EMT's in Orlando,FL

[austinwarren]

I am heading to EMT school this summer and should be done in july. I live in the orlando florida and wondering if any of you how the jobs are around here for that kind of stuff? I was planning on getting a job as EMT if i could so I can earn some experience then go to fire standards. If the jobs aren't that good, I may just go to fire standards. Any advice/info is greatly appreciated.

 

[Pavehawk]

I am heading to EMT school this summer and should be done in july. I live in the orlando florida and wondering if any of you how the jobs are around here for that kind of stuff? I was planning on getting a job as EMT if i could so I can earn some experience then go to fire standards. If the jobs aren't that good, I may just go to fire standards. Any advice/info is greatly appreciated.

You will ned EMT-B to get hired by a fire department, and many (but not all) want you to have your EMT-P. In Orlando I think Rural Metro is the only private. There may be more. Most EMS in Florida is fire with a few exceptions like Volusia and Lee County and parts of Tampa Bay that are Sunstar.

In the central FL area these are at least 4 State Colleges churning out EMT-B and fire standards and a few private ones too, like FMTI. The point is you can't swing an IV bag without hitting an EMT-B with standards in this area.

I think Sasha works in Oralndo she can give you better input I'm sure. Good luck.

 

[EMTSTUDENT25]

Its very hard to find work in the central fl area at the moment. The previous poster had a good start of info for you...

Orlando FD and Orange County FR are the big boys here. I was told last week that OFD would be hiring at some point in the near future, not sure if thats just hear say. Orange County has a very strict tattoo policy ( i believe its nothing below what a t shirt would cover) although not positive.

You then have the surrounding city departments(lake mary FD, Cassellberry, Apopka, Kissimmee(i think they just finished their hiring window), st. Cloud...etc. Seminole County just finished up their most recent hiring process only taking 17 new recruits with plans to bring in another 10-15 in the fall, however that eligibility list has already been generated, so they will be selecting from that. There were probably hundreds that applied.

You then have Rural Metro and American...RMA seems to hire small groups of EMTs and Medics every so many months, and American just closed there process, hiring 19. Nothing wrong with either of these two, although if you want my personal opinion, RMA would be a little better to work for.(its the 2nd largest "for-profit" ambulance service in the US)

IF you have no luck with any of the above, you could always try a non emergency transport job...(last resort)

 

[austinwarren]

Well I'm glad I have the advantage to applying to any state, county. I am definitely not going to be picky about where I get hired. My brother is going through fire standards in the fall and has a kid and is only applying to Seminole County. But i guess i laugh at him for being picky. Anyways, i appreciate the help.

I have also looked at contract jobs, or improving my certs for FF. Not sure where to find info on all that though.

 

[Underoath87]

Between Rural-Metro, American Ambulance (where I currently work), and Florida Hospital EMS (though they require 6+ months of experience), you should be able to find something. Or just get a job as an ER tech if you don't mind changing diapers and doing all the :censored: work.

But if fire is what you want to do, just go ahead and get your FF standards done right after EMT. Balancing an EMS job and standards would be difficult.

 

[MochaRaf]

Seems like you guys are a tad better off than South Florida..

In the county that I reside we don't have any agencies that run emergency calls with EMTs, pretty much all emergency entry levels are FF/Paramedic.

So unless I want to drive to Broward or down to the keys, I am stuck with either tech or transport.

 

[EMTSTUDENT25]

I forgot to mention that,yes, to get on with FD you have to have your fire standards to apply. I've heard that orange county will sometimes hire medics w/o their fire standards, but I don't know how true that is. I do know that getting your standards out of the way, although a step in the right direction, will simply put you in another gigantic "pool" of job seekers.