Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Hiring Basics

[Christopher]

I've seen more than a few single role EMS places where the techs don't want to be forced to do EMS. It doesn't matter if you're getting $8/hr or $35/hr, getting up two to three times a night, for an hour + each time gets old, real old after a while.

So don't run 24h ambulances

 

[RUABadfish002]

I think another reason being a medic in Fairfax can be draining is that nova schedule. By the 3rd shift of your tour on a busy medic unit, you guys have gotta be worn out and sleep deprived.

 

[46Young]

So don't run 24h ambulances

Most of us live outside of the county. If we didn't have our 24's, many of us wouldn't be working here. Fairfax is too expensive. No one wants to travel an hour or more each way four days a week. Other counties with a strong volunteer contingent have 12 hour weekday medic units, but that's more of a punishment piece, since no one wants office hours. Having that break by riding the engine helps with burnout. It's nice sometimes when you get toned out for something non-acute, and know that you'll be back in bed in less than 20 minutes. Every time I'm on the bus, and get toned out, I know that I'm losing at least 1 1/2 hours of sleep right off the bat. Big difference. The problem with single role EMS is that there are virtually no alternatives to riding the ambulance for your entire career. There's dispatch, and maybe a position in support services. Supervisor spots are an unattainable goal for most people. That's pretty much a dead-end job. On a positive note, at my per diem IFT employer, we had a team meeting, and one of the top gripes was lack of a career ladder. So, a number of supervisor positions were generated. This is important, as those promoted get more pay, and are also able to show supervisory experience on their resume. Many EMS employers that advertise supervisor jobs want a four year degree, but also experience in management.

We have a variation of a 24/48, which is a 56 hour workweek. Some surrounding counties have a 48 or 42 hour workweek. If I had a DC schedule (24/72), or Alexandria Fire and EMS txp paramedic's schedule (24/48,then 24/96), I would be fine. You're only getting hammered two days out of every eight.

I would like us to go back to the tiered system, with ALS chase cars. It's never going to happen, though. I'd like to ride on a chase car. If the call is non-acute, I get to turf to BLS and go in-service. If it's good, then I get to transport and do more than V.O.M.I.T.

 

[46Young]

I think another reason being a medic in Fairfax can be draining is that nova schedule. By the 3rd shift of your tour on a busy medic unit, you guys have gotta be worn out and sleep deprived.

Yes, absolutely! The County Exec. wants to alter our retirement and step increases (in a negative way). For every five hired employees, we do the work of seven forty-hour employees. This is mostly on straight time, due to FLSA laws.

The schedule is better than a straight 24/48, but we could use two Kellys a month, like Frederick County, VA has. A 24/72 like DC would be more appropriate, especially for busy medic stations like 408, 409, 410, 411, 419, 421, 422, 426, 428, 430. The kicker is that the EMS LT's can only ride on PTU's (training buses), and none of these are slow. So, an EMS Lt is doomed to be busy until they retire, since they can't transfer to a retirement house without taking a voluntary demotion to EMS Tech.

 

[Christopher]

Most of us live outside of the county. If we didn't have our 24's, many of us wouldn't be working here. Fairfax is too expensive. No one wants to travel an hour or more each way four days a week.

Too many calls to have you go home after 12, too expensive to live there. Perhaps a smarter shift schedule?

Oh well, if you've got any decent call volume you can't run 24's for patient and provider safety.

The End.

The problem with single role EMS is that there are virtually no alternatives to riding the ambulance for your entire career.

Organizational problem, not a problem with being single-role EMS.

 

[RUABadfish002]

Yes, absolutely! The County Exec. wants to alter our retirement and step increases (in a negative way). For every five hired employees, we do the work of seven forty-hour employees. This is mostly on straight time, due to FLSA laws.

The schedule is better than a straight 24/48, but we could use two Kellys a month, like Frederick County, VA has. A 24/72 like DC would be more appropriate, especially for busy medic stations like 408, 409, 410, 411, 419, 421, 422, 426, 428, 430. The kicker is that the EMS LT's can only ride on PTU's (training buses), and none of these are slow. So, an EMS Lt is doomed to be busy until they retire, since they can't transfer to a retirement house without taking a voluntary demotion to EMS Tech.

