Lets go Mainers!!!

[Firefighter164]

Lets go Mainers, lets get some posts in here!

[backdraft04901]

WOW, this is a smokin forum!!!!!

[Firefighter164]

I know it right? we gotta get some more maine firefighters in here! concidering we are the best at what we do. what department do you work for?

[backdraft04901]

Sorry it took so long to get back to ya. I work for the Winslow Fire Dept. I just started back in January, so i'm new to all this stuff. Too bad we can't get more people in the forum though.

[leylandauto]

So 164, Where in Maine are you? I responded to your query about full time work in Maine but would like to get some more information.

[leylandauto]

I am a Paramedic/Firefighter with Sanford. I am in my 23rd year there. I live and volunteer in Alfred for the Rescue and the Fire Departments. I also work per diem for Wells EMS three times a month. I was just up in Gray last weekend helping a guy put the engine back into a 1960 MGA. Where do you want to work? How can I help you?
Carl W. French
Alfred, Maine

[Firefighter164]

I would really love to work for the Portland Fire Department, once i recieve my paramedic license, and become of age to apply, I will do so and hopefully be a firefighter/paramedic there. Do you have any recomendations that could posibly increase my chances of getting that job?

[leylandauto]

CPAT CPAT CPAT CPAT CPAT!!!!! Make sure you can pass it now and do it at least every week till you test. Are in a Medic program now? Which one? You do realize in Portland it is not really a dual role situation. There are more options but it is still a very separate line. I can't blame you for wanting to go to Portland, it is the 'big city' around here. Medcu 5 is the busiest 911 truck in the area. My truck does 2400 runs a year which does not count fire calls. My partner and I are preceptors for the 'new' SMCC program.

[KeithA8]

Hey guys,
I have some land in Alfred. I'm from Connecticut but I know your area very well. I took Portlands test about 6 years ago and got a job offer. I did a ride along with them and it was great! A realy good bunch of guys! I never took the job because I couldn't justify the pay cut. I often wonder if that was the right decision. If I wasn't married with kids I would have gone with out a thought.
When I took the test I never asked what the pay was. I assumed it was simalar to Connecticut because Portland is such a big city and in good financial shape. It wasn't until the job offer when I realized what it was. I was shocked and disappointed. And the Chief was POed at me for waisting his time on putting me through all the testing steps. Well I'm happy here but I always wanted to live in Maine.

[leylandauto]

You might make less in Portland but you might want to look at the total price of moving. Like comparing the housing costs in the quantitative and the qualitative aspects (wicked low crime, friendly people etc) I came here from Mass right out of school. I knew that I wanted to start here and spend my life here. I had my first house at 22. Give it a thought. Till last year one of our medics would drive down to Hartford and put in a 24 with AMR. They were paying large money and it paid to travel. So, where in Alfred do you have land???

[Firefighter164]

KeithA8...What was the starting salary when u were offered the job? and were you an EMT?

[KeithA8]

leylandauto & Firefighter164:
I thought long and hard about what what you are saying. And I agree the lifestyle is fantastic up there! But dollar for dollar it wasn't worth the pay cut. Everything cost the same except housing. I already owned the land so that wasn't even a factor. At the time I think the starting pay was $18k and I was making $65k with overtime. The guys on the job said that there is no overtime at all. So to cut my pay by 2/3 made no sense. My wife would have to find a job too. Her field of work pays crap up there. If I wasn't already on the job I would have followed my dream and gone. Some days I wonder if I made the correct decision. Where I am in life now would never had happened in Maine. I'm a mortgage broker part-time making very good money and have everything I ever wanted. (except a life in Maine)Yes I am an EMT which helped me get the job offer.

My land in Alfred is off of Gore Rd. accross the street from Shaker pond. There is a little dirt road with a few houses on it and I'm back there. Some day soon I want to build a camp on it. The MSA ITS trail runs through it. Do you know the guy who owns Walnut Grove? He's a firefighter in Sanford. I met him last year.

[Firefighter164]

Is that all.....how much can you work your way up too over an average career? Im looking to apply as a Firefighter/Paramedic will that increase it any?

