MA company info

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MassEMT-B

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So, I am going to be applying to a lot of companies over the next week. The problem is, a lot of them I have never heard of in my life. I also have never seen most of them because they all operate in a different part of the state than I live. I want to know things like how is company morale, does management and treat their employees decent, are a decent company to work for in general , and some not important but things I’m curious about such as pay and if they have 911 contracts.

Action Ambulance
American Ambulance
Armstrong Ambulance
Beauport Ambulance
Brewster Ambulance
Cape Cod Ambulance
Eastern Ambulance
Events EMS
Health-Tech Ambulance Service
LifeLine Ambulance
Marlboro Hudson Amb
MedStar Ambulance
Northeast Regional Ambulance
Patriot Ambulance
PrideStar Ambulance
Samaritan Emergency Medical Services
Stat Ambulance Svc. of New England
Trinity EMS

A few of these I have heard of but I do not know much about them. I am not expecting to get information about all these places, but I am figuring if I can at least get a little info about any of them it will help ;)
 
boingo

boingo

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Armstrong has been around a while, I believe mostly IFT, maybe a 911 contract north of Boston.

Brewster is family owned and operated, where in business a long time but sold out to AMR back in the late 90's, now back. They are IFT, but I believe are looking toward some 911 work in the future, most likely south of Boston. From what I have heard the employees seem to be happy for the most part.

Cape Cod is like it sounds, down the cape. They do strictly IFT, I believe mostly stuff coming off cape to Boston.

Patriot is on the north shore, IFT and 911 but don't know much more.

I would consider adding Pro in Cambridge and Cataldo to your list, both do a good amount of 911 work in the cities north of Boston, decent pay, good equipment and fairly happy employees from what I can tell.
 
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MassEMT-B

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Oh I am applying to Cataldo. Those are just the companies I wanted info about, I already know about Cataldo. I can't apply for Pro because I can't work full time all year due to college. I am also going to follow up on AMR and some Rhode Island companies. Hopefully with all these companies someone will pick me up. I was just wondering about these companies because I've either seen nothing or not much about them.
 
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MassEMT-B

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Wow, I was just thinking how come theres really no ambulance companies near where I live. Theres one, and yea lets not go into that. All these places are about an hour away. I was just looking at how many miles away and some places are about the same time on google maps to get to yet ones like 40 miles away and the other 70...
 
Meursault

Meursault

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There's a steady stream of new MA job-seekers making a ton of new threads (particularly one poster...), so I'm going to start adding info to this thread in the hopes of preemptively answering questions. If you have current first-hand info about which companies are hiring, please add it. There are also a lot of Boston-area providers here with more experience than me (not hard); if you're reading this, add your thoughts.

For the moment, links and locations of Boston-area private services, as gleaned from the OEMS list, are below. I didn't use a consistent methodology for determining "Boston-area"; if you don't see it, either I forgot about it or it's well outside 128.

Action Ambulance: Based in Wilmington. Site doesn't say much about locations or contracts, and I rarely see them around.

Alert: Based in... Fall River? Really? Their Boston-area trucks operate out of Hyde Park.

American Ambulance: The Ambulance Service Formerly Known as Samaritan/?Mercy: Based in Florida, operates out of Hyde Park.

AMR: Division based in Natick, lots of other locations.

Armstrong: Based in Arlington, several locations NW of Boston.

Brewster: Not actually based in Brewster. Based in Roslindale. May have other locations, and if not, will probably open more.

Cataldo/Atlantic: All over the North Shore.

EasCare: Based out of a Dorchester garage essentially on Neponset Circle. Also has a South Coast division and is doing something out in the western hinterlands.

Eastern: Based in Woburn, unclear where they operate.

Fallon: Corporate headquarters and main garage are both in Quincy. Main garage is just across the water from EasCare, actually.

Lifeline: Based in Woburn, seems to largely operate west of there and in NH.

McCall: No website; good luck applying. Apparently headquartered in Dorchester, also has a garage in Brockton.

Professional: Cambridge, and nothing but.
 
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nemedic

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a few tidbits of info I have picked up in my job search.

Action and lifeline also both have bases in Peabody, and i think Middleton. They are primarily IFT, with Action having a small town 911 contract. The North Shore is almost all Atlantic/Cataldo, with Lyons having a few towns, and Northeast having Beverly.

Lifeline more or less is constantly hiring. Cataldo as well, but they take forever to get back to you with pre hire test results.

that's all for now, if i remember more, i'll be back
 
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shanary

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Doing the job hunt in Boston as well. Took my state written Monday and they guy at the test center said the were cranking out 65 EMTs a week... I think it's going to be a tough search.
 
