Finding non-fd 911 work.

[FLEMTP]

It really depends upon where you live and what you want to do. In TX EMT do not work in ER's but this is common in other places. There are also dispatchers positions available. Once I received my paramedic degree I able to receive a promotion at work, even though I was laid off shortly there after. You might look into safety positions; safety training and supervisors are used in a variety of industries around the country, and they like to have EMTs or Medics.

I don't where you live, but Texas is really ignorant as well. I knew a kid who wrote some checks in another state several years ago because of an error in his checkbook, and even thought they were misdemeanors and several years ago, and he long since paid for them, they still refuse to give him license over it. He eventually got tired and went to CO where he practices now as a Medic.

I wouldnt call that ignorance.. Texas just holds their paramedics and public safety professionals to a higher standard than most states.. personally I think all fire and ems should have to pass the exact same hiring process as police officers.. to include full background and character checks, polygraph, physical agility, and drug testing. I know many people in EMS that would not be in EMS if this was the case.. with good reason!

 

[Jeffrey_169]

I agree to a point; however we all make mistakes, and no one should have to pay for a petty mistake which occured when someone was young and immature. There are certain crimes (sexually based crimes, crimes against the children or elderly, murder, armed robbery, etc) which should not be allowed by EMS, but if someone made a stupid and "small" mistake several years ago they should have to pay fro the rest of there lives. If someone bounced a few checks or got into a a scuff 10 years ago and they have kept it straight ever since they have learned a lesson and they should have to he persecuted foreer, in my opinion.

We have all made mistakes. It doesnt make someone a bad person.

 

[John E]

I'm curious...

why people keep referring the OP to the various fire based websites and forums when he specifically wrote that he did not want to work for a fire based EMS system?

To the OP, why are you worried about background checks for a fire dept. position when you don't want to work for a fire dept.?

Did you ever mention where you live? If you truly want to work in a non-fire based EMS system that does 911 calls and you live in an area where that's not possible, then you'll have to move. No way around that.

If I were you, if you have your EMT credentials I'd try to get a job doing EMS, transfers are a great way to learn some basic stuff and you might end up with some medically interesting patients. Continue your schooling as much as you can, take all of the allied health type classes that you can, look into other fields such as respiratory therapy, phlebotomy, etc. You're still very young, you don't need to decide what you want to do for the rest of your life yet. Start slowly and see what sort of jobs are out there.

As for the whole criminal/financial record thing, you listed several items that weren't convictions, if you weren't convicted you shouldn't have anything to worry about.

You should also look into having whatever criminal record you might have either expunged or at least corrected to show your actual status. Your explanation about the judgement/bankruptcy doesn't make sense, if you filed for bankruptcy in court then you should have a record of it, if you didn't, you didn't. There's no such thing as a "sorta bankruptcy", it's a legal process, you need to find out where you stand and get it sorted out. You can obtain 1 free credit report from each of the major credit reporting agencies per year by federal law, you're also entitled to file for corrections to your personal credit history. I'd do that before I did anything else, it's free and easy you can do it online in a matter of minutes. Takes between 30-45 days to get results.

Get and keep a job, pay your bills and stay out of trouble, you'll be fine.

 

[FLEMTP]

I agree to a point; however we all make mistakes, and no one should have to pay for a petty mistake which occured when someone was young and immature. There are certain crimes (sexually based crimes, crimes against the children or elderly, murder, armed robbery, etc) which should not be allowed by EMS, but if someone made a stupid and "small" mistake several years ago they should have to pay fro the rest of there lives. If someone bounced a few checks or got into a a scuff 10 years ago and they have kept it straight ever since they have learned a lesson and they should have to he persecuted foreer, in my opinion.

We have all made mistakes. It doesnt make someone a bad person.

I agree.. there are people out there that have made some mistakes, and they are not bad people.. but certain people with certain mistakes cannot be law enforcement officers.. nor should they be firefighters.. or EMS personnel. I think its a little too easy for people to get hired onto an EMS agency... especially those with background issues.

 

[atlasD]

To the OP, why are you worried about background checks for a fire dept. position when you don't want to work for a fire dept.?

Did you ever mention where you live? If you truly want to work in a non-fire based EMS system that does 911 calls and you live in an area where that's not possible, then you'll have to move. No way around that.

I would definitely take the opportunity to get on my local fd if it presented itself, but full knowing my main goal is to be a paramedic not dreaming of fighting fires - except the possibility of passing backgrounds seems very far off. I'm perfectly fine moving after school to find work. Anywhere. Just wondering if I will find a decent non fire department 911 ems without ya know... polys, talking to old neighbors, and looking at me like a thief for wrangling a couple lawn ornaments when I was kid.

You should also look into having whatever criminal record you might have either expunged or at least corrected to show your actual status. Your explanation about the judgement/bankruptcy doesn't make sense, if you filed for bankruptcy in court then you should have a record of it, if you didn't, you didn't. There's no such thing as a "sorta bankruptcy", it's a legal process, you need to find out where you stand and get it sorted out. You can obtain 1 free credit report from each of the major credit reporting agencies per year by federal law, you're also entitled to file for corrections to your personal credit history. I'd do that before I did anything else, it's free and easy you can do it online in a matter of minutes. Takes between 30-45 days to get results.

My apologies if you are aware of the bankrupcty process. First stage of bankruptcy is filing, then there are a couple of classes, and after meeting with the creditors (they never show up) about 30 days a discharge letter is sent. Well, my lawyer and I filed, and I took my classes. One week before the meeting the lawyer was kicked off the state bar. As the meeting of creditors is federal he was technically a lawyer at the meeting but lost his license a few days later. Never got the discharge letter. I probably shouldn't have filed for bankcruptcy considering my debts but at my schmuck lawyers advice - I did. So that is how there can be a "sorta bankruptcy".

My judgement should have gone down with all my other debt but because of the lack of discharge its still there.

I guess I'm wondering how this will affect being able to find work in this field, even if it gets cleaned up but still on my record.

 

[John E]

Hmmm...

I guess it's me but I still don't understand the issues here.

You wrote that you weren't arrested for the juvenile offenses and you weren't convicted of the adult offenses so I fail to see how a background check is gonna be an issue.

How is anyone going to know about the stuff you did when you were a kid if you don't volunteer the information? And do you really think that all those firefighters down at the local FD were all Boy Scouts their entire lives? They don't put you on the rack or tie you to a dunking stool anymore.

If adolescent pranks were enough to disqualify someone from getting on with a fire dept, most current firefighters couldn't get hired, hell most of them do far worst stuff to each other then what you've described and that's when they're allegedly mature...no offense to the hose jockeys but you know I'm right.

I would definitely get a legal opinion from a non-disbarred attorney about your bankruptcy status. Even with the rather bizarre events that you described there had to be some sort of resolution to it besides a "sorta bankruptcy". Frankly, I'd be more concerned about that then the criminal stuff as it will most likely have a greater and more detrimental effect on your everyday life. Which you'll discover if/when you try to qualify for a bank loan.

Will any or all of your history come back to haunt you? Who knows but you seem to be worrying about a lot of stuff that as you described it, sounds pretty minor.

If I were you, I'd work on taking as many EMS and EMS related college level classes as you can and explore all of the various allied health careers you can. Keep working at your current job and start doing more research into specific jobs that you learn about, most of the information you'll get here is gonna be so generic as to be almost useless unless you ask about a specific agency or department. and even then if you want to know a particular department's. hiring policies, contact that department and ask them, don't rely on information gathered here, it's notoriously inaccurate.

Good luck.

John E