911 contract in Houston, TX

[vcfd35s]

Does anyone know what private company BLS/ALS has the 911 in the city or surrounding areas of Houston? Or does the FD do all the transports, and if so...do any of the suburbs around Houston have any private 911 contracts? Sorry for all the questions, but I am thinking of a move to the Houston area and would like to know what companies to research.

Thanks guys and gals!

[wrmedic82]

The only reputable on ( or close to reputable ) that I know of is AMR. There are alot of mom and pop places. I think there is a way to look up what providers are in your area on the TXDSHS website. www.dshs.st.tx.us.

[spenac]

There are probably 300 ambulance services in the Houston area. Most are actually just medicaid/medicare fraud taxis. Check them out closely.

[wrmedic82]

too true spenac. Ive had alot of friends leave just for that reason.. its a quick career killer

[vcfd35s]

too true spenac. Ive had alot of friends leave just for that reason.. its a quick career killer

Well, after doing some research it doesnt look like Houston has too much to offer in the 911 arena. HFD does the transport for the city. Up in Dallas/Ft. Worth I found MedStar Ambulance to be a primary 911 and in Austin, I found Austin-Travis County EMS to be the 911. ATCEMS...now that seems like a hardcore company, a ton of options and avenues for paramedics. For those of you that live in TX...is EMS on the leading edge or slacking in some areas, such as a very limited scope and then its time to call "mommy"? Also, how far is Houston from Austin?

[Dustdevil]

No private 911 in Harris County. It's all either FD, volly, or ESD run. Of course, just like anywhere, all the privates will tell you a bunch of crap about being "911 back-up", but it's nonsense.

[paraloco]

Harris County ESD 1 is good place to work. Montgomery County Hospital District is too. Depends how far you want to drive. Baytown and LaPorte have 3rd service EMS. Pasadena uses a contractor for 911, but they are "mother, may I?" about everything. You wanna use your skills? Try one of the services around Houston. You are close enough to bypass the local hospitals and take trauma straight downtown. Houston is notorious about the little services that pop up like cockroaches. A friend of mine worked for the state. He was made to back off enforcement of some of these little services " Because that's their livelihood"

[Dustdevil]

ESD 1 is wracked by some serious politics, and is quickly getting a bad reputation state-wide for it. The board fired the director (who seems to be equally loved and hated). The director sued and got his job back. Now there's a permanent state of war between the two. They also have the ugliest trucks in Texas, although they are relatively new and nice. They spend money like it grows on trees, except on salaries. It's one of the very few places where a non-fire medic can actually get a paid EMS job in the county, so many are afraid to talk bad about them, resulting in less daylight on the organisation than is probably needed. They also mix vollies with paid people whenever possible, as does Cypress Creek, just to remind the paid people that they are easily replaceable.

[vcfd35s]

ESD 1 is wracked by some serious politics, and is quickly getting a bad reputation state-wide for it. The board fired the director (who seems to be equally loved and hated). The director sued and got his job back. Now there's a permanent state of war between the two. They also have the ugliest trucks in Texas, although they are relatively new and nice. They spend money like it grows on trees, except on salaries. It's one of the very few places where a non-fire medic can actually get a paid EMS job in the county, so many are afraid to talk bad about them, resulting in less daylight on the organisation than is probably needed. They also mix vollies with paid people whenever possible, as does Cypress Creek, just to remind the paid people that they are easily replaceable.

Dust- It seems as though you know alot about the the Houston area and TX as a whole. Have you had any experience with the Harris County Sheriffs Department? Are they a good Department, that offer alot of opportunity?

[Dustdevil]

Not recently. I used to have a partner when I was a cop who was former HCSO, and he spoke well of it. That was over fifteen years ago though.

Sorry I missed the questions asked earlier. Houston and Austin are two and a half to three hours apart, depending on traffic. Dallas to Austin takes maybe half an hour longer.

Don't call MedStar or A/TCEMS a "company" in the presence of either. They are not companies, and saying so is an insult.

A/TCEMS doesn't hire EMTs, and although MedStar supposedly does, they never seem to be taking applications for anything except medics. Getting hired as a medic by MedStar is a lot easier than A/TC. MedStar pays peanuts, treats people like crap, and runs mostly transfers. A/TC is a destination, and recruits nationwide, so there is a lot of competition. Getting hired there isn't much easier than getting hired at most big city fire departments. Just because you want to work there doesn't mean you will, unlike MedStar.

EMS in Texas is a mixed bag. It is a "delegated practice" state, where the protocols are whatever your Medical Director wants them to be, with no statewide limitations. There are no "state protocols". So while EMS may be cutting edge in one city (Austin, Williamson County, Montgomery County), it may be total shyte in another (Houston, Dallas, San Antonio). The nice thing about Texas EMS is that diversity. The professionals can excel, while the firemonkeys can be kept in check. In some rural, hospital based systems, the advanced nature of their practice cannot be imagined by most medics in this country. But the practice of a Dallas fireman is about as lame as the practice of an LA fireman.