Meursault

Meursault

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Here's more of what I know and feel comfortable sharing about the services I listed. I'll fill in things as I learn more or get corrected:
Action: ???
Alert: Their only Boston-area base I know of is in Hyde Park. They have the contract for the VA. More opportunities and extra pay for MA-RI dual-certified EMTs. Perhaps not quite up to the standards of the other major privates, but not bad.
American Ambulance: I've been told several times that the reason this company keeps changing names, and hands, is to avoid being shut down by the state (sidenote: WTF?). Caveat petitor.
AMR: What do I need to tell you about AMR? They're huge, they have 911 contracts all over the eastern part of the state, and, you know, resistance is futile, you will be assimilated, etc. One big advantage is that they'll crush the will to live out of you with calculated corporate indifference and not incompetence and shortsighted greed, like the other privates.
Armstrong: Not sure how they're faring. I'll look into it.
Boston EMS: No, they're not going to hire you.
Boston MedFlight: See “Boston EMS”, only more so.
Brewster: Apparently, they existed a long time ago, sold out to AMR, and have now been resurrected. They're trying pretty hard to get contracts; I'm pretty sure they sent flowers to a receptionist at DaVita Boston. They also have shiny new ambulances and nice-looking plaid blankets with service patches sewn onto them. Get a job there before the ambulances are all banged up and the blankets have ineradicable stains and several different strains of drug-resistant bacteria.
Cataldo: They have 911 contracts for a large chunk of towns north of Boston, along with Newton. They also have, or had (just went up for bid this year, not entirely sure what happened), the BI contract, including a dedicated ambulance or two, along with the Fenway event contract. They emphasize their training, which is somewhat amusing, given that they were hit hardest among the privates by the fake CE scandal.
EasCare: They have the contract for Tufts Medical Center and the BMC, including a bunkroom at the BMC East Newton campus. Also, they back up Boston; have their employees mentioned that to you yet? They recently poached Ray Levy from BU to become their full-time “Director of Clinical Services”; that's a promising development, as the BU EMS program is quite good. They're the only private that I'm certain runs P/B trucks; an active member here might be able to fill you in more on that. On top of that, they have other divisions in other parts of the state, although I don't know how much crossover between divisions there is. They recently acquired Exodus, which I always thought was an odd name, though wandering for 40 years with only spotty directions and scolding from on high could describe some of my transports pretty well.
Eastern: ????
Fallon: Not as big as AMR's local division, but big, probably a bit bigger than EasCare. They have the Partners (MGH, Brigham, Faulkner, Newton-Wellesley, Spaulding, etc.) contract with Cataldo, they have the Gillette Stadium contract, and they have 911 contracts in Brookline, Quincy, and nearby towns. They've had problems with “pulse-and-a-ticket” hiring in the past, and they also seem to have a very large number of supervisors. I've mentioned in a previous thread that they're issuing new employees with a binder full of company policies. That should tell you something about their approach to employee relations.

Don't forget about hospitals; Boston has a lot of them, and ED tech positions do open up with some frequency. Experience, the ability to start IVs, phlebotomy certs, and the ability to perform ECGs are all preferred. There's always patient transport, though; it's very much the same work you'd be doing out-of-hospital in that you do nothing for the patient but lift and move them, you make little money, and everyone from foodservice on up looks down on you.
Some facilities might hire you as a CNA/PCA, but I've never looked into it.
 
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medicdan

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OP, do me a favor, and do a search on some of these company names on the forum, and you will find a wealth of information. I'm not trying to blow you off, but I and many others have posted about these companies at length before.

Good luck!
 
