Good Places To Work

[EmergencyMedicalTigger]

Ok, I'll put in a plug for my service b/c we were actually discussing this with our shift Lt. the other day.

You can come to Fort Bend County EMS. We're a county-based service covering approx. 900 square miles about 15 minutes southwest of Houston. Our county population is booming-Sugar Land was named one of the best places to live in the country. We have 9 MICUs, 3 squads, and 1 peak truck. We will have to add a couple more trucks in the next 5-10 years; it's inevitable.

You get varied experience depending on what station you're at, so if you're here for even a couple years you will have all types of experience under your belt-rural, urban, and suburban. We have an awesome medical director who is very involved with our service. We're constantly trying to improve our protocols to meet the needs of our patients. Our pay is on par for the area starting approx $14/hr EMT-I and $19/hr EMT-P w/plenty of OT and we have paid CE.

Yes, the website sucks, but here it is: http://www.co.fort-bend.tx.us/getsitepage.asp?sitepage=5551

[FormerEMSLT297]

Lee Counties' numbers are based off of a 56 hour work week, as Nifty previously stated. Add the built in OT of 32 hours per check x 26 pay periods and his numbers are pretty close.................

Heah Flight lp, I understood that ,,, but this is an empolyers way of secretely scamming the uninformed empolyee.

I work a 40 hour work week, If I worked 56 Hrs. every week I woud make a lot more too... The point i'm trying to make is any of us smart enough to be medics are smart enough to figure out what our hourly rate is.... and there will come a time in everyones career when then don't want to work 50, 60, 70 or more hours per week. they want to spent time with family, kids, fishing, whatever.....

So, as I said before, I wasn't attacking Nifty or you or Lee County, but just saying WATCH THE math.

A good Example is the way FDNY-EMS used to list the salary, they would list salary, then benefits, then what the called "fringe O/T, night diff. etc."

The problem with this is that when you get stuck on day work, you DON'T get night diff. when you don't take O/T you don't get the so called fringe.

thats the way they get you, make you work extra hours, and say its part of your base.

My thoughts are my own and do not represent my agency or dept.

[Niftymedi911]

I'm not a management person.....

I'm "just an EMT" who is trying to help someone out. Do I really think LCEMS is the greatest place on Earth to work? No. But is it worth the troubles that we all sometimes have? Yes.

Hey Former,

Stop being a hater (jealous) just because you dont have what we've got. My base salary is $27,808.99 /yr. Period. But you have to factor in my built in OT bc its hrs worked in my regualr schedule (833.6 total hrs). I'm EXACTLY at $44,539.34/yr. To be a EMT-B and make that much money with 2 yrs experience in EMS, I'm making dam good money. I would guess one of the biggest items we have that most agencies don't like is OT. We have an abundance of OT which anyone is eligbile for. I do 48 hr on / 24 hrs off. The maximum amount our agency lets us work in a 72 hr period. My 2006 total salary as stated on my 2006 tax return for a 20 yr old EMT-B with 2 yrs ems experience..... $54,620.00.

The way the pay rotation goes: Every 2 weeks we are paid, The during the process of a month are given 2 big checks (ones with the built in 40hrs of OT) and a smaller check which has 16 hrs of OT built in. So to recap is 120hrs / 120 hrs / 96hrs the it repeats.

Math:

The following is appiled to starting EMT salary, if you choose to find out Medic salary use the same formula just plug in the higher hrly rate.

Total hrs worked per yr in 24 hr rotation: 2,912 OT included.

Total hrs of OT worked 833.6----> OT figuring: Of the 26 paychecks we recieve /yr 17.4 of those have 120 hrs of OT on them the rest 8.6 have 16 hrs of OT. So, 17.4 * 40= 696 // 8.6 * 16 = 137.6 ///// 696+137.6= 833.6

2912(total hrs worked)-833.6(total hrs of OT)= 2078.4 hrs worked at base (13.38/hr)

833.6* $20.07/hr (rate of OT)= $16,730.35 total amount of OT earned in 1 yr working regular shifts

2078.4 hrs * 13.38/hr = $27808.99

$27,808.99 (base) + $16730.35 (OT earned working regular shifts) = $44,539.34 total annual salary for EMT-B starting with LCEMS.

So, I hope this helps ya!!!!

Fred Jackson AS, EMT-B

C Shfit / South Sector

LCEMS

[p3medic]

damn, thats less than half of what i made last year....yikes....i work 8 hrs, 4 on 2 off, ot sometimes too....

[parabrandi]

Don't come to Louisiana! We have very low wages and if your don't work for the big green monster "Acadian" yet, then you will soon. We have crappy weather, super high pt to medic ratio, and we run some of the nastiest, drug infested, disease overridden areas in the south and it's not a great place to raise a family at all. Come to think of it...why am I still here?

[FormerEMSLT297]

I'm not a management person.....

I'm "just an EMT" who is trying to help someone out. Do I really think LCEMS is the greatest place on Earth to work? No. But is it worth the troubles that we all sometimes have? Yes.

