lokin to relocate to Orange co. CA......

[Deltasession454]

hey im looking to relocate to orange county CA to be closer to family. ive never lived down there so i don't know anything about the companies in that county. what my homework is telling me is that theres basically 3 companies to work for if you want to do 911 system calls: CARE, MEDIX, & Doctors. anybody have an idea about what company is the best to work for?

ps i make about $10.5 now so if its better lemme know. dont have to tell me how much if you dont feel comfortable, just if its better

[JPINFV]

OCEMS system:

Orange County runs a quasi fire-based EMS system. Paramedics in the county are only with the fire departments. Out of the cities, the vast majority of them contract with private companies to provide transport while having the paramedics respond on a fire engine. The companies with 911 contracts are Care, Doctors, Medixs, Shaffer, and Emergency. The companies that only do interfacility transport are Lynch and Pacific.

Care's base of operation is near CHOC/St. Josephs hospital and the 5/55/57 interchange (the Orange Crush). They have several 911 contracts in both Orange County and LA county as well as the critical care transport contract for UCI Medical Center Children's hospital. My understanding is that they are one of the highest paid and they I'd tie them with Medix for looking professional.

Doctor's Ambulance has a handful of 911 contracts in South County (Irvine, and a few other places). This is a relatively small company and the pay is around minimum wage (I made more working as an EMT-B at the nearby waterpark [bye bye Wild Rivers :crybaby:] than they pay their EMT-Bs. Doctor's base of operation is down by the 405/5 interchange (just South of the El Toro Y/Irvine Spectrum area)

Schaffer Ambulance is based mostly in LA County, but also runs a modest operation in Orange County, including having the 911 contract for Costa Mesa. I've heard that their schedules suck bad and there have been plenty of rumors when I lived down there (moved August '07) that they are trying to unload their 911 contract.

Medix base of operation is off of the 5 south of the El Toro Y somewhat near Doctor's base. They provide 911 services to several south county cities as well as Seal Beach. New units that look nice, but I can't offer many more comments than that.

Emergency Ambulance Service is based somewhere in the Northern part of the county. They have the 911 contract for Brea. I got a chance to talk with one of their crews about a year and a half ago and would definitely advise against this company (supply and cash flow (bouncing paychecks per their employee) problems.

Interfacility companies:

Shoreline: Based out of Huntington Beach. This is a relatively new company, and as such I can not provide any personal impressions/grapevine information.

Pacific: Standard interfacility company with the normal job pros and cons from what I've heard of people who switched from my old company to this one. They do have operations in Orange, LA, and San Diego Counties though. They, along with Lynch and Care, pay the most.

Lynch (my old company): Interfacility powerhouse including the Children's Hospital of Orange County transport contract. They have a decent number of critical care calls utilizing RNs and RTs, but there are no units dedicated to critical care transports (closest available unit to the base drives back and picks up the gear and the RN and/or RT). They pay near the top ($10/hr starting, $1 differential for 4 days a week, 12 hour shifts with time and a half after 8 as well as double time after 12. Again, this data is 6 months old). Standard interfacility company problems, but I must admit that things were better when I left than when I joined. Shifts are flexible (12 hour shifts start times included 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 12. Given open shifts, you could spread out your shifts or bunch them all together, but you worked the same days every week. They did work with my school schedule [read weekend shifts only]). I'd honestly suggest this company only if your head is on straight and you know what you're doing well enough to defend your actions. Lynch is based in Anaheim just Northeast of the 91/57 interchange. Email me for further details.

[Deltasession454]

ahh thank you so much this helps out a lot.... you have no idea