Specialities

[HotelSecurity]

What specalities do you have that you use on the job?

I trained as an Emergency Medical Technician & work as a First Responder as part of my job.

I used to be an auxiliary firefighter & am part of the hotel's fire brigade.

I am the "system admnistrator" for the electronic locking system. I program the staff key cards & locks & repair everything to do with the locks.

[Jackhole]

Emergency Medical Technician, although I don't use it much. The campus has a student-run EMS service and that's fine by me. No patient contact = no paperwork.

At an old job I had I was trained in gang awareness and recognition and really enjoyed talking with kids that were in gangs. I don't get much use for it here, though.

[EMTGuard]

I was hired as an EMT/SO. I got my EMT certification while working as a Correctional Sergeant at the State Prison. I was a member of the local Vol Fire Department and eventually quit the prison job to go full time with the FD.
My experiance as a Corrections Sergeant, the FD and my years in the Army all help me perform my job.

[Jackhole]

I was hired as an EMT/SO. I got my EMT certification while working as a Correctional Sergeant at the State Prison. I was a member of the local Vol Fire Department and eventually quit the prison job to go full time with the FD.
My experiance as a Corrections Sergeant, the FD and my years in the Army all help me perform my job.

Just curious, if you were a Corrections Sergeant and a paid firefighter, why did you leave those jobs and come to security?

[EMTGuard]

Just curious, if you were a Corrections Sergeant and a paid firefighter, why did you leave those jobs and come to security?

Got tire of the prison job and dealing with the BS there. Not a horrible job but while working there I had joined the local VFD, gotten my certifications as a medical first responder then EMT as well as Firefighter 1 from LSU here in Baton Rouge. The fire dept started hiring part time so I did that on my days off from the prison and when they finially began hiring full time firefighters I had gotten tired of escorting jerks around and doing strip searches, shake downs, etc.
I quit the prison gig, went fulltime at the FD but the city had a hard time with the budget. The day we were expecting to get word from the mayor wether we were being laid off or reduced to part time the guy from the security company showed up at our fire station. I met him at the door and said, "I hear your company is looking for EMTs. Perfect timing because I'm probably going to be looking for a job." Sure enough the Mayor cut us all back to part time, I signed on with the Security company and went to work at a nearby chemical plant. A few months passed, Securitas got the contract and put us out of a security/emt job but the city had just passed a new tax and within a month we were being hired back fulltime at the FD.
I was not planning to go back to security but after a while we had some personal issues at the little Fire department where I worked. The Paid guys and some volunteers were trying to get more regular training and become a more "professional" department while the Chief and several officers were intent on keeping the "social club" version of the FD alive and well. Lines were drawn, we tried to pass new rules such as the ban the drinking of beer at meetings and training, we attended mutual aid meetings for the first time in a decade and tried to move the FD into the 21st century. The old school guys worked to run off most of us young upstarts and were pretty much sucessful. I hung on as long as I could then one day I knew I was eventually going to either punch my chief or get fired on trumped up stuff so I went back with the Security company and have not been happier. I work with guys who show up on time, SOBER not drunk like at the FD, we do our shift and we get along. The FD was a painful way to make a living. I make more money with less BS at the security/emt job. Don't see as much trama but every once in a while I see some and get to transport someone to the ER in the medical van.

[HotelSecurity]

It's funny how these old school clics exist in these organizations. I was a member of a Civil Defense unit in my city. We did volunteer work as auxiliary firefighters. Our first aid training was from World War 2. (Folding stretchers, scoop & run etc). A few of us went on our own & took EMT courses. We were eventually forced out by the Old Dogs that couldn't learn new tricks

[Jackhole]

I make more money with less BS at the security/emt job.

How is this possible?

[kingsman]

Some of the Security guards in LA. were making mire than the police. One security officer I talked to outside of a walgreens in New Orleans was making $1200 a week TAKE HOME!

[Charger]

Let's see...
I'm a certified OC instructor in OR state
I've been through gang-recognition/tolerance (although like Jackhole, I don't get to use this info much anymore)
I set up and maintain our computer systems, including creating our own custom report-writing/record-keeping software..
I'm currently working on my 3rd martial art... Hoping to eventually start up some sort of low-cost DT classes for S/Os who are interested, and would include the OC as part of it.. I'd like to add ASP as well but it's not easy to get into the instructor classes.

That's about all that comes to mind right this second... Unfortunately I've only got basic First Aid/CPR.. Never got into the EMT field..

[EMTGuard]

How is this possible?

