The 2018 EMTLife Salary Survey

[RocketMedic]

So, I'm curious as to what different agencies and areas are paying, and how it shapes up. This is also intended to be a resource for people looking at average wages, salaries and schedules, and ideally, it'll get super-popular and pinned.

Please provide as much information as you feel comfortable providing (ie hourly pay rate, annual average salary, schedule, benefits, agency name and/or type, and region, along with any applicable taxes or lack thereof.)

I work as a paramedic in the greater Houston metropolitan area, specifically North Harris County, for Cypress Creek EMS. As a "P-2" paramedic, I'm at $25.75 an hour, with benefits paid by the company (self-insured) 100% for me, 90% for family. Annual salary on our base 42-hour average schedule is approximately $59k a year. It's an all-911 service.

 

[RocketMedic]

Eventually, I'd like to be able to build an EMTLife "Real-Time Predominant Salary Map" with this data, so your data can help to better understand what we do.

 

[srcoen]

I volunteer as a Basic for a Fire Department in the Oklahoma Panhandle... my pay is $13.22 per hour, on a part-time basis, so no benefits aside from free flight medical membership. The career guys, on the other hand, are all IAFF, so they get all those benefits and pay. This department is easily 90% Paramedic, both paid side and volunteer.

 

[mgr22]

Eventually, I'd like to be able to build an EMTLife "Real-Time Predominant Salary Map" with this data, so your data can help to better understand what we do.

EMS World just did this. See their on-line "salary calculator."

 

[Summit]

Per diem rate for a Paramedic I is $24-26/hr, county 911 3rd service (some crit care/IFT). I think experienced Paramedic II make as much or more with good benefits. 48/96

Neighboring district FF/P makes more...

Ski patrol makes much less

 

[Tigger]

AMR Colorado Springs: 16.8sometthing for starting, no experience paramedics. 42 hour work week.
Colorado Springs Fire (non-transport). FF/PM after one year probation at 72k/year.
Ambulance district west of Colorado Springs: 15.25/hr, 56 hour work week. Fully paid insurance, generous retirement.
Transporting fire districts near Colorado Springs: Paramedics at about 15/hr, part and full time, no fire certs required. Fulltimers with pension, fully paid health insurance. 56 hour work week.
Several more wealthy fire districts near Colorado Springs: Paramedics starting at 68k/year. 56 hour work week. Usual fire benies.

PM for agency names.

 

[michael150]

Per diem rate for a Paramedic I is $24-26/hr, county 911 3rd service (some crit care/IFT). I think experienced Paramedic II make as much or more with good benefits. 48/96

Neighboring district FF/P makes more...

Ski patrol makes much less

Summit, where are you?

 

[StCEMT]

A pay raise just got approved for everyone that I assume is raising our minimum as well to $17/hr. So $42k annual without overtime. 3% raise per year.

 

[rails]

I would like to offer a template:

1. What is the starting hourly pay rate or starting annual salary?
2. What is the typical schedule for this pay?
3. What region are you in?
4. What are the benefits, especially health insurance and retirement?
5. Optional: What is the typical call volume?
6. Optional: What is your hourly pay rate or annual salary?
7. Optional: How many years experience do you have?
8. Optional: What is your education level, and does it impact your pay?
9. Optional: Agency name or type?

 

[rails]

1. What is the starting hourly pay rate or starting annual salary? Approximately $41,500 per year for every paramedic regardless of work schedule.
2. What is the typical schedule for this pay? Mostly rotating 12s (42 hours per week average) or 24/48s -- same annual pay regardless (your hourly pay fluctuates to ensure the same annual pay)
3. What region are you in? East Texas
4. What are the benefits, especially health insurance and retirement? The health insurance is nothing great. I don't recall the specifics. I buy my own insurance. 4% match on 401(k) contributions.
5. Optional: What is the typical call volume? The 24s tend to do around 6 calls per 24 hours, though it can vary widely. The rotating 12s tend to do 6-8 calls per 12 hours.