[Firefighter164]

Is that all.....how much can you work your way up too over an average career? Im looking to apply as a Firefighter/Paramedic will that increase it any?

[KeithA8]

I'm not sure what they pay now. That was about 6 years ago. In there contract it took 6 years to reach top step firefighter which at the time payed around $39k. Now you see why I didn't take the job. And I thought for a city that size and that financialy secure it payed more.

[Firefighter164]

What would be some sugestions for someone looking to get a job for them? im not planing to apply till i'm a licensed EMT-P, but what were some steps that you took?

[leylandauto]

Do you mean Portland? I would start working on your FF degree at smcc right now. Make sure you can smoke the CPAT test. AND FOR GOD SAKES VOTE NO ON QUESTION 1 IN NOVEMBER!! There will be so many layoffs in the public sector, it will take ten years for someone to get a job in any FD. It is going to be such a disaster I imagine that Gray FD could be closed. I know in Sanford we will loose between 12 and 21 FFs out of 43 depending on which calc formula you use. Portland is talking about loosing 165 positions.

[KeithA8]

Firefighter164:
I say that you get in the best condition you can get in! They did not do the CPAT when I took it, but it was the hardest agility I ever took. Fitness was one of the most important things to them at the time. I don't think college degrees get you the job, but that's my opinion. They will help you get promoted once you're on. Paramedic is always a good thing - EMT is a minimum now a days. When I took Portlands test it wasn't your degree - it was your order of rank which was an average of 3 tests (written, agility, oral). They hired in order at the time which not all depts do. Why else would they offer a job to an out of stater with no degree? Out of the 3000 people who took the test I finished #6. They hired 15 in my group. 3 of us were out of staters without degrees. I think you should take every test you hear about even if you don't want the job 'cause it makes you better at taking the tests. I've taken 32 tests in my time and only got 4 job offers.

leylandauto:
School me on what you're talking about. What is this vote that is going to effect so many FDs? If Portland is going to lose 165 positions then I'm glad I stayed here.

[Firefighter164]

What i dont understand is that Portland's CPAT is on a pass/fail basis now so even if u are the "best" you still only passed. which is kind of bad because im confident I'd do fairly well on it.

[Firefighter164]

Yeah here their not talking about getting rid of the department, but they're saying that if that is passed then we will charge for every service we offer. Right now we charge for rescue calls requiring transport. We should start a group called "Firefighters agaisnt Question 1" lol.

[KeithA8]

It was pass/fail for us too, but they only invite a few more than they want to hire. IE:If they are going to hire 15 they invite 20 to the agility test. And all the brass is there watching you. So they know who's who. As a matter of fact for my chiefs interview all his comments were about how impressed he was with my agility. He mentioned my background too, but he stressed the agility. They had a firefighter challange type test and I broke some time record. Don't get me wrong - Portland is a GREAT dept.! The only reason I didn't go is because of pay. When I took the test I met guys from all over the country. Portland is well known nation wide for its dept.
Explain question #1. What is it? I have no idea what you are talking about.

[leylandauto]

Question 1 is like Prop 2 1/2 in Mass and prop 13 in Ca. It is a Property tax cap and it is very draconian. It actually would affect some of the smaller towns worse. The town of alfred by using the MMA formula after paying the county tax and the school dist would have ZERO money to run the town and be 10K in debt each year.
Sanford FD would lose between 12 and 21 of 43 ffs and medics. I am sure Gray would be in serious trouble too. You can charge for anything, as to whether you get paid that is different.

Portland FD has gotten a bit more progressive in the last six years. The pay has come up quite a bit now but it is still less than I make in sanford. They kinda starve you for the first three years and then it gets much better. There is almost nil OT due to the newbies being in a vaction pool rotating around as needed for the first couple of years. They do not ask for a degree perse but when 30% of the score comes from a written test and 30% from answers given on an oral Bd then I would still srongly recommend getting your AS from SMCC. While you are there you should apply for a Live-in position at one of the area departments like Scarboro. You get great experience on the job and in daily life. You get credit from the school. You get FREE housing while in college. You get a great resume boost (and better at those oral boards). We even have two live in students here in Alfred going to SMCC. It is 40 mins away from the school but it is cheaper than a dorm.

