Changes
Upon graduating from Assumption with my degree in English, which is subsequently gathering dust and preventing beer cans from leaving unsightly rings on my dresser, I had to move back down to Rhode Island. While I am still on the books as a firefigther/EMT in Holden, the cutting of part time hours has made it necessary to seek membership at a new department, this one in Rhode Island.
Unfournately, most departments in Rhode Island that offer membership require the applicant to complete all of their training, regardless of prior experience. Hopkins Hill Fire Rescue District is no exception, despite having gone through the Mass Firefighting Academy, I now have to complete a series of tests to show that I know what I'm doing. Don't get me wrong, I love beinga firefighter and I am more than happy to go through their process but it can be a bit annoying testing with people who have never even seen a fire before, let alone fought one.
But the department itself has state of the art equipment and a staff of top notch professionals. The guys are nice and happy to have a new member and after completing my rescue test, I am now eligible to work off of Rescue 6, the district's ambulance that is not an ambulance but a rescue. The difference comes from the fact that this particular truck carries both life support/transport gear and rescue equipment such as jaws and forcible entry tools.
While fire rescue is a good time, it can't pay the bills untill I get a full time job as a firefighter. To that end I secured employment as an EMT with an ambulance, so named for lack of its rescue equipment. MedCare Ambulance is a small start up company a mere three miles from my house in Warwick which allows me to save on gas. We specialize in non emergent medical transport which is a serious shift in gears for someone like me who cut his teeth running 911 responses. We carry all of the gear necessary to support life, should a patient suddenly deterioate in the back of the bus, but most of the time we are simply moving patients from hospital to hospital or private residences. Occasionally we go to the children's hospital and watch as doctors pile into the back of the rig with a massive icubator to keep a premature baby alive while we race to Boston for specialized treatment. While its different from the carreer I want, it pays the bills and I really have come to enjoy it.
I have also come to the realization that being an EMT-Basic, while a lot of fun, is simply not enough. Upon much deliberation I have decided to pursue a paramedic license, the highest level of pre-hospital medical care available. The medical aspect of fire rescue has always appealed to me and I have always wanted to do as much as possible for my patients, paramedic will allow me to perform procedures that nurses are trained for, I will be able to adminster hospital drugs in order to ward off death even if only long enough for doctors to take over. So, hopefull starting in September, I will begin my paramedic training at Safety Program Consultants Inc located in Taunton Mass.
College graduation brought a lot of changes, I live and work in Rhode Island while my girlfriend lives in Mass. We see each other on weekends, each hopping to scrape together enough for an apartment. I have applied to the Providence Fire Department, I am nearly through with the process, having completed a written exam, physical fitness test and now waiting on the interview and academy appointment that I know may never come.
For now, I wait for acceptance into paramedic school or the PFD, either one would be great. I save every penny so that I can someday live with the woman I love. The most bizzare part of my new life is that my current employment is not subject to end in August. For the first time in my life, I have a job that will not have to end so that I can return to school. The surreal feeling of being a college graduate is wearing off as I simply try to enjoy my life, doing the jobs I am trained for and planning a future with the woman I love.
Unfournately, most departments in Rhode Island that offer membership require the applicant to complete all of their training, regardless of prior experience. Hopkins Hill Fire Rescue District is no exception, despite having gone through the Mass Firefighting Academy, I now have to complete a series of tests to show that I know what I'm doing. Don't get me wrong, I love beinga firefighter and I am more than happy to go through their process but it can be a bit annoying testing with people who have never even seen a fire before, let alone fought one.
But the department itself has state of the art equipment and a staff of top notch professionals. The guys are nice and happy to have a new member and after completing my rescue test, I am now eligible to work off of Rescue 6, the district's ambulance that is not an ambulance but a rescue. The difference comes from the fact that this particular truck carries both life support/transport gear and rescue equipment such as jaws and forcible entry tools.
While fire rescue is a good time, it can't pay the bills untill I get a full time job as a firefighter. To that end I secured employment as an EMT with an ambulance, so named for lack of its rescue equipment. MedCare Ambulance is a small start up company a mere three miles from my house in Warwick which allows me to save on gas. We specialize in non emergent medical transport which is a serious shift in gears for someone like me who cut his teeth running 911 responses. We carry all of the gear necessary to support life, should a patient suddenly deterioate in the back of the bus, but most of the time we are simply moving patients from hospital to hospital or private residences. Occasionally we go to the children's hospital and watch as doctors pile into the back of the rig with a massive icubator to keep a premature baby alive while we race to Boston for specialized treatment. While its different from the carreer I want, it pays the bills and I really have come to enjoy it.
I have also come to the realization that being an EMT-Basic, while a lot of fun, is simply not enough. Upon much deliberation I have decided to pursue a paramedic license, the highest level of pre-hospital medical care available. The medical aspect of fire rescue has always appealed to me and I have always wanted to do as much as possible for my patients, paramedic will allow me to perform procedures that nurses are trained for, I will be able to adminster hospital drugs in order to ward off death even if only long enough for doctors to take over. So, hopefull starting in September, I will begin my paramedic training at Safety Program Consultants Inc located in Taunton Mass.
College graduation brought a lot of changes, I live and work in Rhode Island while my girlfriend lives in Mass. We see each other on weekends, each hopping to scrape together enough for an apartment. I have applied to the Providence Fire Department, I am nearly through with the process, having completed a written exam, physical fitness test and now waiting on the interview and academy appointment that I know may never come.
For now, I wait for acceptance into paramedic school or the PFD, either one would be great. I save every penny so that I can someday live with the woman I love. The most bizzare part of my new life is that my current employment is not subject to end in August. For the first time in my life, I have a job that will not have to end so that I can return to school. The surreal feeling of being a college graduate is wearing off as I simply try to enjoy my life, doing the jobs I am trained for and planning a future with the woman I love.
posted by Nick Stabile at 4:37 PM
1 comments
