WANTYNU

Shane, I agree. NTG two points: one is the one Shane made above, the other is I'm a big boy and can handle it, I don't need to be defended. Again, Please lets keep this on point. Thanks Best to all.

Sarge, Sorry to take so long to respond to your question, real life takes precedence, and besides I have a bunch of stuff personally happening all at once, as well as I’m working on rolling out a new variation on my wrench. But back to you, you asked a couple of questions short and long term. First, sorry to hear about your divorce, I’ve had several friends that went through one, and it’s one of the most stressful things that can happen to you, so make sure you cut yourself some slack so you have the mindset to face your other obstacles. Second for the long term, you’re (in my opinion) doing the very best thing forward for yourself you can do. Which is educating yourself, it makes you more valuable, nobody can take it away, and in short it opens doors to greater opportunity (but I’m sure you know that, which is why you’re doing it). So here’s a little free advice on going about it (remember it’s worth every cent your paying for it) so take what you can and throw away the rest. 1) Talk to you lawyer about you marital finances, he’s (she’s) the only one who knows exactly what your individual position is and what will cost you more, and cost less. Make sure you’re well armed for your decision making. (Stocking away a few bucks on the side, starting an account in your name only etc.) 2) If you have credit card debt pay it down, there’s a TON of good stuff on the internet on doing this and why you should. Let me just say the interest rates charged today are downright criminal. Aggressively pay down you highest interest cards first, making the minimum on the rest until it’s paid up, then move onto the next (and of course STOP charging) buy only what you can with cash or check, (if you don’t have the money in CASH you can’t afford it). Of course if you have to borrow for an emergency i.e. medical, you have to weigh the costs and do what’s right for you. A second thing, IF you can do it, with credits cards (which should be the first to do if you can) is consolidate with a low interest loan (home equity?) or if you can swing it, consider borrowing from a family member with a written agreement and automatic pay back, so you don’t screw up the relationship. Improve your credit score; by lowering the amount of outstanding credit you have, if you have 7 cards each with a $10,000 limit, the credit agencies see you as if you have $70,000 credit, if you make 50 K a year, that’s not a good assumable debt to income ratio. Here’s the catch, DON’T cancel your credit cards ESPECIALLY if you had them for a few years, as this also counts against your score. Cancel only new cards, (what do you need them for anyway) and keep the rest but call the credit card companies and request to lower your limit, that’s right LOWER your limit, this won’t negatively affect your score if you do it, it actually improves your score by reducing your AD ratio. (Weird huh) Always keep in mind Interest on money you owe is still money you have to pay out, the less you pay out the more you keep. i.e. if you’re not paying that extra $100 a month interest payment on a CC balance, its exactly like getting paid an extra $100 a month, because it stays in your pocket. 3) You got the right idea and focus on a career track and the military is an outstanding credential to get into a good ES job, and the extra stuff (HAZMAT etc, helps as well). I’m on my hospital’s Hazmat / special operations team, as well as a CPR, First aid, and WMD instructor. 4) Take any train the trainer course you can get your hands on, not only will you learn the subject matter better, you further increase your credibility when you have the certs to teach others. 5) Add polish to your act, even if you think you’re great, you can always get better, learn to interview, it’s a real skill, again there is a LOT of good stuff out there, remember when you’re ready to make your move, you’ll have to SELL yourself to your prospective employer, you can be the very best at whatever you do, but if you can’t convey that message to your audience all your skills ain’t worth the paper they’re written on. Learn the techniques that will make you stand out from the rest of the candidates in a positive light. Join a group like Toastmasters to improve you public speaking and presentation skills. Now for the short term money, depending where your based (here / overseas) will determine what you can and can’t do. (I can’t help you with the overseas part). The easiest is working a part-time job for someone else, as there’s no investment on your side except for your time. For the internet world, eBay is good if you have(or can get) stuff to sell, but keep in mind there are a lot of fees tacked on, that can add up (sometimes to as much as 20 – 30% of your gross) plus it’s WORK! REAL WORK, you need to spend time posting your auction, replying to emails, collecting money, shipping your items, building your reputation. Consider putting an ad in the local paper as a handyman, if you have the skills and time, but keep in mind there may be licensing and insurance issues to consider. Last starting your own business is by far and away the hardest thing (in my opinion) you can do, there’s no security, the starting pay is almost nonexistent, the hours are really long, it’s very stressful, and your boss will be the most demanding bastard you’ll ever know. Well there ya go, I’m tapped out for any more ideas right now, besides my boss is yelling at me to get back to work! Hope this helps. Best of luck.

