Paramedics with the Sheriffs Department

[vcfd35s]

I am looking to work with a large sheriffs department in southern california, and am looking to work as a medic once I clear my training and put some years under my belt. Does anyone know of anyone that is a medic/cop or have heard any stories? After speaking with many deputies it seems like a very sweet gig. Positions range from SWAT Medic, USAR medic, Dive team, Flight medic, and a medic on the boats. Cant wrong with any of that; so hopefully il find my kniche!!

Any thoughts?

[Dustdevil]

Cant wrong with any of that...

Actually, you very easily can. First, you're going to have to work years on the streets as a deputy to even earn a shot at applying to one of those Special Ops positions within any department. By then, how good do you think your skills are going to be? So, to remain marginally competent, you'll need to spend your off-duty hours working for some private EMS service running fifteen dialysis runs a shift, with the occasional EMS run thrown in, where you will be the fire medics' bitch.

Then, if and when you finally get that position that looks so cool, you'll again be making very few real EMS patient contacts, and remain a marginally competent medic. But hey... at least you'll look really cool with your uniform and badge and gun.

[spenac]

So if when on an EMS call you see drugs, is it illegal for you to later in your LE capacity to return and arrest the people, or is that a violation of patient privacy rights? Had they not called for an ambulance you would not have seen these items so does their reasonable expectation of confidentiality with a health care professional make any attempt to arrest or confiscate illegal?

[Arizonaffcep]

So if when on an EMS call you see drugs, is it illegal for you to later in your LE capacity to return and arrest the people, or is that a violation of patient privacy rights? Had they not called for an ambulance you would not have seen these items so does their reasonable expectation of confidentiality with a health care professional make any attempt to arrest or confiscate illegal?

I know this question has been brought by DPS in Arizona. They have several helicopters that do LEO stuff, and also are medivac if necessary. They are medics-and as such can come across this situation. When it happens, as they are being paid for both, they wear both "hats." So...if they do come across contra-band during a call, they are required by law (as they are acting also as LEOs as well) to deal with it in an appropriate manner. Now...they do apply common sense here...they always deal with the medical first before LEO stuff, and then when the patient is stable, they deal with it.

[crotchitymedic1986]

All those gigs sound fun, but its not like TV. Being on the swat team as a medic means you sit in your truck for 12 hours while the negotiators do their thing. Being on the boat or dive team means you freeze your ass of in nasty water retrieving bodies. For all the training involved, the calls are few and far between. But hey, if its your dream, go get it.

[zzyzx]

Yeah, everyone wants to be a SWAT medic. Why? I guess they watch too much TV.

[Doczilla]

Read this thread: http://www.emtcity.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=12896

and this one: http://www.emtcity.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4896

I work with a few medic/cops who are SWAT. They tend to be cops first and medics second (that's no disrespect to them. I would have them kick ass on my behalf any day), but the best SWAT medics I know are medics, not cops. Combining skill sets has some advantages but also some real drawbacks, the chief of which I see as dilution of the skill sets to accommodate multiple roles.

'zilla

[Arctickat]

The one big advantage for wearing more than one hat, is that the city doesn't have to pay two people to do two jobs. You get your 30 bucks an hour to do both and they save money.

[spenac]

The one big advantage for wearing more than one hat, is that the city doesn't have to pay two people to do two jobs. You get your 30 bucks an hour to do both and they save money.

So save money rather than provide quality? You can be a jack of all trades master of none or focus and become a master. I want the master working on my family.

[WolfmanHarris]

Still provided it wasn't in any town I was visiting or living in, I'd be curious to see the last best word in saving municipal money; enter Constable-Firefighter Sanitation Engineer Groundskeeper Utilityperson Jones, EMT-P, MSW. Response times will suck, but think of how the whacker's will cream themselves over that apparatus?

Seriously, though I don't quite get the combined LEO/Medic thing. In Ontario, where there are tactical medics (which is only the large services and the OPP) they are FT medics who are unarmed and train with the Police to operate in the warm zone if necessary. In my experience, (limited as it may be) none of my friends who are cops are very good at turning it off. I don't see how they'd be able to effectively focus on pt care, when that pt might be a suspect or someone who'd just been shooting at them.