Who do i chose

EMTRabbit

Forum Probie
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So way back when i was 16 i decided to apply for a first aid squad we'll call them Squad A. I got the thumbs up and then they lost my paper work and forgot about me. Then in Feb Squad A contacted me and said we found your paper work come by for another interview. I did and all went well. They took two other people because they confused me with someone else. Now come 1 week ago i apply for Squad B i get voted tomorrow.

Pros: Squad A over 4000 calls, in town, Cons: Incompetent F:excl::excl::excl:
Pros: Sqaud B roughly 700 non bs calls, out of town, room to grow, could join FD Cons: Small, pagers,

SHould i go with the Squad B or Squad A?
 
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EMTRabbit

Forum Probie
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o yeah Squad B pays for all clothing and supplies, but you get the whacker Blue Lights and Air Horn
 

Stephanie.

Forum Captain
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Every squad has its pros and cons. Choose the squad you feel will make and train you into a better EMT/Medic, one that will benefit your future goals.
 

TraprMike

Forum Lieutenant
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spend some time with both squads and see which ones you get along with better..
 

Stephanie.

Forum Captain
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Well which squad is more strict on their members?
Do they follow their SOPs?

When I look into any department, I look at the quality of members that belong there already. Do they have high goals, or are they there just to rush through stop signs and take up space on a scene?
I look for management that will help train and mold me into a better medic, they care about their members and are willing to help them reach their goals.
Do they take their job seriously, especially with volunteering.
 

DrParasite

The fire extinguisher is not just for show
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Pros: Squad A over 4000 calls, in town, Cons: Incompetent F:excl::excl::excl:
Pros: Sqaud B roughly 700 non bs calls, out of town, room to grow, could join FD Cons: Small, pagers,

SHould i go with the Squad B or Squad A?
if squad B be has 700 calls, you can be their percentage of BS calls is no different than Squad As. that's simple statistics. Similarly, every squad has their share of incompetent people. EVERY ONE. similarly, every EMS job has it's share of knuckleheads. and losing applications, well, lets just say when I was offered a FT spot at my current employer (after working here per diem for almost a year) HR lost my application too. oh yeah, and we are all computerized. figure that one out.

there are advantages and disadvantages to being on a small squad. you get to know everyone, you work with the same people, and you can respond from home so you aren't spending days or nights at the squad. these can also be the disadvantages, as they typically do things "their way", small squads can be very clique, families can run the place.

Personally, I would pick the busy squad. more calls, more patient contacts, more chances to network. I would rather do a 6-12 hour shift and be running, than do a 12 hour overnight shift from home, and be stuck at home and get no calls. but that's just me.

you can always do both, and see which you like better.
 

mgr22

Forum Deputy Chief
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Pros: Squad A over 4000 calls, in town, Cons: Incompetent F:excl::excl::excl:
Pros: Sqaud B roughly 700 non bs calls, out of town, room to grow, could join FD Cons: Small, pagers,

SHould i go with the Squad B or Squad A?

Why would you volunteer or work for an organization (Squad A) that you dislike so much? Even if you're wrong, you've clearly judged them already.

If you still want to keep your options open, you might want to tone down your remarks about Squad A. Don't underestimate the ability of a dedicated member of Squad A (or Squad B ) to figure out who you are from your very public post and profile.
 
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zmedic

Forum Captain
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Also it's not the number of calls, it's the number of calls per ambulance. So if one squad runs twice the calls but has three times the number of ambulances you would see less action. Also worth looking at what the calls are. I'd rather have 700 quality calls than 2000 crappy ones. So look into if the one with all the calls maybe covers an area with a lot of industrial sites and a chunk of their calls are false automatic fire alarms or other such BS.
 

octoparrot

Forum Probie
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Get the experience. You may have been dealing with a few of the "special" guys over there. In my experience, theres always a core group of dedicated, educated people in small town services. But there never fails to be a few odd personalities.

For your own personal growth in EMS, get the experience. I'm on a vollie service (were 12hrs paid, 12 hrs vollie) which recieves 1700 calls/year and when i started out a few years back i was working for a private service who recieved well over 15k calls per year. I get some great experience where I am where as in the city i'd be on the dialysis shuffle all day.

good luck
 
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