Can a person with a felony work for the fire rescue?

[medic1978]

Hi my name is Alex, i got a felony about 9 years ago and i'm not a repeat offender . My biggest worry is that im going to go to school to get my EMT for nothing.

The state wont tell me at the moment, if im even qualified to take the state exam. please if any one can guide me in this i would appreciate it .

Thanks, Alex

[Flasurfbum]

No. Nein. Nyet. Non.

You will not be hireable.

Save your money.

[Chief1C]

Guess it depends what kind of Felony.

[akflightmedic]

It depends on the felony, the state in which you are, and the department you wish to apply to.

I know of several medics and firefighters who had charges that were not sealed or expunged and they all received jobs. One of them even had a conviction for dealing drugs, nice guy...was just stupid during his latter teen years.

And yes, this was in Florida, so Flasurfbum...your answer is incorrect.

[kyle308]

Yeah it really depends on the state. Here in Indiana they take you before the state to plead your case and explain what your felony is before they make their decision.

[VentMedic]

In Florida it depends on what the felony was at to whether you will even get a license before you can apply for a job. Each case is reviewed individually. If you have commited a crime of physical violence or sexually assaulted a child, don't get your hopes up to high.]

[mobey]

Do the services in the area request a criminal records check for empoyment?

That kind of thing is actually quite common in the bigger services here.

They usually only care about violent crimes, crimes commited against children or elderly, or theft.

[firedoc5]

Check with your state, county, city. Basically any municipality you may be active in. I know at one point in IL some counties were so short handed that they had in-mates run calls, supervised of course. Worked with a few of them after they got out and one became one of my best friends.

I know you probably don't want to divulge what your crime was, but most cases it depends on that on what can dictate whether or not you can become an EMT.

So do your home work. Actually even write your Senator and/ or State Rep. Maybe they can put a good word in for you.

If you do get the green light, good luck.

[fireflymedic]

I know here in KY as well as TN and OH which I routinely operate in you are highly unlikely to be certified. In fact, it is a challenge within KY to be certified if you have a misdemeanor regardless of what it is. Mind you that is CONVICTIONS ONLY. I know of several people who had charges brought against them, but due to the fact that it was charges only (anyone can be charged and sometimes mistakes are made) and later the charges were dropped, or a unique situation they still retained or were allowed probationary certifications. General rule of thumb for the above is 5 years for a misdemeanor, not at all for a felony. Though nothing regarding a situation where you delivered or were attempting to deliver care or involving children (though I do know of two situations regarding children that weren't what presented as and the person was allowed 10 year probational certification and not allowed to pursue medic during those 10 years).

I do know KY, OH, TN, and WV run criminal background check. Heck KY runs them as frequently as every 90 days for medics or students. I used to see stuff from the court system or state board all the time. Also, WV requires a copy of your fingerprints on file with state police and background check run. I can't speak for FL, but I would say in general you have quite a bit of explaining to do and I would really push to get an answer from the state board and submit all the information into their investigators. Ask for an in person hearing if they do a review so they can speak with you and see where you are coming from. I understand anyone can make a mistake in their younger years, and I don't believe that should ruin them for life depending upon the offense of course. I dare say it would be easier to obtain certification as a basic as opposed to a medic with a prior felony conviction, but again it depends on the situation and the state. Best of luck to you.

[JakeEMTP]

As stated by the above posters, it is dependent on the State in question. I Know NC does a background check on everyone. They used to not even let you test without having a background check prior to your exam date when we filled out the bubble sheets. Now registration is done by computer so I'm not totally sure if it is done prior to testing or not. It is my understanding that you would not be able to be certified in NC if you have a felony conviction.

The service I am employed by does a thorough background check. They even went as far as to ask Canada, where I'm originally from, for a criminal record search.