I think thats the Theory for our 8hr shifts, but command rarely sticks to guidelines. I still believe a DOT standard would help us all, even 24 hours in a quarters with sleeping and eating area is not home, you can't get the same quality of "down time" to recharge as you can at home.

Ever heard the saying: "Citys don't care about individuals, thats why more taxes go to hauling your trash to the dump, then taking grandma to the hospital"? I like the idea of closing up instead of burning out your resources. But don't you run the risk of being vilified by your community? Based on these posts the bottom line seems to be, that no one in EMS works a regular 40 hour week. If theres so much work, and so few to do it, why do we get paid so little? Next your going to tell me there is no SanityClause.

Good discussion. Folks, I started this thread for ideas; hasn’t anyone here ever sat in a class and heard the professor state; "if you’re thinking of the question, someone else probably is too, so ask it", or “The only bad question is the one that’s not asked”? Aside of that, there are a few here that seem obsessed with my company, I don’t understand this, I had an idea, researched it, found it unique, took steps to protect it, and then made it. There are others here that have companies, I can’t understand why that seems to offend some people? (I’m sure I’ll get answers on this one…) I said this before; if a fellow First Responder had the guts to step into the unknown and start something new, I’d applaud them, try to help them, but certainty not try to put them down for trying. If you have ever created or started something, then you can understand how difficult it is. As I’ve stated before; snipes are neither mature, nor productive, nor are they appreciated, this is not about WANTYNU Inc., again please stay focused. Looking for controversy to jump on me over, how about this: I think if we gained stature in the business community, the respect of the public and understanding of what we really do would increase as well as our compensation. I started this post not for myself; I have already taken a number of steps to broaden and secure my income (maybe not all of them the easiest), but security is something I believe in. I have also worked jobs from paperboy to corporate management, (and yes, I have also done the eBay thing on the side, made enough to buy my car {again off eBay}). I see a lot of my fellow EMS struggling to make ends meet, so I figured I’d start a post that brought out alternative ideas for income. Ideas that work, and warning about the ones that don’t, as a few have posted the “Get Rich Quick Schemes” are just that schemes, designed to take your hard earned money and make some con artist rich. Spenac tried construction, and stated it didn’t work for him. How about some more experiences from folks on this forum? Anybody “play” the markets? “If you don’t watch your money, nobody will” Ben Stein “Great works are preformed not by strength but by perseverance” Samuel Johnson “Through perseverance many people win success out of what seemed destined to be certain failure” Benjamin Disraeli “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” Franklin D. Roosevelt “Never. Never, Never give up.” Sir Winston Churchill "From those who have pursued the unknown is born experience, from experience, education.” Author Unknown

That sounds a little like a sales pitch. Are you actually asking me to give up the lovely experience of riding in an out of date, could stop at any moment, sprinkled with the pungent aroma of stale urine elevator to a job that was not even remotely close to the description given by dispatch, to then relax for 15 minutes in the lap of a seat that has been in use 24 hours a day 7 days a week for the last 18 months, to the persistent vibrating diesel Ford 350, as my spine slowly disintegrates before my next job, work environment. And suggesting I trade all that in for work in Big Country where you have a place to sleep, shower, and eat on a real table (may have misused the phrase Big Country , I think that’s actually a slogan for a state, but great way for a Naw Yarker to describe west of the Mississippi river)? Gee, ya gotta give me time to think about that… I did love the Rockies when I was on vacation.

