Looking for some direction...

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mdavis414

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I know there are lots of similar threads, but I felt my questions were a little different from the stuff I found searching.

I am just looking for others opinions on what they would do. My goal is to eventually become a fire captain/paramedic.

I have worked as a seasonal firefighter in CA for the past couple years and have finally recieved my EMT cert. Now I am looking into a permanent job either with an ambulance company or preferrably with a fire dept. I know it is very competive and difficult right now but I am confident that through my connections I could get a job on an ambulance. I will be living on my own and supporting myself.

What would you do?

Option 1: Work as an EMT on an ambulance with terrible pay, gain experience, then go to paramedic school after a year and volunteer as a firefighter

Option 2: Work for the railroad making a little over $20/hr with good benefeits and work part-time on an ambulance or volunteer firefighter to keep up on skills/experience

I know I want a career in EMS but for the meantime does salary out-weigh experience? (until I am able to find a job in the fire service)

Thanks for any input
Matt
 
I would take the money. You already have fire experience, and you'll continue to gain it by volunteering or working part-time. I wouldn't put off saving for your financial future in the hopes of being a fire captain/paramedic. Or better put, use the railroad job money to bankroll medic school. Once you're done and debt-free, take whatever job you want and work towards your dream. You don't want to be an underpaid or even unemployed medic with a load of debt from school. Besides, the fire service would probably look just as favorably upon railroad work that involves leadership or problem-solving over taxi-cab EMS. Just my 3 cents.
 
Work for the railroad. You can get experience part time, and goto
Paramedic school. Goto medic school now, if the ones in the area will allow you to with no experience.


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I agree with narcan, and I'd strongly caution you about going into medic school without any experience as a B. Get some good solid BLS experience and you'll be a much better medic. Good luck!
 
Railroad and Paramedic school ASAP.


You don't need the experience. There's nothing you can learn working as an EMT that you can't in your clinicals / internship in Paramedic school aside from driving the ambulance.
 
Ambulance driver experience will give you zero edge in landing a civil service fire job. And it's usually counterproductive to becoming a competent medic. So I would take the RR job and go to medic school. That cert WILL give you an edge, unlike the amb experience. I would go for that experience ONLY if it is absolutely required to get into medic school.

Just curious why you limit yourself to captain. Are you too intellectually challenged to be a chief?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
AJ Hidell said:
Just curious why you limit yourself to captain. Are you too intellectually challenged to be a chief?
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Maybe the OP doesn't want to deal with the municipal politics that goes with the job of chief. I know I wouldn't.
 
fortsmithman said:
Maybe the OP doesn't want to deal with the municipal politics that goes with the job of chief. I know I wouldn't.
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In other words, he's too smart to be a fire chief. I can certainly buy that! ^_^
 
AJ Hidell said:
In other words, he's too smart to be a fire chief. I can certainly buy that! ^_^
Click to expand...

One of my families best friends is a fire chief. The stress he goes through I can't even imagine, I'm afraid its literally killing him. He is the type that truly cares for those around him and with all of the budget cuts, lay-offs etc. he is really taking it hard. Plus from what he has told me, some of his Captains make just as much, if not more money than him with overtime.

I appreciate all of the advice and believe you are all correct. I know as a seasonal I only made $13/hr with overtime/hazard pay occasionally and with living expense it was cutting it fairly close.

From the little research I did on medic schools, seems like most require 1 year experience. I'll have to look into further...

Thanks again
Matt
 
mdavis414 said:
One of my families best friends is a fire chief. The stress he goes through I can't even imagine, I'm afraid its literally killing him.
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Excellent observation.

From the little research I did on medic schools, seems like most require 1 year experience. I'll have to look into further...
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No matter how much more you look, it's not going to change in SoCal, unfortunately. It's one of the things that keeps SoCal EMS in 1972. The good news is that their definition of experience has nothing to do with EMS. You just have to survive driving non-EMS transfers for half a year without burning out.
 
AJ Hidell said:
Excellent observation.


No matter how much more you look, it's not going to change in SoCal, unfortunately. It's one of the things that keeps SoCal EMS in 1972.
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So So Cal EMS has not advanced beyond Johnny and Roy.
 
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