FL to WA

[flashpo1nt]

Hey everybody!

I am considering moving back home to the King county area. I am working for a fire department here in central Florida, and was wondering how the State of Washington is on certification transferring.
Also, how is the job market? There seems to be quite a few openings in the area.

I presently have:
FL state FF2
Pro board FF2
FL EMT-B
NREMT-B
and had just finished my EMT-P class, so in anticipation I pass my state and NREMT-P testing, we'll say I have those.

Should I anticipate any issues? I am going to contact the State, but figured this would be a good start.

Thanks in advance!

[sfd1992]

Not sure how the fire certs will work, as most places are going to require you to attend either the State academy, or their own, regardless of how many certs you have. Certs look good on the resume', and may help if you get to an oral board. Other than that, you'll just have to take the test with everyone else,and hope for the best.

The bad news is, Paramedic is going to mean nothing if you want to work in King County, you have to go through the Harborview Medic One program. The only way into that program is to get hired first, by an agency that provides ALS, then get selected for the program.

If you're hoping PM is going to help you get hired, your best bet is to look to Pierce, Snohomish, or Kitsap County.

Good luck.

[flashpo1nt]

I appreciate the info and apologize for not being more specific. I have heard from other people that if you have state FF2 certification in one state, other states will automatically grant you FF2 in their state. I was wondering how WA generally was in accepting other state's certifications.

[e10pvmt]

WOW...i too work for a Central FL Dept. and have been doing extensive research into moving to the Seattle area since vacationing there this summer.....The info above is exactly what i have found when looking for info.....you could challenge the states PM exam for all counties other than King county if you have been working as a medic for 2+ years unless you have a NREMT PM cert (which you said you would be taking)......i myself need to recert my NREMT-B cert but since you can only hold one or the other i will challenge there exam vs test for NREMT PM cert and lose the EMT-B cert.....i wont move for at least 2.5 more years since that when i will be vested in FRS state retirment....unless our ownderful conservative pols decide to screw with the vesting time and drop program.....I would be willing to apply in Tacoma as a medic and live in between for quite a bit more than Seattle, but to make almost 20K more than i did as just an EMT, i would definitely forgo the medic and apply with Seattle and no deal to much with patient transports

[Aces11]

Florida Certs

Hey guys, I have some questions about all the certs needed to get hired in Florida. I'm currently employed in Phoenix, and was looking into moving to florida in the next few years and have been trying to find out as much as I can. I would love to work for a department near any coast basically.
1.) I see that you have to have a Florida drivers license, can you only obtain one if you actually live in the state? Any way around that?
2.) Are departments hiring more medics or emt's.
3.) I'm sure it's very competitive there, just how tough would it be to get on somewhere? Average starting salary for a emt looks like around $35-$40K, is that pretty accurate?

Any input would be great, I really appreciate it.