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South Caroline EMS services
- Thread starter Fish
- Start date
I used to work for Charleston County EMS, from 10/2007 to 4/2008.
The pay starts at around 38k/yr (24/48 no kellys), and you go to a base of around 45k when you make crew chief, which was from 6 months to a year after hire. The top out was around 68k after 10 years or so, I can't remember. they're the sole 911 ground txp provider for the county. You have ALS first response in Mt. Pleasant. The rest is BLS engines. Protocols are decent, and they have RSI. There are 12 hour and 24 hour rigs. The 12's run three on, two off, two on, three off. All units are ALS. Minimal staffing is one EMT, one medic.
Things I didn't like:
Frequent holdovers of 12-24 hours. Every couple of weeks, you were on call, uncompensated, for a 12 hour window. You're only paid of you're called in. Every six months, you're work location is changed. You need to find someone to agree to work for you on OT if you want to use a vacation day. Otherwise, you're SOL. Mandatory 6 hours of CEU's monthly, on your day off. If you're held over for forced OT, you must reschedule on another off day. When you arrive at the ED, you're instantly in service for another call. They use an electronic e-pcr, so you can have numerous uncompleted reports, that you have to figure out on what should be your downtime. There's no promotional list, just whoever the director likes. They're constantly hiring, so that might tell you something. The turnover was high when I was there. It may be different now.
https://jobsweb.charlestoncounty.org/hronline/public/vacancylisting.aspx
The pay starts at around 38k/yr (24/48 no kellys), and you go to a base of around 45k when you make crew chief, which was from 6 months to a year after hire. The top out was around 68k after 10 years or so, I can't remember. they're the sole 911 ground txp provider for the county. You have ALS first response in Mt. Pleasant. The rest is BLS engines. Protocols are decent, and they have RSI. There are 12 hour and 24 hour rigs. The 12's run three on, two off, two on, three off. All units are ALS. Minimal staffing is one EMT, one medic.
Things I didn't like:
Frequent holdovers of 12-24 hours. Every couple of weeks, you were on call, uncompensated, for a 12 hour window. You're only paid of you're called in. Every six months, you're work location is changed. You need to find someone to agree to work for you on OT if you want to use a vacation day. Otherwise, you're SOL. Mandatory 6 hours of CEU's monthly, on your day off. If you're held over for forced OT, you must reschedule on another off day. When you arrive at the ED, you're instantly in service for another call. They use an electronic e-pcr, so you can have numerous uncompleted reports, that you have to figure out on what should be your downtime. There's no promotional list, just whoever the director likes. They're constantly hiring, so that might tell you something. The turnover was high when I was there. It may be different now.
https://jobsweb.charlestoncounty.org/hronline/public/vacancylisting.aspx
Thanks for writing, do you know anything about Greenville, Lauren, Berkeley, Union, and Dorchester Counties EMS?
I lived in Summerville, on the Berkeley/Dorchester line. I don't know much about their operations, but I haven't heard anything bad. Their pay doesn't come close to Charleston. You could try CCEMS, and then apply to these other counties if you don't like where you're at. Also, MUSC and Roper lure away medics all the time. It's all IFT, but you're treated a lot better, and work set schedules. It's great for school. You could make crew chief, drop to per diem, and then work for a hospital. That's what I was going to do if I didn't get the Fairfax offer. I was going to head back to school for my RN most likely.
I don't know much else. Reaper works in SC, as far as I know, and might have more info.
How was life in Summerville? Safe, good quality of life? I have heard from others that those systems are good. A IFT company is drawing Medics away from 911 services? that sounds backwards! they are doing this based on how employees are treated or is there other reasons? Hows Fairfax going?