So I applied to my local EMS squad....

[FrostedxB]

Filled out an application and gave a physical form in to one of the paramedics at the ambulance squad and was given a criminal background form that needs to be completed by some cop. After that, I get two classes (one first aid and one CPR) which should be done and over with by April 7th. After that date, I'll officially be a volunteer at the squad. Kinda really excited about this, always thought my life was heading for the U.S. Army, where I wanted to serve as a field medic.

I need to be a volunteer for 3 years and I can start up some EMT classes to become a certified EMT and ultimately a paramedic (may need some schooling for that, I'm not too sure. Though that wont be an issue for at least 4 years)



Before the "You'll see blood and guts" scare-a-thon, when I pulled up to the station today, 2 ambulances and all of the paramedics were gone, and there was a basically totaled car out front. There was a massive amount of blood splattered all over the cracked/smashed up windshield. How it got there, idk, the guy incharge said someone drove it in like that, with a passenger who was bleeding profusely.

 

[Russian Mafia]

Good luck, I know some people taking EMT classes, but I feel like they don't know what they are getting themselves into.

 

[Kakashi]

Three years before you can take EMT? That sounds very odd, I've been a volunteer for almost three years now and got my EMT status just two weeks ago. EMT is usually a 5-6 month class, it can be a little difficult so study up and practice, practice, practice.

You'll love it, it's a very rewarding experience. If you have any questions about anything let me know.

 

[Tyguy]

i started reading an EMT book for when/if I decide to become one. i'm on the fence.

 

[FrostedxB]

Three years before you can take EMT? That sounds very odd, I've been a volunteer for almost three years now and got my EMT status just two weeks ago. EMT is usually a 5-6 month class, it can be a little difficult so study up and practice, practice, practice.

You'll love it, it's a very rewarding experience. If you have any questions about anything let me know.

I've always wanted to do something good with my life, and college is way outta the question atm. The girl that was on call told me 3 years as a volunteer, which doesn't bother me all too much. After 23, I wanna train to be a driver though (it is 23 right?)

i started reading an EMT book for when/if I decide to become one. i'm on the fence.

Its a really good thing to do, you'll learn a lot of valuable information that you'll almost always need (not just while you serve). Sign up to just volunteer first, see if you like it.

 

[Reginald]

You have telekinesis? Awesome.

 

[jverne]

Very nice of you, i salute your decision.

 

[Mr-Fusion]

I knew a nurse who had to treat an attempted suicide patient, he jumped off a 3 story building and survived. Badly mashed. Yuck.

That's a tough career. Respect.

 

[Cornerstone]

Being in the same profession, I have to credit anyone with the balls to step up and do this job. It can be the best and worst job but it never stops being interesting.

 

[Tyguy]

it's not a job you can take lightly, very big commitment. Life and death.

I think if I finish this book in the next year i might go for it.

 

[unozero]

You are making the world a better place sir,I also salute you.

 

[Kakashi]

I've always wanted to do something good with my life, and college is way outta the question atm. The girl that was on call told me 3 years as a volunteer, which doesn't bother me all too much. After 23, I wanna train to be a driver though (it is 23 right?)



Its a really good thing to do, you'll learn a lot of valuable information that you'll almost always need (not just while you serve). Sign up to just volunteer first, see if you like it.

In my county you only have to be 20 years old to drive the ambo after evoc training. But I commend you, it's a fun job, you'll really enjoy it. There might be some days where you will doubt yourself, but just keep focused and committed. I'll admit after a bad call or two I'll question myself "Is this what I really want to be doing?" but I've stuck with it and love what I'm doing.

 

[jverne]

I knew a nurse who had to treat an attempted suicide patient, he jumped off a 3 story building and survived. Badly mashed. Yuck.

That's a tough career. Respect.

If i want to commit suicide anything below 10 stories is a no no.

 

[Ravioli]

I know you said "volunteer", but do you get any kind of compensation for this?

 

[Kakashi]

I know you said "volunteer", but do you get any kind of compensation for this?

I suppose it differs from place to place, in my county we get $3,500 tax credit & gas mileage deductions. We also get a $600 check every June for compensation, along with free gear (winter coat, turnout gear, gear bag, boots).

 

[FrostedxB]

I suppose it differs from place to place, in my county we get $3,500 tax credit & gas mileage deductions. We also get a $600 check every June for compensation, along with free gear (winter coat, turnout gear, gear bag, boots).

Your damn lucky.

I know you said "volunteer", but do you get any kind of compensation for this?

