Beach Bum112885 Posted June 24, 2006 Share Posted June 24, 2006 Hello all, First time posting on here, great respect for everything you guys do. My situation is this. I am 20 years old and finishing up my Associates. I actually am going into law enforcement, preparing to attend the academy sometime next year (after I can finally get hired, the hiring process are LONG!). Anyway I basically have one or two classes left to take this fall semester and something that interests me very much caught my eye. I realized how interesting it could be to become a certified EMT and then go through a police academy. The only thing is that I pretty much have NO experience in first aid. I just had my police department (I work there part time before I go to the academy) put me through Red Cross CPR training and am also about to get certified through an AHA class next week. This will allow me to sign up for the Basic EMT academy that lasts 8 weeks this fall at my local JC and hopefully get certified before I go into the police academy next year. Basically I'm just looking into if what I'm trying to do is feasible since up to this point I do not know a lot about EMS , basically all law enforcement up to this point. I also began to think that I could possibly find work as a part time EMT next year if it ends up taking me a very long time to find an police department to sponsor me through an academy. I thought I should see what you guys thought or if I am going to be in over my head. All advice is greatly appreciated, what do you think of a cop trained as an EMT? (Sorry this is so long, but I figure the more information you have, the more you guys can help, thanks!)[/font:9c2561b115] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DwayneEMTP Posted June 24, 2006 Share Posted June 24, 2006 Hey Beach Bum, Welcome to the City! I can't speak to all of your questions as I'm not law enforcement but perhaps I can help a little where the class is concerned. Where are you on the Central Coast? I went through the EMS academy at Allen Hancock in Santa Maria. The EMS course is pretty much advanced first aid. I had nothing going in except my 25 year old boy scout first aid. I found the 8 week course to be pretty challenging. We went 4hrs/day Tues, Thurs, Friday and all day on Sat. with a voluntary 4 hour lab on Weds. Class was fun. We had many students that took the EMS course along with other classes or worked full time jobs at the same time, though many of those people did poorly for lack of study time. I think it cost me about $800 or so for the class after books, boots, and uniforms. I can't imagine that you would find anything but a benefit having your Basic cert going into law enforcement, but finding a job as a basic will be difficult to impossible. I interviewed twice with AMR for Santa Barbara county and I think...I don't remember for sure..there were about 15 applicants/position. They tend to interview on a regular basis but are rarely hiring. (They don't let you know until after the process that they have no jobs to fill) I'm not sure if this helps, but If I can do anything for you don't hesitate to let me know! Dwayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beach Bum112885 Posted June 24, 2006 Author Share Posted June 24, 2006 Thanks for the advice. Actually I would be going to Allan Hancock's also, small world. The fees will probably be the same but financial aid will help a little. Now its Wednesday and Friday nights 4 hours and all day (9 hours) on Saturdays for 8 weeks. Then you just go 8 more if you want your advanced certification I guess. But I only work part time with a flexible schedule at Lompoc Police Dept. so my boss's would rearrange it so I could attend if it all ends up working out, thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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