I finally got to speak to someone from the fire dept, my family is members of!!! The guy gave me an invitation 2 come up and talk to the chief about being a volunteer, told me to come anytime I wanted! OMG! I'm so happy! I can finally try 2 live my dream of being a firefighter/EMT!!!
After I volunteer for awhile, they'll get me hooked up with some classes to take then I can become a fulltime firefighter after all of the training!!!! OMG! The training ground looked awesome! I hope I can manage 2 do everything!!!!!!!
*dances* I'm so happy! I had 2 post this somewhere on here!!!! *dances*
Only problem is...I'm shy about going to places by myself soooooooo Primus only knows when I'll actually go up and talk 2 someone there. ^^;;;;;;
Thanks ya'll! Nobody knows how excited I am! I almost threw my cell phone off the balcony at my friends apartment lol
*hugs everyone*
My mom keeps gettin emotional about it cause she knows I can be clumsy. But, I plainly told everyone that if I die saving someone I'd want everyone to be proud of me! Not be upset ^^;;;;
That is so neat! Maybe Warwulf can help give you some pointers. He's been doing the EMT/volunteer firefighter gig for years now. I did the EMT portion of it and it's pretty neat! (if you can stomach it)
Phoenix wrote:That is so neat! Maybe Warwulf can help give you some pointers. He's been doing the EMT/volunteer firefighter gig for years now. I did the EMT portion of it and it's pretty neat! (if you can stomach it)
I can handle seeing the gory stuff. After all, I've seen the dead guy that wrecked in our yard (we live on a curve where everyone wrecks, we have at least 3 wrecks a month) along with the motorcycle wreck on our curve, a 9 month old baby with 4th degree burns on it's body after being in a trailer fire...I've seen pictures of stuff way worse than that. I'm pretty sure I can handle the gross stuff.
My cousin, though, told me I was gonna cry at least once. His time was when he was performing cpr on a 6 year old girl the whole way 2 the hospital and she didn't make it. She had had a heart attack...
On a happier note, when someone wrecks on our curve, I'm always the first one down there, anyway, I'll be a certified medic then and I can help the person without gettin sued! =D
It's good that you're interested in EMS. I think that they're skills that everybody should know. Let me just fill you in on some disadvantages:
EMS has a high burnout rate: Many people who go into EMS are burned out by the calls we take. It's not the bad calls, either. It's the routine, mundane, and bullshit calls that run us down. When we respond at 4 in the morning for a bleeding toe, someone who needed someone to hold his hand and read him the directions on his laxative bottle (yes, it does take more than an hour to work, sir...), or the diabetic who inconveniences and endangers others because he can't take care of his blood sugar for the 12th time this week. Everyone suffers from burnout to a certain extent. Many of us get cynical and apathetic. I'm burned out myself.
You can't share: Part of the problem with EMS is that, unless you're with people who are part of the circle, you really can't share you experiences and have them appreciated. While you may be able to share your recent abdominal evisceration call over a bowl of spaghetti, other "normal" people would find this somewhat unappetizing. Many people who are outside of EMS simply don't understand what we go through.
Liability: Being an EMT does not reduce your liability. In fact, it only increases it. An untrained person rendering care on-scene is protected by Good Samaritan laws and case law. Once you're certified, you're instantly "held to a higher standard." That means if your neighbor shows up at your door step in the middle of the night complaining of "the worst headache of his life" and asking for aspirin, you could be held liable if it turns out to be a stroke -- that's something that you're trained to recognize and would be held liable if you gave a clotting inhibitor in that situation.
You can't play outside your area: Whether your an advanced EMT or a Paramedic, you can't practice above the EMT-basic level outside your district or off-duty. Your authority to practice medicine is granted under your medical director's license. Practicing at your level of care in a manner that wouldn't be covered by your medical director (such as off-duty in another district) could cost you your certification. In other words, you can use all the skills and tools available to Johnny Q Public.
That maintenence guy at the hospitals...: Makes more money.
Acknowledgement: Nobody knows if you do everything right... but everyone knows when you do something wrong.