I think the question should be how much are you willing to pay? Taking a page from the ultralight campers book: Low Weight / Low Cost / Durability You can choose any two.

As usual great reply spenac! I know that a lot of us work two or more jobs, I'm trying to get better a picture of the variances in our work hours. Ot is critical to us all, but for this poll, is it fair to limit it to our main job (the one we get our benefits from)? This probably goes hand in hand with supporting / or not supporting a set of national skill standards, but Should we have national work / shift time standards? Could a set of rules be drawn up that would accommodate us all? (not counting indentured servitude...)

Every time I log onto this board I learn more about my EMS family around the nation. The biggest thing I have learned, is not to snap at somebody’s short, nonproductive quip, comments / posts, two negatives do not equal a positive exchange. In other words: Tolerance. I only ask that everyone here try exercising some... I have searched this board for an answer to this question, but have not found it. If this is a repeat my apologies. IMHO our work environment is so different from the rest of the country (the standard 8 hr day / 40 hr week) that it’s reasonable to investigate different options for how we work. Hope you agree. The last questions is about doubles (back to back shifts) in NYC we’re limited to 2 (16 hrs total) although it’s a little fast and loose, ( if they need you the rule is over looked) and the rule is also suspended in an emergency (aren’t they all?!). Please only check this if this is the MAJORITY of your work week, i.e. two 16hr doubles and an 8hr shift for a 40 hr week, two 24's for a 48hr week. (Please do not count OT) As an example:I work (not counting OT) three 8's and one double 16 hr, so I would check 8 for my "normal" shift. If I worked two doubles and an 8, my answer would be 8 double (16). Thanks, this should be interesting. So here goes:

A very wise man once said if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. For many of us that have dealt with crowds at MCI's, we have lived by that motto. Can we show some maturity and stay on the subject? I am told fire/medics in San francisco make 80K to start toping out in the low 100's with OT and time. SF is expensive to live in no doubt, but thats still better then 48K in NYC. I have another friend who makes his full time living on eBay, is that a reasonable alternative to working part time for another company? Solutions?

Geese, If only... We have to sit in the bus for the entire (8 hours or if on a double 16 hours) tour. Different States / Different systems, some obviously more flexible and more family oriented then others. But we stray from the point. What are some ideas for a good way to make that extra income, if sitting on the Bus is too much wear and tear?

Yet another great post and question. I was referring to both in my last post, working 40 hours a week (the national standard) on any EMS Pay (EMT or Medic) just doesn't pay the bills. Believe it or not, in the NYC system, there are a lot of “Professional” EMT’s (as in EMT-D), they don’t make the step to medic for a variety of reasons, the one I’ve heard the most is seniority, they get preference of where and when they work (get to choose their assigned shifts). The other is pay (Again you make a GREAT point on how poorly medic’s are paid, and this just underlines the point), because after 7 – 8 years on the job, their pay is better than the starting pay as a medic, (which they would be given because Paramedic is a different job classification and pay scale) no matter how many years on the job, once they become medic’s, they get cut to the new medic starting pay, and they can’t afford the pay cut. Crazy right?

Without requoting your entire post, this is the discussion I am looking for, I also agree family is everything!!! But from my math you work about a 76 hours a week (96 + 48 + 160 = 304 hrs / month) that seems like a lot, how do you have lots of time leftover? I have one other question, what did you used do? Great points and post, thanks!