 

[RocketMedic]

1. What is the starting hourly pay rate or starting annual salary? Approximately $41,500 per year for every paramedic regardless of work schedule.
2. What is the typical schedule for this pay? Mostly rotating 12s (42 hours per week average) or 24/48s -- same annual pay regardless (your hourly pay fluctuates to ensure the same annual pay)
3. What region are you in? East Texas
4. What are the benefits, especially health insurance and retirement? The health insurance is nothing great. I don't recall the specifics. I buy my own insurance. 4% match on 401(k) contributions.
5. Optional: What is the typical call volume? The 24s tend to do around 6 calls per 24 hours, though it can vary widely. The rotating 12s tend to do 6-8 calls per 12 hours.

@rails, I like this. Are you at Champion?

 

[CANMAN]

HEMS job: Hospital employed in the D.C. Metro region, community based. Our lowest base rate starting would be for a 3 year medic and they would come in at 27.10 an hour. My hourly is currently 37.72 an hour, and we are slated to get an additional 2% per year over the next 3 years (so 6% total) in the coming contract. I also get shift diff of 2.71 an hour for 8 outta 12 hours every shifts, so really I make about 40.32 an hour currently.

Benefits are that of a hospital. Multiple plans to choose from, including a really good in-network plan in which you pay almost nothing if you're not picky. I chose to pay more for our Blue Cross Blue Shield plan for my wife and I. It's about 143.00 per pay period 80/20 plan with 1k out of pocket max per year and PPO. Hospital currently matches 3% on the 401.....Tons of options for life insurance, AFLAC, etc. and short term and long term dis insurance is paid for by the hospital.

Schedule is 12 hour shifts, 10-10. We normally work 3-12's one week, and 3-12's the next and an 8 hour trauma bay shift every two weeks for a total of 80 hours a pay, and also get paid for our lunches so you normally have a few hours of OT on the check as well. That being said overtime is plentiful and we are always short. So it's pretty easy to hustle a 60 hour week and a 48 for like a 108hr paycheck and walk with some serious coin. Flight volumes can range from nothing, to an average of 2 per shift, to maybe 5 in a shift. Alot of the times it's really variable based on hospital census.

FD part-time job as FF/PM: rural MD county based. Currently 18.95 per hour (started at 14.75 almost 11 years ago)! The wages are fairly low for the area, but I work at a great station and the volunteers really take care of us. The call volume is low (quality vs. quantity) and I have more then enough time to wash and wax my car, workout, work on personal stuff etc. Most the nights I sleep all night, and if you do have to get up it's for legit stuff. At this point in my career I am ok with running less and making a bit less for the side hustle. When someone calls and says the house is on fire, it's actually on fire and not a dryer vent lol. Full-time fire/ems for other county departments in the area make much more, but I lost my desire to do full-time fire/ems a long time ago with so much abuse of the EMS system around my area.

Also teach here and there for critical care skills and airway labs at a local university and that rate is 60 an hour but paid as a contractor and you are 1099'ed.

 

[Bullets]

I would like to offer a template:

1. What is the starting hourly pay rate or starting annual salary?
2. What is the typical schedule for this pay?
3. What region are you in?
4. What are the benefits, especially health insurance and retirement?
5. Optional: What is the typical call volume?
6. Optional: What is your hourly pay rate or annual salary?
7. Optional: How many years experience do you have?
8. Optional: What is your education level, and does it impact your pay?
9. Optional: Agency name or type?

1.) $25/hr with no experience ALS
2.) Pitman schedule, 84hr pay period
3.) Central NJ
4.) Choice of three health insurance plans through our hospital employer, the largest hospital network in NJ. 403B with employer match to 15%
5.)about 100 responses a month. 50ish contacts, 30ish transports
6.)$26/hr w/ 15% night diff
7.)As a EMT, 9, as a medic, less than 1
8.)Bachelors with some post grad, no, just better opportunities for promotion

 

[VFlutter]

I need to move out of the MidWest. Most of you guys make more than I do

 

[rails]

@rails, I like this. Are you at Champion?

PMed you

1.) $25/hr with no experience ALS
2.) Pitman schedule, 84hr pay period
3.) Central NJ
4.) Choice of three health insurance plans through our hospital employer, the largest hospital network in NJ. 403B with employer match to 15%
5.)about 100 responses a month. 50ish contacts, 30ish transports
6.)$26/hr w/ 15% night diff
7.)As a EMT, 9, as a medic, less than 1
8.)Bachelors with some post grad, no, just better opportunities for promotion

Bullets, so with about 14 shifts per month under the Pitman schedule (known here as "rotating 12s"), y'all run about 7 runs per shift? Is that mostly refusals and then 30-ish transports per month, or am I misunderstanding?

 

[CANMAN]

I need to move out of the MidWest. Most of you guys make more than I do

Just means that we have to spend more to live....The fleet of cars and trucks I could have in exchange for my mortgage payment on my 2,200 sq. foot townhome would make you realize the MidWest is just dandy.

 

[rujero]

Years ago when I was doing 911 response in the Greater Boston area I was making $13.25 on a BLS truck. After my first back surgery I took a hit in pay and pride to work IFT for $12.50. After my second back surgery I went to nursing school.

 

[DrParasite]

Former job:

1. What is the starting hourly pay rate or starting annual salary? 17.94/hr with nothing extra for experience for EMTs
2. What is the typical schedule for this pay? 12 hr days or 12 hour nights, pittman schedule, set days or nights.
3. What region are you in? Northern NJ
4. What are the benefits, especially health insurance and retirement? state pension, state provided insurance
5. Optional: What is the typical call volume? 125,000 requests for service a year, handled by 5 24/7 ALS units, 4 24/7 BLS units, and 4 12 hour peak load trucks, all working 12 hour shifts. during a busy summer day, BLS would do between 12 and 18 calls in a 12 hour period. ALS would do 6 to 12, including cancellations. BLS covered 1 urban city, ALS covered 3 urban cities.
6. Optional: What is your hourly pay rate or annual salary? after a few years, with 15% night differential, I was making 22/hr
7. Optional: How many years experience do you have? 15 or so, 9 of which were career experience in urban cities.
8. Optional: What is your education level, and does it impact your pay? Bachelors degree, no impact at all.

 

[DrParasite]

previous former job

1. What is the starting hourly pay rate or starting annual salary? 15.75/hr with nothing extra for experience for EMTs
2. What is the typical schedule for this pay? 12 hr days or 12 hour nights, pittman schedule, set days or nights.
3. What region are you in? Central NJ
4. What are the benefits, especially health insurance and retirement? 3 different plans, most services provided by the hospital were cheap. 403B
5. Optional: What is the typical call volume? 4 ALS units 24/7 covering the eastern and southern half of the county, 1 24/7 CCT/ALS unit, 1 daytime CCT unit, 1 24/7 BLS unit, 4 daytime BLS units providing contracting municipal 911 EMS coverage, 1 24/7 911/IFT unit, and 4 IFT units working day shift. and 2 additional BLS units 24/7 contracted to provide 911 coverage for a town in another county. call volume depended on the truck and location, busiest was 8-10 calls in 12 hours, or you could do 0 calls in 12 hours.
6. Optional: What is your hourly pay rate or annual salary? after a few years, with 15% night differential, I was making 20/hr
7. Optional: How many years experience do you have? When I started, 1 year of career experience in urban cities, and 7 years overall.
8. Optional: What is your education level, and does it impact your pay? Bachelors degree, no impact at all.

 

[Bullets]

PMed you



Bullets, so with about 14 shifts per month under the Pitman schedule (known here as "rotating 12s"), y'all run about 7 runs per shift? Is that mostly refusals and then 30-ish transports per month, or am I misunderstanding?

Yes, 7-8 calls a shift is our norm. As you see, 50% of the time we turn the wheel we get cancelled with 3-4 contacts a shift. usually get like 2 transports and a release and maybe a refusal.

Post

Funny how things changed. Now were running 4 24/7 ALS, 2 24/7 CCT/ALS, 1 12hr ALS and there can be as many as 9 BLS running, and thats not including Somerset