TEMS EMT

[FAlley]

Howdy,

I've completed POST cop certification and EMT-B. I do not have experience in either. I plan on attending an accelerated paramedic course when I have the funds available, but will need to do actual work in the field to attain that.

Can anyone tell me where I might find work that uses both of these credentials? I am fully willing to travel wherever I might find work, but have absolutely no idea where that might be.

Foster Alley

AlleyF@jbu.edu

Russellville, Arkansas

[Just Plain Ruff]

I think taht this has been addressed here in the past. I think the search might be a good resource for you here.

But if I remember right, mst tactical medic/emt's wanting work will most likely have to get work in the police/military realm. That's where I'd start looking.

But my experience is about as thin as a spider silk.

I'd use the search function here to start.

[paramedicmike]

Do you want to be a peace officer? Or do you want to be an EMT? At this point, as you have no experience in either, you're going to have to pick one.

As this is an EMS board I don't know there there will be much help with the law enforcement networking (unless MikeEMT drops in). But I know of one particular search engine that may help facilitate your job search.

Let us know which avenue you really want to pursue and perhaps we can better help you.

[island emt]

taking an accelerated medic course will not make you hire able for tactical EMS/swat team type work. Most of the tactical medics I know have years of experience in the field as providers and many of them were military medics in previous employment..

[Just Plain Ruff]

Yes, what they said above. No service in their right mind will hire a green never been tested on the streets medic or emt (or minimally tested) and put them in a live fire environment. Aint gonna happen.

The tactical medics you look up to and want to be (and that is admirable) have years of EMS experience or better yet, years of EMS and Police experience that they have been in the so called trenches for a long time.

The services that employ them have hundreds if not thousands of applicants to choose from and if you don't have any experience except the accelerated paramedic program then your application will not even make it out of the envelope.

my advice, and I've given this advice many times in person as well as on this board, get your experience, don't be a zero to hero which is what it sounds like you want to be. Pay your dues as a medic on the streets, get to know the police officers that you are going to be backing up and possibly saving the life of in a live fire, super adrenaline rush, no time to waste situation and remember that to get into this particular field of work it IS Often who you know. And to get to know the right people in this side of the field, that takes many years of cultivating the right friendships and contacts. Sort of like politics.

We are not faulting you for your desire to do this, just pointing out how hard it is going to be to get into the particular arena.

One thing you might want to consider is this.

Go to work for a small county EMS system. Get good at your job. Become good friends with all the cops at both the county and city level. Find out if they do high risk warrant serving or something that would need a tactical medic. Then propose setting up a joint group with them with you and a couple of your medics as their tactical medics. That might be a way to get into this. More than likely you will have to pay for your training and all your equipment due to their budgets being small but if you want this this might just be the way to go about getting it.

[scubanurse]

One thing you might want to consider is this.

Go to work for a small county EMS system. Get good at your job. Become good friends with all the cops at both the county and city level. Find out if they do high risk warrant serving or something that would need a tactical medic. Then propose setting up a joint group with them with you and a couple of your medics as their tactical medics. That might be a way to get into this. More than likely you will have to pay for your training and all your equipment due to their budgets being small but if you want this this might just be the way to go about getting it.

You would do well to listen to this bit of advice. Best of luck to you and I hope you stick around the boards!

[Richard B the EMT]

I've completed POST cop certification and EMT-B.

I agree with the others, that for tactical EMS work with a SWAT or similar unit, or Helicopter EMS (HEMS), experience takes precedence in the hiring process over exuberance. Perhaps in a few years, you'll qualify for either of them.

Perhaps I know them by another name, but what is/are POST cop certification?

[Just Plain Ruff]

POST = Primo Officer Super Training? I have no idea but I am batman.

[paramedicmike]

C'mon, guys. Google!

POST = Peace Officer Standards and Training.

[Just Plain Ruff]

C'mon, guys. Google!

POST = Peace Officer Standards and Training.

Of course we knew what it was, I was just making a joke, jeesh.

Here's a link for all the google you will ever need regarding the POST info.

https://www.google.com/search?source=ig&rlz=1G1ASUT_ENUS506&q=peace+officer+standards+and+training&oq=peace+officer+standar&gs_l=igoogle.1.0.0l10.1096648.1110230.0.1112618.41.18.10.13.19.0.154.1008.17j1.18.0...0.0...1ac.1.12.igoogle.sHtBcutUedQ

Click on that link and you will have enough links to spend all your free time from here to eternity learning about POST stuff.

Edited June 8, 2013 by Captain ToHellWithItAll