Strength: Gravity pulls less forcefully the farther you are from the earth. I don't know if that's why super-morbidly obese patients must live on the top floor of a building with no working elevator, but they do. You will be expected to lift and carry a lot of weight... and doing so without hurting your back or your partner. Back injuries are one of the top causes for people leaving EMS.
Pressure: You must be able to handle pressure -- not just handle, but fondle. After driving across town at 80+ mph, getting cut off by the reckless volunteer FD rescue vehicle, you arrive on the scene of a cardiac arrest. The chief is screaming "It's bad! Get in there! Hurry!" The EMTs on scene tell you "OMG, this is bad, you're going to have to tube him." You have to be able to push that adrenaline rush FAR down... not only to appear calm, but to be able to start an IV without your hand trembling. It's harder than it looks. Much.
Personalities: You must be able to handle all kinds of personalities -- especially the sexist ones. While the EEC says you can report sexual harassment at any time, the reality is that doing so loses you all respect in the eyes of your colleagues. You can no longer "handle it" and it puts doubt on your abilities to handle difficult situations. There will also be a lot of good natured joking, name-calling, etc on any weakness (perceived or real) that can be found. If you break down or complain, you lost. The best thing to do is take it in stride and fire back a witty quip or two. In the end, it's not about whether you're man or woman, big or small, polish or hispanic... it's whether you can do the job. If you can handle yourself, you will earn their respect. Respect is hard earned, not given.
Say goodbye to your figure: You will put on a freshman 15 when you work commercial EMS. I've been gaining almost 10 pounds a year that I'm now trying to work off. I haven't gained anything in a year, atleast. Lots of women in EMS develop what's known as "EMS butt". It's where your ass starts to resemble the shape of a Type III ambulance. Men get "EMS gut"... mine's proudly distended to show my years of service.
However, on the bright side:
Work-load: Unless you're with a very busy agency, EMS is one of the few places you get paid based on your potential to do work than for what's actually done. People may joke that EMS means Earn Money Sleeping... and they're right. During my last 24 hour shift, I went almost 12 hours without a call. And while the sleeping perk is nice, when it's busy (and it happens), we need to be 100% on top of our game. You can't stumble into a house at 3 AM, wiping your eyes, and try to remember the pediatric dosing formula for diphenhydramine.
Flashing lights and noise maker: Maybe it was the shiny flashy lights that drew me in in the first place. Yes, I do get to put on flashy light and use the siren. However, I now resent using them and hardly use them at all during the early morning hours (who are you going to have pull over on a deserted road?). Playing with the lights and siren is fun for a few hours a week. Beyond that, it's just noise, people driving dumb, and unwanted attention.
Inside knowledge of local health facilities: You'd know which hospital to go to for the right reasons. Also, you'd know about the nursing homes where you'd rather be shot than live there. Important information for life decisions.
Free training: Especially in volunteer departments... just mention an interest in a course and they'll see to it that you can go. Many departments pay for your EMT certifications.
Retirement: Let's face it... I'm ready for retirement (I'm 25). Many of the government EMS jobs offer a nice pension plan that rivals anything you'd get in the public sector. Though the 20 and Gone retirement is a dinosaur, working for 30 years isn't that bad either.
Free Swag: People give us free stuff all the time. Whether it's free coffee, or donuts, or both. Some people offer us cookies, etc. Banks, cell phone companies, and other business offer incentives to emergency workers. I've got 20% off my cell phone bill each month. Don't EXPECT free stuff, but be gracious in your acceptance.
Free Parking: Being in an ambulance makes playing "Invent A Spot" seem like a game for amateurs. The fire lane is our parking spot. Some people may say "Why park there when there's no emergency?" Simple... would you want to explain to your loved one why the ambulance took so long because the crew had to walk out to their parking spot in 7C? I don't think so.
So, that's what it is. Take it or leave it. Wow, this ended up being more than just the few informative and helpful sentences I was originally planning.
*dances* I'm so happy! I had 2 post this somewhere on here!!!! *dances*
He's been doing the EMT/volunteer firefighter gig for years now. I did the EMT portion of it and it's pretty neat! (if you can stomach it)
