Red Card

[Freshmeat]

Are there any EMT-B's out there with the Wild land Red card? Has it done anything for ya?

I'm doing the class next week and was wondering if it was truly worthwhile.

[engine82]

That depends on what you want to do with the red card. Do you want to be a full time professional wildland firefighter? A red card isn't going to help you get a job as an EMT but your EMT-B will help you get a job as a wildland firefighter. Every engine captain/crew boss/hotshot supt/helitack foreman loves having competent experienced EMTs on their crew to help take care of their crew members when things go wrong. As you move up in the wildland world your EMT-B cert. will help you get out as a single resource to be a line EMT on fires throughout the country as well as all risk incidents like hurricanes, tornadoes, and earth quakes. Wildland firefighters are professionals just like our city brothers and sisters. Being an EMT helps them, it helps us. I have two EMT-Bs on my federal wildland engine and love having that skill to help keep my crew safe. My advice: take the class, have fun, good luck, stay safe.

[Dustdevil]

That depends on what you want to do with the red card. Do you want to be a full time professional wildland firefighter? A red card isn't going to help you get a job as an EMT but your EMT-B will help you get a job as a wildland firefighter.

Exactly. If you want to be a fireman, go for it. But don't think for a moment it will get you anywhere within EMS. EMS administrators with any sense at all will hold it against you. Why would I hire somebody who obviously isn't interested in EMS as a career? Why would I hire somebody who is just using me as a stepping stone to something else? Why would I hire somebody who will be gone, probably without notice, the moment they get called by a fire department?

And minus 5 for posting in the wrong forum. :wink: