Miami-Dade Fire Rescue is Hiring

[MDEX]

MDFR hiring 10/5/12 to 10/19/12.

[Westside_35]

ff/medic only

[MCDivision]

Well last time you didn't need any certs to apply so it should decrease the number of apps by a ton. Veteran points will give you the best shot but you know how the hiring goes.

I'll be surprised if and when they hire and won't actually believe it until I see a class in the academy, not just testing and creating another eligibility list to sit there and collect dust.

[DJ_Reverse]

ff/medic only

Is MDFR the only FLA department that will train you if you are not certified in both EMT/FF catagories? I'm assuming so?

[Ocean_Medic]

Miami Dade isn't going to do that anymore.

With the way things are going..Your not going to see anymore departments down here pick up people without at least FF2/EMT and even then the EMT might be stretch. My department has gone to hiring only medics. In the next 10-15 years no department will have EMT's.

[DJ_Reverse]

Miami Dade isn't going to do that anymore.

With the way things are going..Your not going to see anymore departments down here pick up people without at least FF2/EMT and even then the EMT might be stretch. My department has gone to hiring only medics. In the next 10-15 years no department will have EMT's.

Thanks, but wow that is going to bite some in the hindparts.

[MCDivision]

Thanks, but wow that is going to bite some in the hindparts.

??? How is that?

In my current department there are no longer any EMT's. Everyone including the old timers had to get medic certified. Ocean_Medic is right, many if not all departments in South Florida won't look at you without a minimum of FF/EMT or FF/PM. The fire service requirements are becoming more comprehensive and it's just a sign of the times changing.

[Ocean_Medic]

Even FF/EMT doesn't cut it in most places

[DJ_Reverse]

EMS does not equal the fire service, yes it has a place but it is not the primary function for it, it's why most of the world separates fire from the EMS except for a few exceptions. Saying that it shows a sign of the times changing is just slang for saying, "If I said no, they'd say no more." It also shows the lack of public safety budget in all of these areas. Florida is one of only 5 states that does not train it's public safety workers, yes some PDs have their academies but most are South Florida and few have been hiring. Again it's sad to say this, but it reflects the short falls that the state has been going through.

[MCDivision]

EMS does not equal the fire service, yes it has a place but it is not the primary function for it, it's why most of the world separates fire from the EMS except for a few exceptions. Saying that it shows a sign of the times changing is just slang for saying, "If I said no, they'd say no more." It also shows the lack of public safety budget in all of these areas. Florida is one of only 5 states that does not train it's public safety workers, yes some PDs have their academies but most are South Florida and few have been hiring. Again it's sad to say this, but it reflects the short falls that the state has been going through.

Still don't know what your trying say. I am assuming that your not from Florida, so I guess you don't know how it works down here.

So Fla departments run a majority medical calls. Due to newer CBS construction, fire proofing, sprinklers, hurricane building codes, etc, we don't run as many fires as our brothers up north. Dual service FF/PMs are needed here because if there were only FF's there would be shifts were a truck would never even leave the bay if it just ran fire service calls. Some of the haters down here want to eliminate career FF's and make us volunteers but that's just the way it is. Individual departments are responsible for training it's employees with a certain amount of required hours annually.

Go to school, the academy, get certified or move on. Talking about the times changing, think it sucks now? Wait for a couple of years down the road when departments say that you need to be FF/PM certified along with a AS degree in fire science or EMS to get looked at.

Anyway back to the thread topic. Good luck to everyone who starts testing on the week of 12/10/12. Let us know how it goes.

[DJ_Reverse]

Still don't know what your trying say. I am assuming that your not from Florida, so I guess you don't know how it works down here.

Correct, I'm from the Northeast.

So Fla departments run a majority medical calls. Due to newer CBS construction, fire proofing, sprinklers, hurricane building codes, etc, we don't run as many fires as our brothers up north. Dual service FF/PMs are needed here because if there were only FF's there would be shifts were a truck would never even leave the bay if it just ran fire service calls. Some of the haters down here want to eliminate career FF's and make us volunteers but that's just the way it is. Individual departments are responsible for training it's employees with a certain amount of required hours annually.

So you're trucks aren't required for the rescue services part including car accidents, lift locks, high rise medical extraction, and service calls? Hell TRT even? Isn't A-19 the busiest ladder in the country? It has to do something to be that busy. I'm not disagreeing with you about the medical part in that I understand its a "necessary evil" to make career fire services active, especially in the US, and since South Florida reflects most of the country in terms of type of calls, but ALS service is much more different than BLS. I guess I didn't explain myself but my issue with ANY fire service regardless of where is when it requires you to be certified to EMT-P levels, and then expects you to be a firefighter as well. It is two different fields that if left separate would offer more experts in each. (Not opposed to EMT-B levels, but EMT-P is above and beyond what is needed for a firefighter in my opinon.)