I was making $8 dollars an hour at the Fire Department and was required to run calls on my off time as a member of the volunteer department to stay active. Also I was often not paid for training or meetings and never any overtime.
At my current Security/EMT job I make $10.50 an hour and have lots of overtime. For instance, I'm working 60 hours this week. Later this month I will be working 8 nights in a row. More money per hour and more overtime =bigger annual income.
Plus, in addition to requireing the paid guys to run on their off hours as part of the Volunteer pool let's not forget some of the other underhanded stuff such as the favortism and even nepotism that went on in my little combination paid/volunteer department. Read more about it at- http://forums.firehouse.com/showthread.php?t=81659 .

[N. A. Corbier]

Eight dollars and fifty cents an hour to be a fireman. That's scary.

[Jackhole]

I was making $8 dollars an hour at the Fire Department and was required to run calls on my off time as a member of the volunteer department to stay active. Also I was often not paid for training or meetings and never any overtime.
At my current Security/EMT job I make $10.50 an hour and have lots of overtime. For instance, I'm working 60 hours this week. Later this month I will be working 8 nights in a row. More money per hour and more overtime =bigger annual income.
Plus, in addition to requireing the paid guys to run on their off hours as part of the Volunteer pool let's not forget some of the other underhanded stuff such as the favortism and even nepotism that when on in my little combination paid/volunteer department. Read more about it at- http://forums.firehouse.com/showthread.php?t=81659 .

Holy crap, $8? Well, I can see low wages in a city like yours with only ~5000 population, but that's still really low. I don't know a single FD in my area that starts at less than $40K.

Welcome to the deep south.

[EMTGuard]

Holy crap, $8? Well, I can see low wages in a city like yours with only ~5000 population, but that's still really low. I don't know a single FD in my area that starts at less than $40K.

Welcome to the deep south.

The proof of the low pay is right there in the judgements from the Ethics Board in that link I posted. Just click on any of these -

http://domino.ethics.state.la.us/EthicRu2.nsf/ecfd553acd8f6446862567f9006e60b6/85675d460064f91f8625716c006562d8?OpenDocument

http://domino.ethics.state.la.us/EthicRu2.nsf/ecfd553acd8f6446862567f9006e60b6/02b98398b3c87ddd8625716c0066045e?OpenDocument

http://domino.ethics.state.la.us/EthicRu2.nsf/ecfd553acd8f6446862567f9006e60b6/faaccafca8d9c3228625716c0066a82d?OpenDocument

http://domino.ethics.state.la.us/EthicRu2.nsf/ecfd553acd8f6446862567f9006e60b6/4554f2c1a9af35568625716c006739d6?OpenDocument

Add this to the lack of certifications, lack of training, requirement to work your regular hours then respond as a volunteer at all other times, the drinking, etc, etc... and you have a place I'd rather not work. I found out this week that another Paid guy walked off the job at the Fire Department this month without giving any notice.

[EMTGuard]

By the way, Pay for EMTs isn't much better. I applied with Acadian Ambulance ( http://www.acadian.com/ ), one of the nation's largest private ambulance servics which serves most of Louisiana. Check out that Link. They are desparate for EMTs and Paramedics. Nice bonuses being given for 2 year sign on commitments. After I passed their tests and was offered a job I asked, "What will I be making per hour working here?" The answer, $7.18 per hour for working a 24hour truck. Let's see, drive around Baton Rouge, break my back lifting patients doing transports and transfers all day shuttling patients to dialysis and back to their assisted living centers and homes. Maybe run the occasional 911 call when Baton Rouge EMS is too busy to catch all their calls. Work over to cover the shift of some crwmember who didn't show up for work and spend every hour I can working just to stay above the poverty level. For $7.18 per hour? Screw that!

[Jackhole]

By the way, Pay for EMTs isn't much better. I applied with Acadian Ambulance ( http://www.acadian.com/ ), one of the nation's largest private ambulance servics which serves most of Louisiana. Check out that Link. They are desparate for EMTs and Paramedics. Nice bonuses being given for 2 year sign on commitments. After I passed their tests and was offered a job I asked, "What will I be making per hour working here?" The answer, $7.18 per hour for working a 24hour truck. Let's see, drive around Baton Rouge, break my back lifting patients doing transports and transfers all day shuttling patients to dialysis and back to their assisted living centers and homes. Maybe run the occasional 911 call when Baton Rouge EMS is too busy to catch all their calls. Work over to cover the shift of some crwmember who didn't show up for work and spend every hour I can working just to stay above the poverty level. For $7.18 per hour? Screw that!

I make $10/hr. at an ambulance company, part-time.