I'm in PWC and we use a 24/48 with a Kelly every 7 shifts, and a double Kelly 2 or 3 times per year. I couldn't think of a better schedule to keep morale high among the staff. We do still have some day work engines and those guys are miserable. A real pain if you live outside of the county, which most of us do.

 

[46Young]

Too many calls to have you go home after 12, too expensive to live there. Perhaps a smarter shift schedule?

Oh well, if you've got any decent call volume you can't run 24's for patient and provider safety.

The End.



Organizational problem, not a problem with being single-role EMS.

The problem with the call volume is that the medics are supposed to get a 50/50 split between the engine and the ambulance, but the county uses dual hat engine drivers and officers as the ALS provider, so the medic gets bumped off the engine. In some houses, the Captain is ALS, so the medics never get on the engine unless the officer is on leave. I've heard over and over again that typical EMS burnout is 7-10 years. It's the same for a firemedic that never gets off the box. 24's aren't bad if you get a break from running transport.

Many places like running 24's since you can hire less employees, and pay less in benefits/retirement packages. If you go to 12's, you'll have to hire, train, and pay more employees. If you can afford to do that, you can afford a 24/72 schedule with four platoons.

 

[Christopher]

Many places like running 24's since you can hire less employees, and pay less in benefits/retirement packages. If you go to 12's, you'll have to hire, train, and pay more employees. If you can afford to do that, you can afford a 24/72 schedule with four platoons.

We're 24x72, but only average 9 calls (~1.5 overnight), so our medics tend to stay on the ambulance for the full 24. Some shifts have done rotations in the past, but now the engine crews stay busy such that it really isn't "taking a break".

 

[46Young]

We're 24x72, but only average 9 calls (~1.5 overnight), so our medics tend to stay on the ambulance for the full 24. Some shifts have done rotations in the past, but now the engine crews stay busy such that it really isn't "taking a break".

I could do busy nights for my entire career if I had a 24/72. Even if it was on an ambulance all the time, so long as I'm not held over for another 24 hours, recalled, etc. Three days off in a row is sufficient to keep intact circadian rhythms. The problem is, in order to go from a 56 hour schedule to a 42 hour schedule, we would have to hire an entire platoon. That's an entire platoon of benefits and retirement to pay for as well. The county isn't going to go for that.

 

[46Young]

I'm in PWC and we use a 24/48 with a Kelly every 7 shifts, and a double Kelly 2 or 3 times per year. I couldn't think of a better schedule to keep morale high among the staff. We do still have some day work engines and those guys are miserable. A real pain if you live outside of the county, which most of us do.

I used to live in Manassas during my first year on the job.

When I worked in Charleston County EMS, we had a 24/48 with no Kellys, and frequent holdover for 12 or 24 hours. They had a 48 hour schedule with 12 hour shifts, but no one could get them. In comparison, the Fairfax schedule with it's 36 hour max seemed better. But now, it's beginning to wear on me. I can never seem to get any consistent engine time, either. Something always comes up - a transfer to a house with a dual hatter, a dual hatter transfers into my house, too many medics in the station, when the dual hatter goes on leave anoter dual hatter is detailed in. Now we have "Bravo" medic units (1&1), which were formerly BLS. These are at 408, 409, 410, and 411. That means that there are three medics between the engine and two ambulances. Now they only get to be on the engine one day out of three, assuming no dual hatter is on duty. M439 is also double medic, so there are three ff/medics, and only one engine medic spot.

I need to take the next Apparatus Driver's test so that I can have a dedicated spot on the engine. There's talk of doing away with EMS Lieutenants, and having EMS Master Techs fufill that role. That means that EMS Master Techs would be on the ambulance 100% of the time, but for less pay than a LT, and no rank to boot. Great way to kill morale for EMS txp.

There is one important benefit to the 56 hour work schedule - when I do callback (OT), I'm automatically pushing back the 212 hour threshold, so I get the time and a half, and then an extra half hour's pay per hour worked on top of that, in the back end. In effect, I'm getting double time for many of my OT hours. This is how I'm taking in north of $120k/yr without trying too hard.