Additional Cert help

[WorkHarder]

Hi!
I am fresh out of the academy, have completed my EMT and recently took my cpat and FIRETEAMS.. I am not yet affiliated with a Volunteer or paid Department and was wondering besides EVOC, what other certifications/training I would be able to obtain on my own.
I am interested and willing to take on as much as possible so any/every idea is highly welcomed.
Thank you for your time!
Smith

[WorkHarder]

Maybe to clarify a little bit, what I'm asking is for other training/certifications I can put myself through to not only broaden my skills but that will also look good when I go in for an oral exam and they ask me what I've done since finishing at the academy..

[fire5555]

what state are you in???

do you have all the certs needed to apply in cities/ state in your area??

do some departments like paramedic cert????

if yes to all above, start applying anywhere and everywhere, and get on a volunteer till you get hired

[WorkHarder]

I am located in Florida..I've been checking around and some departments only require FF/EMT certs, some require an additional 16 hour EVOC course so depending on where I apply I am good to go.

I was looking into taking an EKG/Arrhythmias Interpretation and Understanding course and also getting a Phlebotomy certification just to branch out a little bit of my NREMT cert and stay active in continuing my education to field related studying/training. I was wondering if these courses sounded like a good idea?

Being that the job situation is what it is all over and especially in Florida, would you recommend getting my Paramedic done now while I'm applying?
I've only had the opportunity to talk to a few people and they all say mixed things..some saying Paramedic is a must if you want to get hired..and some say to get on as an FF/EMT [if possible] and once I gain some ride time working along side a Medic and I got a feel for things, I would make the decision then.
Sorry for throwing a lot out there, I want to gather as much info as I can.
I appreciate the response

[LeatherHed4Life]

Unless your going to work for a strictly fire dept, I would say getting your paramedic cert is a no brainer. Especially if you have nothing better to do. It will absolutely improve your hiring preference depending on positions available, makes you more marketable to more dept's and usually makes you eligible for more $$.

Although I believe the integration of medicine into the Fire Service has been a death sentence to most Fire Depts, paramedic is almost mandatory now a days.

[fire49]

Come on down to Texas, the water is fine , and especially if you have paramedic

http://www.tcfp.texas.gov/job_postings/jobs.asp

If you stay in Florida like I say check different cities to see what they require as far as certs, you can check different city web sites and some will have thier requirements

[WorkHarder]

That makes a lot of sense as my hometown dept runs ALS at every station, I appreciate the insight.
LeatherHed4Life are you a Medic ? I've been on the fences about going through Paramedic..

[WorkHarder]

Wow, thanks for job posting link fire49. I would have no problem relocating..I see there are quite a few job openings but what's the market like there?

[fire5555]

what do you mean what is the market like??

texas was not to affected by the economy down turn, yes cities stopped or slowed down hiring. Dallas just hired 120 ff's and looking at another 40-80 in the coming year.

check that link because it changes weekly. also more than likely cheaper to live here, but hot!!!

If you can get paramedic cert, you are competeing against a very smaller group,

also check this link for transfering, you have to get tx cert, but easy to get.

give the commission a call if you have questions


http://www.tcfp.texas.gov/certificat...ansferring.asp

[WorkHarder]

Well that definitely answers my question. I'll be doing some research. Thanks a lot for the resources, I appreciate it!

[kjohn23]

Driver Operator Certification:
Hydraulics 40 hour class
Driver operator 40 hour class
If you do not have forestry classes L180, S190, S130

[WorkHarder]

Thanks kjohn23. I have my S190/S130 as well but the rest sound great. Thanks for the help!

[WorkHarder]

Also I noticed you're in Fl as well, do you recommend any place in particular taking these courses?

[kjohn23]

Florida State fire college is cheap and classes run for 1 week.
Check with local Fire depts some may offer the classes also a good way to network.

[e10pvmt]

If i were you i would find a job as an EMT to get some street experience and enroll in medic soon after. Do this while applying for FD jobs of course. I was lucky enough to get on with a dept as an EMT and spend a 18 months as an EMT before i started medic school. Some places will allow you to take pump, special ops, or officer classes but dept guys may take priority when enrolling. And as a new firefighter you will have plenty to worry about your first year than muddying it up with other classes. Some depts dont have an Engineer position so you may be required to take pump your first year anyways.

Dept are going ALS more and more so medic narrows your pool of competition. However more and more people are going to medic school for this same reason and this pool is getting bigger and bigger. I heard the other day that there are over 13,000 people with there standards cert looking for employment in the state right now. And there arent very many job openings at all.

As for medicine being the death of Fire service, how is that. With the exception of the big cities and heavily populated counties most dept would be all volly. And there would be a lower paid over worked EMS system in place. EMS has allowed some depts to expand and hire more people limiting volunteers. Now there is nothing wrong with volly's but in a economy such as this where people have to work for money to make ends meet the volly option is a losing battle for most.

[LeatherHed4Life]

As for medicine being the death of Fire service, how is that. With the exception of the big cities and heavily populated counties most dept would be all volly. And there would be a lower paid over worked EMS system in place. EMS has allowed some depts to expand and hire more people limiting volunteers. Now there is nothing wrong with volly's but in a economy such as this where people have to work for money to make ends meet the volly option is a losing battle for most.

Because, as you said, most Dept's have been forced to begin providing medical services in order to just survive budgetary uncertainty. This swings the performance curve over to EMS, and proficiency of basic fireground functions falls to the way side. This leads to a lot of "progressive" methods of firefighting, where EMS now dominates the Dept because that's how the Fire Chief's of said dept justify asking for more money, because now 80% of the call volume the dept runs, is now medical calls.

So whats better? To have an all volunteer service protecting your houses that runs nothing but fires? And an EMS service that does nothing but medical calls and doesn't have to cross train for anything else? Or a combination dept, that forced its members to acquire and maintain a medical or fire certification in order to start taking EMS or fire calls, that spends less time and money training to do either, and was never passionate about taking care of sick people or fighting fire until their budget depended on it?

Im not saying this is the rule for all Dept's, Im just saying that is the trend I see in alot of dept's that are "progressive" and EMS driven