Possible Move from Cali to Ohio: Ohioans Please Help :)

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10-16-2008, 08:58 AM
lunitik

Possible Move from Cali to Ohio: Ohioans Please Help :)

Greetings Brothers & Sisters,

I'm new here and am asking for some advice from members of the community who may have been in my shoes. I'm currently working as a Fire Captain for a prominent Southern California Fire Department and my wife and I are VERY seriously considering relocating to the mid-west. Northern Ohio, to be exact. My wife has a very large family there and we are sick of raising our child in the crowded abyss that is Southern California.

I have a few questions for anyone out there that may know. Here goes Would the qualifications I currently hold in California be transferrable to the state of Ohio (Company Officer, FF1 and FF2). I know my Paramedic license would require a cross-cert of some sort, but how in-depth? Do some departments in Ohio hire laterals for Captains or FF/PM's? How would I even go about (beginning to) plan this?

Trust me, I realize I may have to be starting over as a boot. It hurts, but I've done it before. I'm 33 years old and still in good shape (thank you, Crossfit), so that shouldn't be an issue.

Has anyone out there done anything like this? What advice would you give to a city-slicker like me making a MAJOR life change by moving so far away from "home"?

Thanks for taking the time to read this. Stay safe, friends.

A SoCal Fire Captain
10-22-2008, 12:30 PM
fredstrucks

Move to Ohio?!!!

It may seem that you want a change of pace but please pick another state. With a few exceptions, this state is a black abyss. Dont fall into it! Run dont walk in another direction. I have been here my whole career (30 plus years), believe me you could do better. Even with family considerations, consider a third world country b efore you choose OHIO.
10-22-2008, 01:50 PM
backsteprescue123

Dont listen to fred. I personally love Ohio. Many departments are not very busy, but not all. Its a great place to live and a great place to raise a family. Where in northern ohio might you be moving to?
10-31-2008, 10:17 AM
firechick337

Quote:

Originally Posted by fredstrucks

It may seem that you want a change of pace but please pick another state. With a few exceptions, this state is a black abyss. Dont fall into it! Run dont walk in another direction. I have been here my whole career (30 plus years), believe me you could do better. Even with family considerations, consider a third world country b efore you choose OHIO.

Holy cow this is harsh! Where in Ohio are you??? I am on a small rural dept and I certainly dont have any problems with it being in a black abyss....
10-31-2008, 01:02 PM
jbrescue

I know that you can now get your IFSAC cert here in Ohio if you cahllenge the test, you may be able to transfer if you have that already. You need to have your National Registry in order to get your medic card transfered. But, the biggest thing you need to know is this. In most parts of NE Ohio, the age limit may prohibit you from getting a job. I would call the state and ask about transfering your certs first. There is no lateral transferring that I know of. Other than the snow, most of the Ohio departments are pretty good to work for. The benefits are good also. Don't forget, that hiring is donw through competitive testing and could take you a couple of years to find a full time job. There are tons of part time jobs and other options. You can even work as a medic in most of the ERs.
11-15-2008, 04:49 PM
fryedogg

Possible Move from Cali to Ohio: Ohioans Please Help :)

JBrescue..how are you? I haven't seen you since instructor school at BG.
Lunitik. Northern Ohio is a great place to work. I've worked for a department just west of Cleveland, and for 2 departments on the west side of Toledo, where I currently work. You can challenge the test for FF, and for medic, you will probably need national registry, although some states will offer reciprocity if you have been Nationally registered at some point in your career...i.e. Michigan, TN. to name a couple. I'm not sure how Ohio works since I've always worked in Ohio. Best to check with the state at ohio.ems.gov i believe this is the correct web site to get questions answered. If you think you are going to try it, pay the couple bucks to get your medic transferred. I know our department is supposed to give a test this year, 2009, but we have a new chief so i'm not sure of what the parameters will be. For many years, you have had to be at least an Ohio Medic, they sent you to the Ohio Fire Academy in Reynoldsburg if you didn't have your FF-2. Unkown what direction is going to be taken, but I will update the site and this forum for you when they decide to post the test. Good luck.
11-16-2008, 05:52 AM
FirefighterE301

Ohio is a great place to live and work. If you are looking for a full-time firefighter career here in Ohio that can be challenging due to the fact that Ohio is not in the best economic place right now…but who is? Ohio also has an overabundance of firefighters looking for jobs. It is not uncommon to have a few hundred firefighters taking the test for a city hiring 2 firefighters. As far as your age you are just around a lot of the cut offs for taking civil service test. Good luck with the move! Hope you like snow.
01-10-2009, 08:11 PM
NEOHIO

Quote:

Originally Posted by lunitik

Greetings Brothers & Sisters,

I'm new here and am asking for some advice from members of the community who may have been in my shoes. I'm currently working as a Fire Captain for a prominent Southern California Fire Department and my wife and I are VERY seriously considering relocating to the mid-west. Northern Ohio, to be exact. My wife has a very large family there and we are sick of raising our child in the crowded abyss that is Southern California.

I have a few questions for anyone out there that may know. Here goes Would the qualifications I currently hold in California be transferrable to the state of Ohio (Company Officer, FF1 and FF2). I know my Paramedic license would require a cross-cert of some sort, but how in-depth? Do some departments in Ohio hire laterals for Captains or FF/PM's? How would I even go about (beginning to) plan this?

Trust me, I realize I may have to be starting over as a boot. It hurts, but I've done it before. I'm 33 years old and still in good shape (thank you, Crossfit), so that shouldn't be an issue.

Has anyone out there done anything like this? What advice would you give to a city-slicker like me making a MAJOR life change by moving so far away from "home"?

Thanks for taking the time to read this. Stay safe, friends.

A SoCal Fire Captain

Still looking to move? I'm an Officer/Medic in Ohio. Straight up job swap. Need more details of your city.....hours, benefits etc....