the 100% directionless thread

Jim37F said:
At the uniform store with voucher in hand for the new job. They gave us one set in orientation for field training and the voucher is good for two more. Except that the schedule is three days in a row one week, four the next so that leaves me a set short I'll prob just buy on my own. Oh plus they don't have my size pants (36) in stock so they have to order them, plus no patches available either -_-
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Ugh, I hate that.

At my previous job, part time employees got only one uniform. Full time employees got two uniforms. A full time employee could work 4x a week (if 10 hour shifts), or 5x a week (if 8 hour shifts). :\

At my current job, both part time and full time employees get three uniforms. Most shifts are 5x a week (if 8 hours), 4x a week (if 10 hours), and few shifts like my shift alternate between 5x a week and 2x a week every other week (12 hour shifts). Most shifts used to be similar to yours, alternate between 4x and 3x a week every other week (most shifts used to be 12 hours).
 
Aprz said:
Ugh, I hate that.

At my previous job, part time employees got only one uniform. Full time employees got two uniforms. A full time employee could work 4x a week (if 10 hour shifts), or 5x a week (if 8 hour shifts). :\

At my current job, both part time and full time employees get three uniforms. Most shifts are 5x a week (if 8 hours), 4x a week (if 10 hours), and few shifts like my shift alternate between 5x a week and 2x a week every other week (12 hour shifts). Most shifts used to be similar to yours, alternate between 4x and 3x a week every other week (most shifts used to be 12 hours).
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I believe for us part time employees get 3 uniforms per year and full time get 4 per year. I think I have somewhere around 10 uniforms :unsure:
 
Hi everyone lol, so I am a senior in High school in San Jose Ca looking into becoming an emt.. I didnt come to this idea easily I've thought about so many Ideas and things that I'd love doing and this really stood out to me. I was wondering if someone from my area could shed some light on what this job would look like for me. btw im graduating in february. Thanks for any insight guys I appreciate it :)
 
Watching the coverage of Adrian Peterson's son's death. It's stirring up a little sadness. I've seen that happen in real life once..

A two year old boy, living with his dad and step mom, they beat him over the course of a week, and when we got called they said he fell down the stairs.

I took pictures of the baby in the hospital for documentation.. They beat him with something shaped like a crescent. Dad plea bargained and got 10 years.
 
sharpie said:
Hi everyone lol, so I am a senior in High school in San Jose Ca looking into becoming an emt.. I didnt come to this idea easily I've thought about so many Ideas and things that I'd love doing and this really stood out to me. I was wondering if someone from my area could shed some light on what this job would look like for me. btw im graduating in february. Thanks for any insight guys I appreciate it :)
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Hi. I've been an EMT in Santa Clara County for over two years. The cities in Santa Clara County are Milpitas, Santa Clara, San Jose, Sunnyvale, Mt. View, Palo Alto, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Saratoga, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Campbell, Gilroy, and Morgan Hill.

In your county, there is County Ambulance (operated by Rural/Metro, responds to 911 calls), Rural/Metro of Northern California (contracted with Kaiser Permanente), ProTransport-1 (contracted by Good Samaritan Hospital and Stanford), Silicon Valley Ambulance (unsure of specific contracts, I hear they do a lot of backup 911, I rarely see them), Westmed Ambulance (contracted by Valley Medical Center, and I think El Camino Mt. View (and Los Gatos?) too), Golden State, and Royal Ambulance (contracted by Regional Medical Center).

Job outlook is generally poor throughout the bay area. It may be several months to even a year (or longer) to get an EMT job. Personally, it took me 13 months to get my first EMT job. Pay is usually around $8-$11.50/hour for new EMTs doing interfacility transfers (IFT, non 911, transport from one facility to another). 911 is very desired, pay is $17.25/hour I believe, but is extremely difficult to get on. I've been working as a paid EMT for over two years now, and still have not gotten hired on by any company that does 911 here or in adjacent counties.

San Jose Fire Department I believe is hiring right now, but I don't think they'll be interviewing until after April 2014 (if I remember correctly from co-workers talking about it). Typically when a Fire Department hires, there is open space on the 911 and for non 911 transports so I expect somewhere around April or a little after April for there to be a lot of job openings.

