Burn out.....??

[hagerff/emti]

I am currently a paramedic student gearing up for the home stretch of my class. Here what I am wondering, I have been looking for job openings for a fire/medic and for just openings as a medic (gotta start somewhere). Well how long have you been in the fire service or EMS and are you feeling BURNT out??

------------------
D. Hager
FF/NREMT-I
West Trail Amb. Svc
Mayville FD

REAL HEROES WEAR SCBA'S NOT CAPES

We will eat smoke and pull out bodies as long as they continue to build them. Just once I would like them to ask one of us how to build it!!

[SmokeEater31]

Hager,
I have been a firefighter/EMT for 12 years in Nebraska and some in Missouri. I have also been on a paid service at one time in my life. I at the same time as working for the paid ambulance service was taking MEdic classes. I at that time burned out for about a month, I quit the squad (the fact that I couldn't make a living as an EMT didn't help) and had to quit school because it was very expensive at the school I was in, so I had to quit that. However, like I said this only lasted for a month or so before I had the "itch" to get back into it, and did so right away. I don't think I will EVER be able to "burn out" totally. There have been a couple of times that I had to step back and not take duty for a couple of weeks or so, but like before I couldn't stay away. Like I said, that tells me that I will NEVER leave the emergency services. I am now preparing to go into the law enforcement aspect of the services, but I will ALWAYS be AT LEAST a vollie in Fire/Rescue. It is too rewarding to leave. It is something to be the one that can help out someone when no one else around can. The rewards are all internal as I am sure you know, the accilades are not very frequent. But as had been said before if you are doing it for a paycheck or a pat on the back, you are in it for the wrong reasons. Go for it. A friend of mine came from Sioux Falls and started working for the Paramedic service I was on, then moved to Life Flight and then to Omaha Fire. He loves it, I am know for a fact he will retire from SOME aspect of emergency services. I applaude you for getting your Medic. Someday i am sure i will go back for it, but at the time I couldn't concentrate as needed, andI admire all those out there that complete it. Especially now that they are making it tougher than ever to accomplish that.
No worries, you'll do fine and "live long and prosper" in Fire/EMS.

Your brother in the service
Rob

[SmokeEater31]

Hager,
I have been a firefighter/EMT for 12 years in Nebraska and some in Missouri. I have also been on a paid service at one time in my life. I at the same time as working for the paid ambulance service was taking MEdic classes. I at that time burned out for about a month, I quit the squad (the fact that I couldn't make a living as an EMT didn't help) and had to quit school because it was very expensive at the school I was in, so I had to quit that. However, like I said this only lasted for a month or so before I had the "itch" to get back into it, and did so right away. I don't think I will EVER be able to "burn out" totally. There have been a couple of times that I had to step back and not take duty for a couple of weeks or so, but like before I couldn't stay away. Like I said, that tells me that I will NEVER leave the emergency services. I am now preparing to go into the law enforcement aspect of the services, but I will ALWAYS be AT LEAST a vollie in Fire/Rescue. It is too rewarding to leave. It is something to be the one that can help out someone when no one else around can. The rewards are all internal as I am sure you know, the accilades are not very frequent. But as had been said before if you are doing it for a paycheck or a pat on the back, you are in it for the wrong reasons. Go for it. A friend of mine came from Sioux Falls and started working for the Paramedic service I was on, then moved to Life Flight and then to Omaha Fire. He loves it, I am know for a fact he will retire from SOME aspect of emergency services. I applaude you for getting your Medic. Someday i am sure i will go back for it, but at the time I couldn't concentrate as needed, andI admire all those out there that complete it. Especially now that they are making it tougher than ever to accomplish that.
No worries, you'll do fine and "live long and prosper" in Fire/EMS.

Your brother in the service
Rob

[wrongWAY]

I'm no longer an EMT and I now have nothing to do with EMS; but back in the late 60s and early 70s I was an ambulance driver for two major northern NJ hospitals. All you needed back then was a clean drivers license, basic Red Cross first aid training, and a CPR card. (I did however go to the first ever EMT course in NJ).

Lots of people nowadays think that all we did back then was just 'load and run' but we had very clear hospital protocols or SOPs for our ambulance crews which were usually more than adequate for emergency patient care - but nothing was ever done for the health and well being of the ambulance crews or for our frequent cases burn out.

Full moons, heat waves, war protests, and frequent displays of mass public disobedience all took toll on hospital and ambulance services - and only increased personnel burn out speeds.

Run sheets I still have from my old 9 hour shifts show that I did 23 ambulance runs one hot humid 95 degree summer night in 1971. I remember that my partner nearly collapsed a few times that night; which was followed by 2 or 3 more nights of the same work load. Burn out time? You bet.

I am actually very thankfull for all those experiences. I met some wonderfull people, learned much about mankind in general, and a whole lot about myself. The sad lesson I learned back then is that in the end we're all just numbers - disposable employees very easily replaced when worn out or burned out.

I know that much has changed since then - but I sincerely hope that today's EMS crews are treated better, paid better, AND monitored and assisted when needed. They certainly deserve it!