Cool, and with the hurricanes, earthquakes, and global warming it will probably be a small island with a nice beach... Love the job, hate the pay, it seems on the bus the same topics get played again and again; What was the dispatcher thinking, what was the patient thinking, where to get food, and how much the pay sucks for what we do. Seriously, it ain't squid that makes the world go round. We have a TON of people here from all walks of life, and experiences I was hoping to get some ideas flowing and maybe a few pearls of wisdom. Of course I expect in the mix a lot of wiseass comments, putdowns, and outright insults from foks who just like to read their own posts and have nothing constructive to add... :roll: But some real discussion would be nice. ******************* "Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz ? My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends. Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends, So Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz ? JANIS JOPLIN

OK, well I got that message. Keep to the subject, “working a business outside of EMS.” I guess I’ll start with a simple Poll to see if this is even a thread worth having. I hope that’s’ fair. Please only answer this if you get paid to work in EMS.

Ok, I’ve been watching this conversation with some amusement and some disappointment, first, there are some here that really need to grow up, if you have an opinion, you should have every right to express it without fear of being bashed, insulted, or belittled. As a medic I know there is more than one way to get the job done (and even remain within “The Standard of Care”), as a paid EMS professional I know there are a number other professionals that have many years more experience than I do, and a number that have much less. There is an old saying that states, a lower number on your card does not mean a smarter provider. But this conversation is interesting, because it opens a window on how different we all are, yet we do the same thing. Which is thinking on our feet, make the best of what we have, and improvising the rest. What seems to be the theme are those (Like myself) that work in a (mostly vertical) urban environment wear a duty belt, and those that can readily access their bus leave it there. I can empathize with the people that must bring their equipment with them on every run, for I too have to do the same and have been working to lower the weight I carry on a constant basis. This thread has been great in many ways because it shows how we as a profession address the same problem in different ways. So what do I carry, some may want to know, (I’m sure a bunch reading this couldn’t care less): First let me say in the NY system of which I also work, you MUST carry with you some basics as per NY state EMS DOH guidelines: A Stethoscope, Blood pressure cuff, Penlight, Oxygen tank wrench, Shears, Radio, Watch with a second hand. Now what do I carry? Along with the above (except BP cuff which is in the Jump bag and supplied by my corp), On my belt goes: my phone, Hazmat pager, key ring holder and keys, Benchmade Rescue Hook which has a nice flat belt holder and weighs nothing (I just don’t like how quick it gets dull), and a nylon radio holder with attached side pocket in which I keep a mini drug reference, protocol quick reference, shears, plastic umbilical clamp (good for holding an IV bag on a carry down), Streamlight duel LED/REG flashlight ($25 on Amazon), shove knife (the only tool for opening simple doors real easy), black sharpie marker, a great if I do say so myself, O2 Wrench {yes one of mine!} (All this fits nicely in the radio holder), a glove pouch, utility gloves in back pocket, a spider co spiderwrench multi tool which clips to the inside of my front pocket, a pen in my shirt pocket. My uniform paints are not BDU’s so they don’t have the thigh pockets. I find this covers all my needs and I even switched to lithium batteries (thanks for the tip) to lighten up a little more. Btw, I have yet to see an o2 wrench last in the bag, they always seem to grow legs and escape… Also, I leave my cert cards (which we must also carry) with my wallet in my tour bag locked in the bus. I can’t think of how to get this any lighter, without leaving something necessary out, if I do I’ll let you know. Finally, in an environment in which, when undertaking patient care, easy and quick access to the bus is NOT an option, having SOP’s requiring you to bring all this stuff to every job should not have to be SOC, it should be common sense, but that’s another thread entirely… Hope this helped, jk PS I for one, am interested in what people carry to their assignments, please feel free to post your list.

Don't shoot me, If it's not OK to post this here, let me know and I won't do it again.. :? with that said, I make an O2 wrench called a WANTYNU (go to EMTCITY Top sites) that would knock a few ounces off. (It's not cheap, sorry but it costs a fortune to make, and I worked really hard to make it right) but everyone who has one seems to like it (so far). Again, maybe its futile, but don't jump all over me for making this post, I'm just trying to help. Ok end of plug. :sign7: