COmedic17
Forum Asst. Chief
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Last I heard from a buddy who just got hired there, they require a 1 yr minimum of experience in your current certification level to be eligible for hire.
the 100% directionless thread
- Thread starter KEVD18
- Start date
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I'm glad I'm not easily replaceable.
In other news I read Mark Owen's "No Easy Day" about the Bin Laden raid in its entirety today. Good book. First time I've read anything besides medical stuff in a while. Was very refreshing.
Yes, and trust me I have been losing my marbles. First 5 or 6 months was all the fun stuff. Ever since then I have been wanting a new job lol.
On another note, the captions on some of these pictures on emtlife instagram are priceless.
PotatoMedic
Has no idea what I'm doing.
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Thanks for the heads up!
If you have any questions let me know, my buddy used to work for Denver before he started here.
Jim37F
Forum Deputy Chief
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My partner at work is finishing up his medic school (already passed national registry, he's just getting the paperwork together for his state P card) and was positively drooling at Williamson County EMS's (grammar nazis, is it "EMS's" or "EMS' "?) website before remembering he and his wife just bought a house in Riverside
redundantbassist
Nefarious Dude
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We will respect you more for taking your personal safety into your own hands.Does that mean guys will like me more if I get a gun? Or would they simply be nice "just in case"?
Angel
Paramedic
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WASP knife?
DesertMedic66
Forum Troll
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Because an 11 1/2 inch knife is just so convenient to carry around lol
TransportJockey
Forum Chief
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That and WilCo wants at least a year experience as a medic. I would love to work there
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Working in the Mega Gator at an event today. I'm working in a transport capable unit for the first time in a while!
NomadicMedic
I know a guy who knows a guy.
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Working in the Mega Gator at an event today. I'm working in a transport capable unit for the first time in a while!
Wow! The big gator finally got out of the spec ops garage. Very cool. What's going on?
ViolynEMT
Forum Chiefess
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Working in the Mega Gator at an event today. I'm working in a transport capable unit for the first time in a while!
I'd be stoked I got a vehicle at all. Last two freelance gigs I did, I had a big bag, portable O2, and an AED ready to grab so that I could run with them.
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Nanticoke Riverfest. Just hanging out here all day with the Seaford crowd. It's pretty low key so far and people are having a good time.
redundantbassist
Nefarious Dude
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They say to never bring a knife to a gunfight but...
Jim37F
Forum Deputy Chief
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Ok now I'm intrigued lol
ViolynEMT
Forum Chiefess
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In the meantime I went out and bought pepper spray that was recommended by an LEO and I have my father's old night stick from when he was an LEO.
Jim37F
Forum Deputy Chief
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So I managed to get the first 12 hours of my shift covered so I could take the Orange County Fire Authority written test today. Feel like I did good, pretty confident I'll pass and move on to the interview. If (when) I do, that'll mark three FDs I have interviews lined up for (Long Beach, LA, and now OC). All three are looking at January academies...fingers crossed!
Also, I show up for the night half (1930-0730) of my shift, it's not the busiest in town. The 3 calls they already ran are about the usual daily call volume (yesterday they had one call)....and in three hours I get 4 more calls...(my partner is already half complaining of having a black cloud lol)
Oh and apparently before I arrived, earlier today they got dispatched to that nasty head on collision with a Lifeline Ambulance over in Pasadena..only to get cancelled enroute to be rerouted to a medical call, but from what they were saying (from the dispatch info and overhearing the radio) it def sounded pretty gnarly. Terrible the patient got killed..hope the crew is alright.
Also, I show up for the night half (1930-0730) of my shift, it's not the busiest in town. The 3 calls they already ran are about the usual daily call volume (yesterday they had one call)....and in three hours I get 4 more calls...(my partner is already half complaining of having a black cloud lol)
Oh and apparently before I arrived, earlier today they got dispatched to that nasty head on collision with a Lifeline Ambulance over in Pasadena..only to get cancelled enroute to be rerouted to a medical call, but from what they were saying (from the dispatch info and overhearing the radio) it def sounded pretty gnarly. Terrible the patient got killed..hope the crew is alright.
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Those are all good places to start, just remember that the use of force isn't a ladder of escalation but more like a pinwheel. You simply select the appropriate amount of force necessary to stop the threat. If you do choose to own a gun, be mindful that means you consider that the threat to YOU is potentially that of great bodily injury or death. You may only USE deadly force (of which firearms are but one means) if you are directly/imminently threatened with GBI/Deadly force. A "night stick" can easily be considered using deadly force because you easily can cause death with it.In the meantime I went out and bought pepper spray that was recommended by an LEO and I have my father's old night stick from when he was an LEO.
For home protection, I actually do NOT recommend using a shotgun. They're cumbersome in tight quarters, you still have to aim them accurately, and have a relatively limited capacity. There's a reason why short-barrel rifles, subguns, and handguns are used by SWAT teams for entry into houses... In my house, my go-to is a handgun for those times I might have to go hunting for trouble in my house to keep my family safe because two of those three aren't available to me. I'd rather get into a safe area where I know my backstops/safe directions of fire and force trouble to find me.
If you choose to get a firearm, get good training in both legal matters and physical skill. Also, take your time to really get to know what firearms work best for you. Me? I choose a Glock 23 and a .45 cal 1911. I shoot them both equally effectively. Could I shoot a 9mm? Sure. They'll be easily adequate for the job with any decent self-defense load. For that matter, I'd be happy with a decent .38/.357 revolver. I could use my .22 for self defense, but my other firearms would be more reliable/effective at stopping the threat.
I once had my CCW. For me, while shooting someone is the last thing I ever want to do, I will do it defensively if it ever becomes necessary. That's a choice I made.
Getting a self defense firearm is an intensely personal choice that only you can make. What to choose is also very personal. Yes, most of my firearms are range-queens. Two are for self defense. I know them well and occasionally compete with them to keep certain skills sharp. We all have our bits of advice, but you must choose what will work best for you and your situation. The hardest thing isn't really the hardware... it's choosing to potentially end a life and getting high quality software (training) that will hopefully allow you to stop the threat without ever having to fire a shot.