As far as I'm aware, we just get a uniform and free gear (similar to Kakashi's stuff). Township pays for everything though (pay for the CPR/First aid class and the EMT classes)

 

[FrostedxB]

A little update, the squads sergeant just called me and set up the first aid/CPR classes. I'm basically going to be the only person there though. He's trying to get me onto the squad by April 7th (the next date that all new members are sworn in.)

 

[Kakashi]

CPR/AED is cake, just sing the song "Staying Alive" in your head when you do compressions. Or another good song "Another One Bites The Dust" ironically... it keeps you at a good pace.

 

[Cornerstone]

Most AED/monitors out now have an audible noise to keep compression timing and the 2 minutes for a shock. Heck you can pretty much fall asleep running an arrest because the monitor tells you how to do pretty much everything.

 

[Kakashi]

Most AED/monitors out now have an audible noise to keep compression timing and the 2 minutes for a shock. Heck you can pretty much fall asleep running an arrest because the monitor tells you how to do pretty much everything.

Ha exactly. It's a much different story when I ride the medic, it's a complete different ball game when I run a code. We had a trauma code about two weeks ago: pedestrian struck. We had a medic hop off the engine and started intubating while our own medic started a line, the entire 15 minutes to the hospital was just compressions, while a fourth was bagging.

I can say that CPR is never fun, especially when you have no one to switch with. You start to cramp up, and sweat bullets. She didn't make it though, she was hit in the center lane by an SUV who did stop on the scene. The SUV was traveling at about 40mph. She had facial trauma, an exposed fractured femur, and partial amputation of the other leg. That one call alone kind of shook me up a bit, it was my first trauma code. I've been on plenty of codes, of course the ones in nursing homes and resident's homes, but this was just much more different and obviously graphic.

CPR/AED on a BLS unit is a breeze.

 

[Cornerstone]

I just get firefighters to do CPR and BVM (although they always screw up the BVM). Traumatic arrest is called on scene here, so lucky we don't deal with them much.

My first ped. was out of a crash that 7 of 8 died in. Mine survived but that ****ed me up big time then my next shift two cars collided head on, one going 160 kmph and one going 120 kmph. The f'in engine split one of them in half but they lived for over an hour due to compartment.

 

[FrostedxB]

Just a little update, went through both CPR and First Aid, got an A in both (but 1 wrong in CPR). Got "sworn on" last night (basically had to recite a pledge and then sit through a 2 hour meeting about budget and redoing the building.

I cant officially start until I get a uniform.

 

[Kakashi]

Just a little update, went through both CPR and First Aid, got an A in both (but 1 wrong in CPR). Got "sworn on" last night (basically had to recite a pledge and then sit through a 2 hour meeting about budget and redoing the building.

I cant officially start until I get a uniform.

Awesome. Pretty much the same deal here, once a month we have to attend a mandatory business meeting. We just received and put in service two new Horton Ambulances, one to be run as a medic, and one as a BLS ambulance. We're also in the process of hopefully breaking ground soon for a new station.

Just curious, where are you from and what company did you join?

 

[Kula Meenur]

"CHARGING!"

"CLEAR!"

"YOU'RE OK NOW GET BACK TO THE FIGHT!"

 

[Raziaar]

Good luck man, and good for you!

 

[Sheepo]

Congratulations man.

 

[<RJMC>]

jobs like that looks to serious for someone like me

like ambulance driver

*me driving ambulance,hot chick in sidewalk*

me: *honk horn* sweet ass babe!

copilot: stop doing that!

*paramedic*

*hot chick in a acident*

medic: tore the shirt!

*me comply quickly*

medic: ok now compress the wound...........stop touching her boobs!

 

[Raziaar]

Yeah... I'd say you should stay away from that job RJMC.

 

[<RJMC>]

Yeah... I'd say you should stay away from that job RJMC.

but I would like to heal people , like jesus

 

[Raziaar]

Well, remember that Jesus healed people with his hands. Maybe you should consider.

 

[FrostedxB]

Lol'd @ RJMC. You make me laugh sometimes man.

Awesome. Pretty much the same deal here, once a month we have to attend a mandatory business meeting. We just received and put in service two new Horton Ambulances, one to be run as a medic, and one as a BLS ambulance. We're also in the process of hopefully breaking ground soon for a new station.

Just curious, where are you from and what company did you join?

Edison Rescue Squad
Squad #1 (Three squads in my area, Edison, Clara Barton and idk the other)
Edison, NJ

We have 3 "volunteer" Ford ambulances, 1 EMS "paid crew" rig, old ass boat and Jeep for the Sergeant. We have to mandatory meetings every 6 months, one budget and one for the legalities of the squad. (Now mandatory because some dumbass went and sexually harassed/molested a 17 year old girl.)