My recommendation is not to limit yourself to Santa Clara County. Explore other counties to look for. Be very patient, but also aggressive when trying to get a job. Apply everywhere regardless of the rumors you hear. Personally, I was hesitant to apply to ProTransport-1, people had a lot of negative comments about the company, and I didn't apply until after a year of trying to get hired everywhere else over and over. I got hired by ProTransport-1 within around a week after applying, and my pay went from $8.75/hour in fast food to $9.50/hour with $10/call bonus being an EMT. ProTransport-1 became unionize and my pay increased to $11.05/hour for awhile, and when I finished probation, it was $12.75/hour (I was there for 7 months). At my current company (not ProTransport-1), I am paid $11.96/hour with no call bonuses, but I do get overtime and doubletime frequently unlike my previous company, and actually make a little bit more.

The majority of ambulance companies will not hire you unless you have a clean background (especially driving background, be sure to have no tickets, suspension, or DUI/DWI), and if you are 21 or older. Some companies like Rural/Metro will hire people 18 or older.

My personal experience in this field is overall disappointing/dissatisfying.

If you actually go through with it, bookmark this page for links to jobs in bay area.

Aprz said:
ProTransport-1 (San Francisco, Oakland, Hayward, Richmond, Palo Alto, Pleasant Hill)
Royal Ambulance (San Leandro, San Jose)
Rural/Metro (San Jose (911), Pacheco (IFT), Hayward (IFT), Milpitas (IFT))
Bayshore Ambulance !!!WARNING!!! Annoying website (Foster City, San Francisco, San Jose)
Silicon Valley Ambulance (San Jose, Morgan Hill)
Westmed Ambulance (San Jose, Hayward/Union City)
Falck Ambulance (San Carlos, Concord, San Mateo)
American Medical Response (AMR) (San Francisco, Concord)
King American Ambulance (San Francisco)
Golden State Ambulance (San Jose)
Norcal Ambulance (Fremont, Oakland)
Paramedics Plus (San Leando, Newark)
California Ambulance (Martinez)
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Also click here, bookmark, for more information on becoming an EMT in Santa Clara County. The post is still correct, but you are also now required to get First Responder Operations (FRO) - Hazmat within 6 months of employment in Santa Clara County.
 
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Wow! It must be nice to have your employer supply any sort of new uniform every year. My employer gives full time employees 2 shirts and a coat when hired. You supply everything else, including any future shirts you may need, regardless of how long you have been there. I think, in the long run, it hurts the image of the company. There are guys wearing shirts that should have been thrown away a really, really, really long time ago.
 
Can someone tell me, why must a personnel with no ambulance driving training give orders in how to drive, "turn on your lights and siren" while I'm at the freeway in heavy traffic , telling me to go faster when cars infront of me that aren't moving, telling me to change lanes when I'm worrying about the patient and their safety ( when they are not buckled and slamming breaks, quickly changing lanes will make them get thrown around in the box), and getting offended when I told her to keep her eyes on the patient, now I remember one of the reasons I became a medic. This is what I get for picking up a BLS shift.
 
Epi-do said:
Wow! It must be nice to have your employer supply any sort of new uniform every year. My employer gives full time employees 2 shirts and a coat when hired. You supply everything else, including any future shirts you may need, regardless of how long you have been there. I think, in the long run, it hurts the image of the company. There are guys wearing shirts that should have been thrown away a really, really, really long time ago.
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We get $1250 every year for uniforms... And we STILL have guys wearing trashy, tattered pieces of garbage.
 
STXmedic said:
We get $1250 every year for uniforms... And we STILL have guys wearing trashy, tattered pieces of garbage.
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Trust me, I know that still happens. I have worked places that gave you a uniform allowance on your paycheck twice a year, and plenty of people looked at that as a bonus, rather than replacing worn out uniforms. The issue with where I work now, is that those people believe that if it mattered to the company, they would provide new uniforms when they are needed. These employees don't believe they should have to provide their own uniforms.

It's something that has always amused me and confused me at the same time. If you worked in an office, you wouldn't expect your employer to provide your clothes. Why do people expect there employer to provide their clothes, just because there is a a uniform that is to be worn?
 
Epi-do said:
Trust me, I know that still happens. I have worked places that gave you a uniform allowance on your paycheck twice a year, and plenty of people looked at that as a bonus, rather than replacing worn out uniforms. The issue with where I work now, is that those people believe that if it mattered to the company, they would provide new uniforms when they are needed. These employees don't believe they should have to provide their own uniforms.
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Reminds me of the yearly clothing allowance while in the Army. So many guys simply looked at is as extra beer money lol

It's something that has always amused me and confused me at the same time. If you worked in an office, you wouldn't expect your employer to provide your clothes. Why do people expect there employer to provide their clothes, just because there is a a uniform that is to be worn?
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Well a lot of offices the "uniform" guidelines are pretty much a suit or business casual which leaves a lot of latitude.