Hey Former,

Stop being a hater (jealous) just because you dont have what we've got. My base salary is $27,808.99 /yr. Period. But you have to factor in my built in OT bc its hrs worked in my regualr schedule (833.6 total hrs). I'm EXACTLY at $44,539.34/yr. To be a EMT-B and make that much money with 2 yrs experience in EMS, I'm making dam good money. I would guess one of the biggest items we have that most agencies don't like is OT. We have an abundance of OT which anyone is eligbile for. I do 48 hr on / 24 hrs off. The maximum amount our agency lets us work in a 72 hr period. My 2006 total salary as stated on my 2006 tax return for a 20 yr old EMT-B with 2 yrs ems experience..... $54,620.00.

The way the pay rotation goes: Every 2 weeks we are paid, The during the process of a month are given 2 big checks (ones with the built in 40hrs of OT) and a smaller check which has 16 hrs of OT built in. So to recap is 120hrs / 120 hrs / 96hrs the it repeats.

Math:

The following is appiled to starting EMT salary, if you choose to find out Medic salary use the same formula just plug in the higher hrly rate.

Total hrs worked per yr in 24 hr rotation: 2,912 OT included.

Total hrs of OT worked 833.6----> OT figuring: Of the 26 paychecks we recieve /yr 17.4 of those have 120 hrs of OT on them the rest 8.6 have 16 hrs of OT. So, 17.4 * 40= 696 // 8.6 * 16 = 137.6 ///// 696+137.6= 833.6

2912(total hrs worked)-833.6(total hrs of OT)= 2078.4 hrs worked at base (13.38/hr)

833.6* $20.07/hr (rate of OT)= $16,730.35 total amount of OT earned in 1 yr working regular shifts

2078.4 hrs * 13.38/hr = $27808.99

$27,808.99 (base) + $16730.35 (OT earned working regular shifts) = $44,539.34 total annual salary for EMT-B starting with LCEMS.

So, I hope this helps ya!!!!

Fred Jackson AS, EMT-B

C Shfit / South Sector

LCEMS

Heah Nifty, I'm not being a HATER, As I said previously, I have nothing against you, or Lee county, and I have heard it is a GREAT place to work, What I'm saying is this, My base is about 67, I make 88 no problem, but,,,,, if i were to work all the built in O.T. that you did,, I would make even more. All I'm saying is that when I was an 17 y/o kid just starting out in EMS, working more than 40 hours a week for O.T. was very appealing, money for the car, the girlfriend, dating, whatever, but now that I'm older, I want to make a good base salary, WITHOUT working O.T. built in or otherwise. I enjoy my days off, vacations, quiet time, whatever. Thats all I'm saying, the way it is worded is kind of deceptive, I dont think it is intentional, but the so called standard U.S. work week is considered 40 hours. It may even be 37.5, but if I were working 56 hours every week, i'd be making a lot more but seeing my family a lot less... thats all.... KUDOS to any EMT with 2 years on that is making 44K a year and living in a state that has no income taxes,,,, thats great. When I retire from up here, i may come join you in Sunny Lee County.

[flight-lp]

Heah Nifty, I'm not being a HATER, As I said previously, I have nothing against you, or Lee county, and I have heard it is a GREAT place to work, What I'm saying is this, My base is about 67, I make 88 no problem, but,,,,, if i were to work all the built in O.T. that you did,, I would make even more. All I'm saying is that when I was an 17 y/o kid just starting out in EMS, working more than 40 hours a week for O.T. was very appealing, money for the car, the girlfriend, dating, whatever, but now that I'm older, I want to make a good base salary, WITHOUT working O.T. built in or otherwise. I enjoy my days off, vacations, quiet time, whatever. Thats all I'm saying, the way it is worded is kind of deceptive, I dont think it is intentional, but the so called standard U.S. work week is considered 40 hours. It may even be 37.5, but if I were working 56 hours every week, i'd be making a lot more but seeing my family a lot less... thats all.... KUDOS to any EMT with 2 years on that is making 44K a year and living in a state that has no income taxes,,,, thats great. When I retire from up here, i may come join you in Sunny Lee County.

40 hour work week in EMS? Now that's funny!

[FormerEMSLT297]

Not funny but true,,,, in the N.E. area many systems work you either 3 12 Hrs. per week followed by 3 12s and an 8 for a total of 80 in 2 weeks, or 24 X 72, in sleep in stations,

the places that do a 24 x 48 have Kelly days so that you get extra time off.

FDNY*EMS is still 5 8 hour days, with 2 off followed by 5 8 hour days with 3 off. There is some o.t. on the end and some vacancy overtime,,,

But yeah i know that some EMS systems work you to near death, 60, 70, 80 hours per week or more,,, but like i said you/we can't do that forever. its fine when you are 20, but it starts taking a toll as you get older.

[Niftymedi911]

If I could make that much and work less that would be heaven, but to be honest I'm used to the 24 on 48 off work schedule. Our union is tyring to get us the Kelly day included, but management right now doesn't want to hear it. (Of Course). Life at LCEMS has its ups and downs as with every other agency, management doesn't always have their head screwd on straight, but at this point in time, I started young enough with the FRS I can enter the DROP program at 39 and retire by the time I'm 44. Now thats what I call retirement. I understand what your saying about the whole smoke screen, I know admin, likes to do this alot. Our union does fight for us though. Which I am very thankful for. Oh yeah, BTW we have 33 stations in the county, all have high speed internet, cable TV, a fully stocked kitchen, seperate bedrooms, a majority of them are with the fire departments at this time.

[FormerEMSLT297]

Sounds very appealing,, do they hire P/T personnel or just F/T.?