Who has experience with/knows anything about Rural Metro?

[FireGuard69]

OK, I moved back to Fla, noones hiring around here. Great. Filed for unemployment. Great, now I am sucking off the government's teat. Cause of this looming property tax cuts, no municipalities are hiring. Great. Only thing left close to me (Satellite Beach, Brevard County) is Rural Metro, Orlando, about 40-45 miles from my house. (AK, if you say Coastal, I will fly to Alaska, and strangle you :twisted: )

So, who has worked for them? What are they like to work for, and how is the pay? I can't beleive I am about to say this, but I miss the whole Urban EMS deal. Yea, I'm crazy for wanting to go back to it, but whatever.

Whatever help yall can give me, much love and thanks! :wink:

[akflightmedic]

Well,

since I am no longer in Alaska....you will have a hard time finding me. Coastal isn't that baaad...lol.

Seriously this summer, after I returned from the Philippines and was waiting for a job with the city, I went to work for Rural Metro in Orlando. I worked there for about a month and hated it, but that is from a paramedic perspective.

As an EMT for RM in Orlando, you are a DRIVER. That is it. Basics are not allowed to tend to patients in the back, medics do everything. The pay is ok, not great.

As a basic, you are usually started out on interfacility before going to 911. This is not bad as you learn the area, how to drive, etc.

Once you are assigned to an ALS unit, hopefully you will get a decent partner who tries to educate you. RM is system status and they are extremely busy. When not sitting on a corner or in a parking lot, you are running nonstop and fighting the traffic. What sucks about RM even from an ALS perspective is the fact that Orange County and City of Orlando FDs have way too many medics. On any given scene there is 3-5 paramedics not counting you and your partner. In some areas, they send an ambulance and an engine plus RM ambulance and if they decide they dont want the call, you then take it. Also, RM is the last to know about any call. The FD usually likes to be en route and almost on scene before letting RM know about the call. That way when you get on scene, most everything is done SKILL wise, but usually no assessment is done.

They are very territorial and some of the fire crews will not even let you in the scene until they are ready to hand over patient care once they get done doing their monkey skills. This was one of my most frustrating jobs ever due to the fact that they could hand me a patient with an IV but tell me nothing of their vitals or history. They are supported in their actions by their MD and system officers. Its just the way it is there, no point arguing. RM is not going to complain because they still get the transport and the $$$.

Getting hours is usually not an issue. You will have no respect and you will be looked down upon on almost every call you go on. Be prepared for that. So, is the low pay, lack of respect, inability to tend to any patient and the high cost of fuel, wear and tear on your vehicle worth the trip to Orlando 3-6 times a week depending on how much you work?? Only you can decide.

ANy other questions or if I left anything out, just ask.

EDIT: I also forgot to mention the awful waits at the ERs. It is not uncommon to sit with a patient on your stretcher for up to 2-3 hours while waiting for an ER bed. SOme of the hospitals such as ORMC started hiring medics to take over pt care to free up the ambulance but I do not know if that program succeeded. They started it last summer and i havent been around there. But the waits were horrible!!!

[akflightmedic]

I forgot to emntion..I dont know your ability to move closer inland, but there are several other better places for an EMT.

LakeSumter EMS or Polk County for example. Lake SUmter will pay better, its busy, urban and rural and you work 24s which is better that the 12 or 16s you work at RM.

[FireGuard69]

I dunno the last time you were at Coastal, but its issss that bad! lol

I did look at the LakeSumpter EMS system, and, it just didnt look like they paid that much. We had a guy from our station who just got picked up by R/M, and I am hoping to get the same days as him, so we can carpool out there.

Well, in AC, there was low pay, couldn't really do all that much, and we got little respect from the PD/FD guys, unless we got to know them. Sounds like fun to me!

Perhaps the move from Jersey wasn't so smart after all.... :roll:

[akflightmedic]

Lake Sumter (no P) is the highest paying single role service in central FLorida and you WILL get to do lots of things. Their training is great and you will learn and do so much. Their benes are good too.

Just something to consider.

As far as RM, I have told you all I know about it and not much of it is positive. If you get off on the lights and sirens and non stop driving in heavy traffic then that is the place for you!!

Yeh Yeh, I worked for Coastal when I first moved to FL and that was in 1999, so I know it has changed a bit. There are other privates in Orlando that may pay better but they dont do emergency but again as a basic for RM, you will not do emergency either...so decide what you want and go for it.

[FireGuard69]

I am going to check out their website again, and see what is better, but with the looming tax cuts, I can only wonder if they will be hiring......

They do ALL 911 calls L&S?

I thought Florida was educated to a higher standard then that......

[akflightmedic]

I am aware of the tax cut situation and I really do not see it being as big of a deal as they are making it.

However, LSEMS is a private company owned by Lake and Sumter Counties, they decided a few years back to pool their resources since Sumter was so rural and they formed this corporation. Its a decent model.

[FireGuard69]

OK, having just looked at their postings, while CAOx3, I saw that the low hourly rate, is due to the 24 hr shifts. As soon as the State decides to mail me my EMT Testing info (they have 29 days before I become their worst nightmare :twisted: ), I will be applying. Much thanks for the info!!

[scratrat]

I dunno the last time you were at Coastal, but its issss that bad! lol

I did look at the LakeSumpter EMS system, and, it just didnt look like they paid that much. We had a guy from our station who just got picked up by R/M, and I am hoping to get the same days as him, so we can carpool out there.

Well, in AC, there was low pay, couldn't really do all that much, and we got little respect from the PD/FD guys, unless we got to know them. Sounds like fun to me!

Perhaps the move from Jersey wasn't so smart after all.... :roll:

No, it was VERY smart. Don't look back! Ever....

[scratrat]

I am going to check out their website again, and see what is better, but with the looming tax cuts, I can only wonder if they will be hiring......

They do ALL 911 calls L&S?

I thought Florida was educated to a higher standard then that......

I don't know about them (Sumter) but we don't use L&S on every one. We get sent code 3 for certain things and code 2 for others, no lights.

Tax cuts aren't necessarily a problem for us. LEO, fire, and EMS still need to function. We are still hiring people here, HOWEVER, things like our new trucks and new buildings have been put on hold. You should still be able to get hired.