Compared to EMS/Fire/Law Enforcement/etc that have very specific uniform standards. I.e. you will wear this specific shirt in this specific shade of blue with these specific pants that cannot/will be tactical cargo pants etc etc.

You want me to buy my own? Fine, I got no problem. Just don't be surprised if I show up wearing something slightly different because I either can't find exactly what you want me to wear or more likely can't afford $400+ of uniforms for a minimum wage EMT job
 
EMT B said:
we have to buy our uniforms
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We're issued four sets of brand new Flying Cross Nomex IIIA Shirts and Pants as our uniform. We have to buy our company specific duty t-shirts and baseball caps however. We are also issued the following brand new PPE which consists of a Blauer Crosstech 3-In-1 Response Jacket, a generic traffic safety vest, and a Cairns 660C Metro Structural Fire Helmet with ESS Goggles.
 
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Epi-do said:
Why do people expect there employer to provide their clothes, just because there is a a uniform that is to be worn?
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...because if I'm on a rotation that's business formal (shirt, tie, white coat), the hospital doesn't dictate what color shirt and tie I wear. If I'm on a rotation that requires/allows scrubs, then the hospital issues the scrubs.

If an EMS program wants to require black work pants (****ies) or black EMS pants, then they need to allow some variation between individuals. If they want to require specifically ___ type of 5.11s, then they should be providing either an allowance or the pants specifically.
 
JPINFV said:
...because if I'm on a rotation that's business formal (shirt, tie, white coat), the hospital doesn't dictate what color shirt and tie I wear. If I'm on a rotation that requires/allows scrubs, then the hospital issues the scrubs.

If an EMS program wants to require black work pants (****ies) or black EMS pants, then they need to allow some variation between individuals. If they want to require specifically ___ type of 5.11s, then they should be providing either an allowance or the pants specifically.
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I guess that makes sense. Of course, I don't think I have worked anywhere that has been that specific about uniforms, except for shirts. I've always just been told either black or navy pants, depending upon the employer. However, I have never been told that I have to wear X brand, style Y for my pants. Same goes for boots - I've never been told that specifically what I have to wear.

Maybe that's why I feel the way I do about it. I'm sure if I were told that the only pair of pants I could wear cost $60 a pair, or more, that I would feel differently about it.
 
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My last service issued us 7 shirts, 5 pants, socks, and undershirts a well as a sweater, hats gloves , etc.

They were replaced as needed. We had white shirts so they didn't last very long.
 
I guess I'm lucky. My place just throws uniforms at us. Field medics wear nomex flight suits with embroidered name tapes and rank. I think I have 10 of them. We're also issued PPE (helmet, extrication coat, pants, goggles, safety vest) a ballistic vest, 5.11 parka with a zip out embroidered fleece liner, class A uniforms and receive a boot allowance. Any uniform issues go to our full time uniform guy for repair or replacement. The running joke is you only have to buy underwear and socks when you come to work here.

There are optional uniform items, like tshirts, ball caps, winter beanies and job shirts that are available to purchase.

It's called a uniform because everybody should look... Uniform. They only way to do that is specify exactly what the uniform entails. That's why the department supplies it. It's tightly controlled.
 
So when I was in LA/OC/IE land, the ambulance crews wore a pretty standard collared shirt with ****ies/EMS pants.

In Ohio, it seems to be t-shirts with ****ies.

I will say that every time I see an EMS crew wearing t-shirts it kills me a little. It really is just an unprofessional look in comparison.
 
JPINFV said:
So when I was in LA/OC/IE land, the ambulance crews wore a pretty standard collared shirt with ****ies/EMS pants.

In Ohio, it seems to be t-shirts with ****ies.

I will say that every time I see an EMS crew wearing t-shirts it kills me a little. It really is just an unprofessional look in comparison.
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I've seen more than a few local LA Co dialysis companies wear t-shirts for their uniforms.

What do y'all think about badges? My old IFT only company wore them. But my new 911 company doesn't. Personally that just seems a little backwards to me but oh well, such is life lol
 
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