Moving to Dallas from Denver. What's your take on the ambulance services there?

[WiredEMT]

I'm an EMT-B with IV and ECG certs. I've been working in a private and a hospital-based service (mostly 911 with some xfers) for about 3 years now. I'm having to move in about 3 months due to family issues and am wondering what my job prospects will look like in Dallas.

Who are the good companies in the area? Any ones to avoid like the plague? I know there's a lot of fire-based EMS down there but I really have no interest in fire.

Also, unlike in Co, there seems to be a lot of Intermediates there. How bad is that going to hurt my chances? Should I attempt to transition from EMT-B to EMT-I before I move?

I have a clean record but will I need to get a Texas DL right away?

 

[fm_emt]

I would advise you to get your Texas DL as soon as possible.

Which part of Dallas? Just the city or a surrounding town? On the Dallas side, there's AMR, Allegiance, TLC, Guardian, CareFlite, and a few other smaller services that have fewer than 4 trucks. (Integhearty or something is one of them.)

 

[WiredEMT]

Thanks, I'll definitely check those out. I'm in the middle of doing reciprocity paperwork right now but I can't get a Texas DL until I actually move as I'll need a Texas address. Not sure where exactly but it's likely going to be in the north Dallas metro area, hopefully no further north than Allen.

 

[brian328]

reciprocity is taking about 7-8 weeks right now (i just went thru the process). it seems like most places are asking for a TX DL. look into it online, because they have certain documents you need to bring in to verify identity (apparently DL from another state is not one of them)..

 

[usalsfyre]

Texas DL is usually an insurance requirement.

Being an EMT won't hurt your chances, EMT-Is aren't really preferentially hired over EMT-Bs, as an Intermediate can't make an MICU unit. Understand you will most likely not be able to your IV or EKG certs (for sure if you come to work for Guardian).

In Texas, paramedic is really the cert to have.