Go to school, the academy, get certified or move on. Talking about the times changing, think it sucks now? Wait for a couple of years down the road when departments say that you need to be FF/PM certified along with a AS degree in fire science or EMS to get looked at.

Anyway back to the thread topic. Good luck to everyone who starts testing on the week of 12/10/12. Let us know how it goes.

But if you had a union that was strong they should be fighting for in-house training from start to finish and including all medical certifications. Why? Allows the department not to pink slip people as fast as they have training costs to reoccur.

To everyone testing however, best of luck!

[MCDivision]

Of course our trucks run on all of those types of calls. I meant to say that if it were only FF's on those trucks with no other types of training or certs who only ran on FIRES.

Where I work the truck goes out on every call with our rescue and are cancelled if not needed. A-19 is always busy and does run their asses off. I'm sure that they, just like the rest of us down here also run on a lot of bull**** medical calls that aren't true medical emergencies, but when it is a true emergency we are ready to go to work.

We are educated and trained for variety of incidents and prepared and ready when needed. Just saying that EMS is #1 type of call we receive here so it's why we have more Paramedics.

The union has nothing to do with the type of in department training. You need minimum standards to even have your applications looked at. Many of us run on different protocols and SOPs. It is a matter of money. Once your hired, your department will continue your training and keep your certs updated. Why would a FD hire someone who works at Burger King with no certs, that the FD needs to pay and put through Paramedic school or minimum standards academy who might not even make it through? Instead they have a pool of applicants that are already certified, put their hard work, time, money themselves, and who know what to expect.

It's all about saving the $$$ my friend, and you already mentioned Florida short falls.

[Ocean_Medic]

See if your not from here like us then its hard to understand. When you say FF and PM is to different jobs I disagree on that, you have to be both. My first year I was on an Engine and we still ran ALS calls and normally the Engine or Ladder guys are the ones treating the patient in a MVA while rescue stands by to get the patient in the truck and head to the ER. Where I work the same FF/PM who ride rescue can be changed any day to jump on another truck. Cross training is key. That being said, why wouldn't you want to be both. I don't like hearing the guys who just want to be FF. That means they only want to do half the work. For the season vets its fine but for the boots coming in; Well lets just say if I had a guy on my truck who didn't want to be the best he could be and do it all instead of doing the base, I wouldn't want him on my truck.

As far as training goes, once you get done with all your schooling every department down here does in house training so that everyone is learning and doing the same thing.

Cheers to the brothers in the north but down south being a FF is a different beast with newer building construction and more BS med calls.

[JAG084]

Did anyone get called for orientation?

[Ocean_Medic]

They called the 1st 320..

Of course they are all randomly generated numbers.

42 veterans and the rest are just FF/PM

you can contact HR to have them email you your randomly number.

I got number 916 so its going to depend on how many get knocked out in the process but if I was to hear anything it wouldn't be until the very last year and very last class on the list.

[JAG084]

I understand that everyone that qualified got a random number, but what I don't like is that there calling people back in order from numbers 1-320. I thought a lottery was a combination of different numbers. So that means next time when they do call people back its going to start from numbers 321-641, pending the first list is done. They should of had done a FF paramedic test and ranked us by score. My score is in the low 800's.

[Ocean_Medic]

It is what it is. Some people don't like it but this is the first time the county has hired so many people at one time on a list that can't be any bigger then 1100. Also, with the new backgrounds and psych test, they might in fact go through the entire list to get their 240-300 FF/PM...the average department of this size normally goes through 3 people to fill one spot so at a 3-1 ratio they get to 900ish...It might be more and it might be less. There isn't anything anyone can do about the random number other then be a vet and be in the top 42. Just stand by on how many DQ for the April class and the October class. Then just average the number to the next 3-4 classes after the first two.

[JAG084]

I noticed that the county wasn't to strict on letting people with lapsed certs test. I heard rumors of people being turn away the first day. But I know quite a few that got called back for orientation with lapsed certs, which I think should have been given to someone with a current fl cert as it explained in the mdfr job posting

[Ocean_Medic]

I did hear of a bunch who were turned away and for the ones who got through (just like in any other department) will most likely DQ in the background when the run all their information including their certs.

[Ocean_Medic]

I'm not sure where your coming from here because I never stated anywhere in any of my postings that being the best means you have to be a medic. When I said the best I mean that why would you want to stop your training and schooling. You went way to far into what I wrote and didn't just see it for what it was. If you wish to talk about this further, this is not the correct forum to do it on.