Volunteering in the City of Chicago HELP!

[chicagoemt]

I need help locating any volunteer opportunities for an EMT-B in the City of Chicago. I am desperately seeking any opportunity not to loose my EMT-B skills and to continue with the EMS experiences that I've been having since I became an EMT a few weeks ago.

I scoured the internet for ANY opportunity to volunteer and I literally could not find a single thing. I am going to be a full time student so I don't have time to work a job with a paid agency, and the CFD doesn't ostensibly use any volunteers and the city doesn't have any of its own ambulance departments, it just has an EMS division within the CFD.

So my question is rather more of a plea. I would like to know from anyone who has had any experience as an EMT in Chicago how I can continue to volunteer. There must be some sort of outlet, I can't be the only person who wants to volunteer their EMS services in Chicago. It would seem ludicrous to me if a city with 2.7 million people didn't need any volunteers. What are ANY possible ways that I, as an EMT-B, can volunteer within the city of chicago to provide EMS services? I also completed my CEVO course so I would be willing to drive an ambulance.

Is it at all possible that the CFD would take on a volunteer EMT-B (not a firefighter) just for their EMS division? Or are all EMTs in the EMS division firemen.

Anyway any advice, suggestions, or overall comments would be immensely helpful, as I would like some sort of direction to help me on my search and hopefully find some sort of answer before I move at the end of the summer.

Thanks!!!

[paramedicmike]

Welcome.

Unfortunately, I don't have any thoughts or ideas for you regarding your plight. You just might, however, be in a bind regarding your desire to volunteer.

[WestMetroMedic]

Universities are always a good place to look. Sporting venues also may be a good route. The red cross takes care of our professional hockey team and out pro football and baseball teams have their own volunteer groups.

[chicagoemt]

Universities are always a good place to look. Sporting venues also may be a good route. The red cross takes care of our professional hockey team and out pro football and baseball teams have their own volunteer groups.

Good ideas, though I'm looking for something more along the lines of a traditional EMS experience. I'd like to responds to 911 calls within the city, so probably a university system or team for a sports agency wouldn't do that. I don't think that's too much to ask but it looks like unless I want to become a fireman, I can't respond to 911 calls. There's something wrong with that...

[Just Plain Ruff]

Ok, here is what I found in a google search for you. Not sure how much you searched not how far you are willing to travel to keep your EMT up.

Chicago is a no go as far as volunteers so set your sights grasshopper away from the city of Chicago - as you will not see any volunteer opportunities in Chicago.

It seems that you will need to start to look way outside chicago, into the rural areas.

The best place to start would be to contact the state office of EMS and ask them for a list of ems providers which may also be online.

Then take a look at a map and see how far you are willing to drive from where you live.

Then call those agencies and discuss volunteer opportunities with them and see what they can help you with.

So why are you trying to get volunteer jobs over a paid job?

Good luck.

[chicagoemt]

Ok, here is what I found in a google search for you. Not sure how much you searched not how far you are willing to travel to keep your EMT up.

Chicago is a no go as far as volunteers so set your sights grasshopper away from the city of Chicago - as you will not see any volunteer opportunities in Chicago.

It seems that you will need to start to look way outside chicago, into the rural areas.

The best place to start would be to contact the state office of EMS and ask them for a list of ems providers which may also be online.

Then take a look at a map and see how far you are willing to drive from where you live.

Then call those agencies and discuss volunteer opportunities with them and see what they can help you with.

So why are you trying to get volunteer jobs over a paid job?

Good luck.

I suppose you are right.

I will be a full time student, so I can't commit to a full-time job as I'll be in school every day. Will suburban areas around Chicago take volunteers? I guess I'll need to search city by city. But i'll have to get there via train because I won't have a car.

Thanks for the help

[DFIB]

You might try part-time, maybe?

[Kiwiology]

I would say you are pretty SOL bro; the Chicago Fire Department provides transport EMS for the City and the various outlying departments in the wider Chicagoland area look after their respective jurisdictions. There are probably some private entities/AMR out there who do the patient transport service or local-Fire-turf-to-BLS type deal but neither accepts volunteers.

Whatever you are in school for probably pays way more anyway, stick with that.

[ambodriver]

Volunteers are unheard of in Chicago. Why not just a part time job with a private? You will be a taxi cab taking people to dialysis.

If you really want to hone "skills" work in an ER.

I'm not sure why'd you volunteer your time instead of getting paid for it. To me, that is stupid.

Chicago doesn't take voluneets. In order to get hired you have to test and go through there academy. Why would thy let a joe schmoe off the street to work for free when it is a career department? It's silly to think about.

Chicago FD/EMS pays extremely well and offers good benefits. To become a Fireman you'd have to test, and there won't be any testing soon. To be a Paramedic you'd have to get your name on the paramedic list (be a paramedic first)...that list won't open for another 5+ years.

Good luck

source: Chicago Paramedic

Edited June 27, 2012 by ambodriver

[chicagoemt]

Volunteers are unheard of in Chicago. Why not just a part time job with a private? You will be a taxi cab taking people to dialysis.

If you really want to hone "skills" work in an ER.

I'm not sure why'd you volunteer your time instead of getting paid for it. To me, that is stupid.

Chicago doesn't take voluneets. In order to get hired you have to test and go through there academy. Why would thy let a joe schmoe off the street to work for free when it is a career department? It's silly to think about.

Chicago FD/EMS pays extremely well and offers good benefits. To become a Fireman you'd have to test, and there won't be any testing soon. To be a Paramedic you'd have to get your name on the paramedic list (be a paramedic first)...that list won't open for another 5+ years.

Good luck

source: Chicago Paramedic

I appreciate the concern for my monetary well-being, but I can assure you that I'm strictly interested in volunteering. I am going to be a full time student and I won't have any time for a job, and I'm not interested in being an ambulance driver. I've had wonderful EMS experiences volunteering in NY and I have to say that if I have to resort to being a taxi driver than I have to say I'm sure my time would be better spent doing something else. I am not looking to earn a salary or work at a boring 9-5 job, I'm only looking to volunteer in the field of EMS because it is a very interesting experience, and there's no reason for me to be as least productive as possible driving a taxi if I'm only looking to volunteer for the experience. To me, that doesn't make any sense.

EDIT:

Oh and for the record, volunteers are certainly not "joe schmoes". Where I live the people who get the most respect from the authority are the volunteers. They have to have the same qualifications as the paid staff, and they are giving their time to a charitable cause. Just because you receive money for a service other people donate does not mean you're more qualified or more prepared, and it certainly doesn't mean you're more generous.

Edited June 27, 2012 by chicagoemt