 

[Kakashi]

Lol'd @ RJMC. You make me laugh sometimes man.



Edison Rescue Squad
Squad #1 (Three squads in my area, Edison, Clara Barton and idk the other)
Edison, NJ

We have 3 "volunteer" Ford ambulances, 1 EMS "paid crew" rig, old ass boat and Jeep for the Sergeant. We have to mandatory meetings every 6 months, one budget and one for the legalities of the squad. (Now mandatory because some dumbass went and sexually harassed/molested a 17 year old girl.)

Ah awesome. We have 3 BLS ambulances, 3 ALS ambulances, 2 heavy rescue squads, an ATV, and three chief vehicles. We're staffed 6am-6pm with career crews, and the volunteers run from 6pm till 6am. We run 2 BLS units, 1 ALS unit, and the heavy squad every night, and more depending on how many volunteers are available.

Lucky you, we have a mandatory business meeting every month, the meeting pretty much covers everything going on in the month.

Here's the two we just received:

 

[FrostedxB]

Ah awesome. We have 3 BLS ambulances, 3 ALS ambulances, 2 heavy rescue squads, an ATV, and three chief vehicles. We're staffed 6am-6pm with career crews, and the volunteers run from 6pm till 6am. We run 2 BLS units, 1 ALS unit, and the heavy squad every night, and more depending on how many volunteers are available.

Lucky you, we have a mandatory business meeting every month, the meeting pretty much covers everything going on in the month.

Here's the two we just received:

What are the BLS/ALS ambulances? What makes them so different?

The only difference between our Volunteer and Paid crew rigs is the color scheme.
Do you live in a forest/woodland area?

Our squad is supposed to run on the same schedule as yours but do to drama/irresponsible people the paid guys leave at 6 and the volunteers dont start showing up until around 7 usually.

Heres what we got -

 

[Kakashi]

Difference between ALS & BLS is that an ALS ambulance or Medic unit, is staffed with an EMT and a Paramedic. I don't know if you know the difference between EMT-B's and Paramedics yet (EMT-P). Paramedics can start IV's, intubate, ECG's, give numerous drugs, and a lot of other skills that EMT-B's can't do. They'll run calls from shootings and stabbings to heart attacks and trouble breathing.

The BLS ambulance is staffed with at least two EMT's, EMT-B's can't do much as say a Paramedic can. They can only give out certain drugs not involving needles, they can not intubate, it's really only basic skills. They'll run calls from the simple fever to broken bones and overdoses.

We're in Wheaton, MD which is a pretty much a suburban/urban area. We're a busy department that run over 12,000 calls a year. We're just 15 minutes from Washington D.C. Some of our units responded to the 9/11 incident at the Pentagon, and also had a Medic unit on standby at the White House for the President's arrival. Our county has many different landscapes, we have a regional park blocks away from our station which puts the ATV put to good use on the trails. We're close to two different Metro subway stations, so we're called to incidents there often, and even provide mutual aid to Washington DC. We also have railroads nearby in which in the past we've had major MCI derailments. We're pretty much in the middle of a city.

Here's our other units, the two Heavy Rescue Squads and two of the Chief's SUV's:

and our ATV (The Gator):

 

[FrostedxB]

Your lucky with that nice variety of rigs. All of our stuff is carried on one ambulances, and the Para's don't really have any special rig to use. Most of their equipment is in the Paid crew rig.

12,000 calls a year is nothing, last year our squad claims to have had 20000, basically because the two other departments in our area are heavily understaffed (usually having 1 crew only 2 or 3 nights per week.)

Those Heavy Rescue trucks must be nice to have, all of our heavy rescue went to the Fire Department.

 

[Kakashi]

Guess that's a big difference amongst our departments. We're a combination Fire & EMS Department, and also a combination Volunteer and Career department.

We own our own building, we own all of our units, all from the communities donations. We support the county, and they in return support us. Our department gives us many opportunities to advance and move on in our volunteer careers. We start off with EMT-B, and from there the possibilities are endless. Ambulance driving, firefighting, driving the rescue squad, rescue technician, paramedic, confined rescue, water rescue and plenty more. Also advancement of rank, from probationary member, all the way up to the fire chief of the department! All training is provided free of charge whether it be at the public safety training academy, (which also houses police training) or in-station training. All training is the same training for both career and volunteers.

There will always be a career vs. volunteers feud, but here in my area it's not too bad. There's about 1,500 career guys, and an equal 1,500 volunteers. Everything here is basically intertwined with each other. But it works well!