[Firefighter164]

Yeah i would most definitely be interested in a "Live in positon" at a local fire house. What departments offer that sort of thing?

[leylandauto]

I do not have the full list but my current partner and the new probie on our shift both were live-ins while at SMCC. I know that Scarboro, Gorham, Saco, and now Alfred do it but I believe there are others too. The Chief of the Fire Dept in my town of residence is now a Lt at PFD, he was a Live-ing in NH where ever he went to college for Fire Science. Did you read the Careers section in the Sunday Press Herald two weeks ago? it spotlighted Firefighting by talking to another Lt from PFD. He had discusse pay as being (approx) 26k to start and 40k after 20 years for a firefighter. I know they starve you for the first three years and then it gets better. They do not have any overtime there however and that limits you greatly. We have lots of OT in Sanford and we just signed our contract and got TWENTY YEAR, NO AGE RETIREMENT WITH A COLA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Of course for those of us who already have more than twenty years in, the benefits are limited from that but for new people that is huge. You have to go to NH to get that. Keep working out, Maybe I can get the CPAT standards somewhere for you.

[Firefighter164]

Explain to me exactly what is this "Live-In" program?

[Firefighter164]

When your in a "live in program" is that your job? or on top of what you do for them do you need another job?

[PFDEngine4]

The best thing I did before I was hired was to get the study guide for taking fire department exams. Most bookstores sell them. Your written score on the test means alot. No matter what you have for training etc., if you dont score high on the written exam they will never meet you to find out how great a person you are. :D

Also make sure you can pass the CPAT test, no use in scoring the highest on the written only to be dropped for failing the CPAT test.

Being a paramedic will also boost your chances, we are not, as another posted, a seperate system. Firefighters in the pool who are paramedics will work on both the red trucks and the white trucks. Also everyone goes thru the same 11 week drill school. If there are extra medics on, they ride on the red trucks also.

Fire training helps , but I know several people who never saw a fire truck up close till they showed up to the first day of drill school.

We just hired 11 more people and they are in drill school now.

[Firefighter164]

How old do you have to be to apply to Portland? and im more interested in firefighting but i want to be a paramedic as well. If you've taken FFI and FFII does getting a fire science degree make sense? Alot of people say its not needed.

[PFDEngine4]

FF1 and FF2 are not the same as getting an associate degree.
Maine's FF1/2 program means very little out of this state. However a degree stays with you forever.

You have to be 21 to get hired in Portland.

Try to take as many Fire Dept. test as possible. If you can, get your Paramedic and Fire science degree.

[leylandauto]

I do not know about PFD but in Sanford holders of an AS in fire science get $.60 an hour more pay too. A few of our newer people have double majors. They have degrees in fire and medic which is $1.20 an hour. SMCC has a very good Paramedic program now. It had been a joke in the past. but now it is under solid leadership and has the tough classes and stiff clinicals now that are producing some very competant medics
In a previous post I mentioned that Medcu and Fire were separate and I think it caused a misunderstanding. I know it has changed since the Garcia lawsuit a few years ago but am I correct in that it is still a sep division within the fire service (technically speaking) I, in the EMS div at sfd can take any overtime on fire I wish and can take a fire promo exam also but we are still a sep div with our own pay scales and promo ladder etc. I had thought PFD is still doing that too. Unlike many others where the f#$&ing ambulance is the starting position and the punishment detail (saco, bidd, etc SPFD?)
So, I guess I am looking for you to clarify how the two divisions are sep and together now. (you would think I would just ask the Medcu guys I work with every week in Wells like Nangle and Kooistra etc

[PFDEngine4]

The spots on both Medcu and on the fire trucks are bid positions.( you gain the ability to choose your station and truck after 4 years,based on senority)
After 4 years a medic can bid a fire truck or a medcu.
The payscale is the same.
Anyone hired after 1997 can take both the ems and fire LT test (need to be medic to take ems test)

Alot has changed in the last several years.

[Firefighter164]

If you work for the PFD, does that limit where you can live to the Portland area?

[PFDEngine4]

There are no residency requirements.