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medicdan

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MrConspiracy said:
Here's more of what I know and feel comfortable sharing about the services I listed. I'll fill in things as I learn more or get corrected:
Action: Based out of central MA, with a new outfit in Pittsfield (taking CBAS' place, competing with County Amb), unknown success. Well known/respected for CAAAS affiliation.
Alert: Their only Boston-area base I know of is in Hyde Park. They have the contract for the VA. More opportunities and extra pay for MA-RI dual-certified EMTs. Perhaps not quite up to the standards of the other major privates, but not bad. VA, all day
American Ambulance: I've been told several times that the reason this company keeps changing names, and hands, is to avoid being shut down by the state (sidenote: WTF?). Caveat petitor. Formerly General Ambulance, then Mercy Ambulance, then Samaritan Ambulance, now American, under floridian ownership. Historical ties to Russian community (and mob?), questionable financial stability.
AMR: What do I need to tell you about AMR? They're huge, they have 911 contracts all over the eastern part of the state, and, you know, resistance is futile, you will be assimilated, etc. One big advantage is that they'll crush the will to live out of you with calculated corporate indifference and not incompetence and shortsighted greed, like the other privates. Many rumors 911 contracts are soon to be lost. Very difficult to get onto 911 contracts, new hires do transfer all day, every day.
Armstrong: Not sure how they're faring. I'll look into it. Growing, in a good place. Refocusing away from 911 contracts (although they hold several), towards, among other things, College Campus contracts. Well-incorporated with technology, solid management, strong street crews. A good place to apply, although I don't think they're hiring those without experience currently.
Boston EMS: No, they're not going to hire you.
Boston MedFlight: See “Boston EMS”, only more so.
Brewster: Apparently, they existed a long time ago, sold out to AMR, and have now been resurrected. They're trying pretty hard to get contracts; I'm pretty sure they sent flowers to a receptionist at DaVita Boston. They also have shiny new ambulances and nice-looking plaid blankets with service patches sewn onto them. Get a job there before the ambulances are all banged up and the blankets have ineradicable stains and several different strains of drug-resistant bacteria.
They actually now do have a 911 contract. Doors have been open 10 months. Strong "old-school" staff, but with some new management, and new motivation. A true testament to the "good ole boys club".
Cataldo: They have 911 contracts for a large chunk of towns north of Boston, along with Newton. They also have, or had (just went up for bid this year, not entirely sure what happened), the BI contract, including a dedicated ambulance or two, along with the Fenway event contract formerly held by Armstrong . They emphasize their training, which is somewhat amusing, given that they were hit hardest among the privates by the fake CE scandal.
EasCare: They have the contract for Tufts Medical Center and the BMC, including a bunkroom at the BMC East Newton campus. Also, they back up Boston; have their employees mentioned that to you yet? They recently poached Ray Levy from BU to become their full-time “Director of Clinical Services”; that's a promising development, as the BU EMS program is quite good. They're the only private that I'm certain runs P/B trucks and does CCT-level skills PB (under waiver) ; an active member here might be able to fill you in more on that. On top of that, they have other divisions in other parts of the state, although I don't know how much crossover between divisions there is. They recently acquired Exodus, which I always thought was an odd name, though wandering for 40 years with only spotty directions and scolding from on high could describe some of my transports pretty well.
Eastern: ????
Fallon: Not as big as AMR's local division, but big, probably a bit bigger than EasCare. They have the Partners (MGH, Brigham, Faulkner, Newton-Wellesley, Spaulding, etc.) contract with Cataldo, they have the Gillette Stadium contract, and they have 911 contracts in Brookline, Quincy, and nearby towns. They've had problems with “pulse-and-a-ticket” hiring in the past, and they also seem to have a very large number of supervisors. I've mentioned in a previous thread that they're issuing new employees with a binder full of company policies. That should tell you something about their approach to employee relations.

Don't forget about hospitals; Boston has a lot of them, and ED tech positions do open up with some frequency. Experience, the ability to start IVs, phlebotomy certs, and the ability to perform ECGs are all preferred. There's always patient transport, though; it's very much the same work you'd be doing out-of-hospital in that you do nothing for the patient but lift and move them, you make little money, and everyone from foodservice on up looks down on you.
Some facilities might hire you as a CNA/PCA, but I've never looked into it.
Click to expand...

See my addition/changes above. I largely agree.
Good Luck!
 
OP
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MassEMT-B

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I'll put the info I know. Alert if you work out of Boston you will do VA to VA to VA all day. Nothing else. Last I heard, they were on the 30 day extension for the VA contract and a lot of people were wondering if they would get it again. The extension ended on March 31st and I haven't heard anything else since, so they might have gotten it again.
Lifeline got a big new Boston contract ( I think the BI?). They run mostly BLS trucks with ALS fly cars. The few ALS trucks they have are P/B. I was talking to an employee and they told me there were rumors of Lifeline spreading to RI.
 
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shanary

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Got a call back from Armstrong and they are not hiring new EMT's right now FYI.

I've been asked by another company to call them tomorrow and hopefully that will go well.
 
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silver

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shanary said:
Got a call back from Armstrong and they are not hiring new EMT's right now FYI.

I've been asked by another company to call them tomorrow and hopefully that will go well.
Click to expand...

They I believe just finished hiring a few people a couple weeks ago from what I've heard.
 
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shanary

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One of my buddies from my class just got hired on a few days before I. Put in my application, oh well guess I missed the boat on them.
 
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nemedic

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That sucks. Just had a buddy get hired by them. Guess it's a good thing I decided to stick with my plans to get into Cataldo/Atlantic. Pending availability, just gotta wait for the CORI to come through, then do the physical/drug screen/lift test. Should be good to go after that
 
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medicdan

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This is not a reflection on the company or their patient care-- just very bad choices on the part of some of their managers.
 
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