been here for a bit, so really, everyone pretty much works together as a team barring a few individual personality clashes.

 

[chaz90]

As mentioned above, this is entirely location and system dependent.

In many areas, EMS is Fire and they work for the same department. In some of these cases, they may even work on an ambulance one week and an engine the next, so any kind of rivalry based on roles is nonexistent. On the other hand, you may have volunteer fire departments with paid EMS that have somewhat contentious relationships or any combination between those extremes. The most adversarial and toxic Fire/EMS relationship I ever saw existed between a private, for profit EMS service contracted to a city and the ALS non-transporting FD that ran the show.

Personally, I have always found it easier to get along with LE than the FD as an organization. I try not to make waves and typically do an okay job of playing nice with everyone on scene, but it comes more naturally with cops than firefighters to me. YMMV.

 

[SandpitMedic]

I thought for the most part everyone worked as a team and got along with each other.

We are a team... and the sooner everyone gets their heads out of their *** they will be better off. However, some folks have a case of being unable to remove their head from their ***... This presents challenges and has detrimental effects on team dynamics. That being said, most of us know the real deal. EMS is a team from IFT BLS EMTs to ER doctors. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. The Fire Dept is the Fire Dept, they are hopped up on "we're the best" kool-aid that they are given in training- some are worse than others as there will always be *******s. That wears off of a lot of them, some it doesn't. Burn out paramedic are hopped up on the salty drink known as hater-aid, and will gripe because they didn't go the Fire route for one reason or another - some are worse than others again because there will always be *******s.

The fact is, most of the issues between Fire and EMS are all because of someone's feels. It is usually a personal gripe. Departmental and agency gripes happen also, and although it shouldn't trickle down to field level folks, it sometimes does.

Overall, I have found that there are good working relationships with most of the departments I have worked with. There are always bad apples, but overall, it has been good. It also depends on you. If you're a snowflake or take things extremely personal, then you're going to have a bad time. We sometimes just need to let things roll off our shoulder more than we do (as humans, not EMS).

Others, have stated, this is a regional issue as well, and it depends on where you work.

I do not want you to be discouraged. If this what you want then go for it. People talk. People gripe. Some people can't get along. It is what it is, life. Just reach your goals, and do your job the best you can. You will find that your attitude will directly reflect on the experience you have; keep a good one. This doesn't mean you won't have bad days, for we all have those at one time or another.

 

[Jim37F]

However, some folks have a case of being unable to remove their head from their ***..

I want to like this quote a million times, primary source of most problems and unfortunately prevalent everywhere

 

[Jim37F]

I meant to add prevalent everywhere in life in general whether you're in public safety, the military, or some corporate office job