does age matter for getting hired in ambulance service?

[Thunderchild145]

Yea. <21. My bad. It was a long day. ;-)

[canadian_ghost]

Here it's 19, but for some reason they tend to discriminate against the younger people here.

[iMac]

It just depends on the services. Most of the ones I have worked for the limit was 21 due to insurance purposes to drive the ambulance.

[nyemtcc]

in ny it is required to be 21 to work on an ambulance. most insurance companies will not cover anyone under 21 to drive an ambulance.

[rock_shoes]

Here it's 19, but for some reason they tend to discriminate against the younger people here.

You must be in BC. I thought I was doing well having a successful interview at 23. Probably wouldn't have green lighted me if I was much younger.

[WestSideBorderPatrol]

The private company i work for will hire you out of basic school. And here in MD you only need to be 16 to get your basic. 18 to drive for the private company but the volly gig you have to be 21 to drive.

[PatrickW]

Here in SC the private services only hire 21+, but I was hired onto a public 911 service at 18.

[Schwaa]

Just curious, but how is it that a company can refuse to hire an 18 year old because of insurance purposes? Wouldnt that be some sort of discrimination? If I have al lthe same certifications as a 21 year old, would I not be able to perform the same tasks (givin the same amount of on the job time for all you nit pickers)?

I can understand if the companies based it on driving experience, but where I'm from it seems that it is only based on age.

Example: Say I'm and 18y/o EMT-B, EVOC certified, with 3 years of driving experience and I get denied a position because I am 18 and their insurance will not cover me.

Another person applies fo rthe same position. 21y/o EMT-B, EVOC certified, with 2 years of driving experience because he waited till he was 19 to get his license. This guy gets the job over me.

Does that sound right? I pretty sure there is at least one lawyer on this board who could kindly explain this to me!

Just cruious. Around my area we have companies that hire at 18 and another run by the county that only hires 21

[Dustdevil]

Just curious, but how is it that a company can refuse to hire an 18 year old because of insurance purposes? Wouldnt that be some sort of discrimination?

You answered your own question. Driving experience (that is LICENSED driving experience, not what you did on the backroads of the county in your grandfather's pickup truck before age 16) comes with age. Without age, you don't have it. And I don't trust anybody with less than five years of it behind the wheel of my emergency vehicle.

And, of course, it has been legally held forever that discrimination is not a valid legal concept when applied to youth.

Life isn't fair. Nobody said it was. You can go to court or you can deal with it.

Once a college degree is the entry level requirement for the profession, we won't have this silly argument anymore.

[katbemeEMT-B]

Another thing that has to be considered is that many people under 21 are still on what is considered risk insurance. This is why a companies insurance will not cover them. If the insurance company won't cover them, the company can not hire them.

The service I work for will hire a Basic at 18 to gain experience in the back of the truck but they are never allowed to drive until they turn 21. They must also go through EVOC followed by non-call related drive time with the manager and then ride-alongs with an FTO before they are set loose.