Can anyone explain this to me?

So I want to throw this out there, see if anyone can explain this to me in a way that it may make sense. So the other day I am sitting at a local hospital, just dropped off a patient cleaning the rig and another crew pulls up, it is a local full time department. I work for a private ambulance service currently, we have two 911 contracts but like most privates we handle most of the nursing home and hospital calls,what not. So I say hello to the crew as they are passing be, no response, ok they are taking their patient in no big deal. My partner walks out the same time the other crew does, and "hey hows it going" nothing again but rolling of the eyes. One of the medics comes up to the back of the rig and says "don't you get it...you work for a private, you do not deserve our respect of hello, or any conversation for the fact...get a real medic job then you will earn my respect." I just sit there how do you respond to that. I don't deserve respect because I work for a private ambulance service. I wish that I could say that was my first experience of that nature but it wasn't..in fact I have become quite accustomed to that type of response. Driving down the road you can wave at on coming crews no wave back, when getting supplies or bringing a patient into the hospital they should get there job done first there more important our patients can wait. I guess I just don't understand how me choosing at this time to work on a private ambulance service makes me any less of a medic, or that I deserve any less respect. Kind of like in a prior discussion posted paid vs. volunteer. Last time I checked we all go through the same training, my license is not any different then a city paramedic, does not say private ambulance medic. And unless i am missing something we ALL got in the field because in one way or another we wanted to help people, because we are compassionate people who don't think twice about putting another's life or family before our own. We all go to work and when those tones drop one thing is on our mind. So why is it that I made, that the people I work with, and other employees of private ambulance services are made to feel like we are less of a person, that we shouldn't have the same loyalty or respect that everyone else does.? I guess in a way that it is disappointing, hurtful, I don't know maybe even to the point of disgraceful that the brotherhood(and sisterhood) and loyalty that are one in the same with fire and ems only applies if you have a big red truck, or a town, city , or township, sprawled across your rig...
(I am not trying to offend anyone, and I am sorry if I have...going from a fire house to a private is a big change but I embrace the opportunities, and I guess regardless of where I worked I would never tell another medic firefighter, or EMT that they didn't belong or that the were a less of a person because of where they worked...) Thanks for letting me vent, hopefully someone out there might be able to put this in prospective for me...and I am in no way...by the way saying that this is every department...I know that is not the case...thank you...

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Permalink Reply by Joe Totero on September 14, 2007 at 10:06am

Heather, to start off, what they did was not at all justifiable. Like you said, who cares if you're a big city medic or a private service medic. You all went thru the same training. No difference in my eyes. Like in the fire service, we have the volunteers & the careers. From where I came from, it was a combination department. A lot of the career guys used to be volunteers. some unfortunately forgot where they came from. there is a mentality that the vollies are taking away jobs from the paid guys. Bull! we have the same training, some vollies evn more training, than the paid. We are not trying to take jobs away, we are there to help the community, that's it. Now that I'm in a fully volunteer department, there is no bs like the vollie vs. paid. Now it's trained vs. untrained. You will never get away from this animosity. It's even in regular day to day living. I moved to PA to get away from the city. i was at first called a transplant & told to go back to where I came from. I learned these Mountain Boys don't like us City Folk because we all bring with us the things we try to escape from: violence, drugs, pollution, etc. Eventually, they stopped bugging me because they found out that we city folk are not all that bad. Anyway, like I said, you will have the animosity from the other guys no matter what. They probably feel that the private services are trying to take jobs from the city services. Don't worry, what come around, goes around. They will soon see that they need your help, even though you are not a city medic. Remember, you are all trained in the same field, do the same job (maybe some with more compassion than others) & feel the same pain. My friend put together as this: Paid or Volunteer = the same number of tears are shed for each at a funeral. There is no differnece. The carreer get paid with money, the volunteer gets paid with "Thanks you."

I hope this helps you.

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Permalink Reply by Sean Robbins on September 14, 2007 at 10:58am

This isn't much different then the paid or volunteer topic going on this forum. The only thing I can say that if someone talks to you like that and you let it get you down you are lowering yourself to there level. As someone that has had allot of different jobs in my life I can tell you that there are dumb asses and assholes in every job I have had. It is a waste of time to defend yourself to people like that because they will never look at your point with an open mind anyway. Best thing is to just let them act like idiots and say there stupid stuff and just keep doing what your are doing. Chances are there mouth will eventually get them in some trouble on down the road.

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Permalink Reply by Mick Mayers on September 14, 2007 at 10:59am

Bully behavior is usually the sign of someone that has self-esteem issues.

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Permalink Reply by bearnpa1 on September 14, 2007 at 12:38pm

here in central pa, over past well lets go back 15 yrs.. early 1990s..paid services have been in the area most FDs have stopped using internal ems services..they have gone paid.. wether fire side just does not wana do it any more or time constaints for cross training has caught up w staffing and expense.. of upkeep of veh,insurance, its occured.. as of this yr my end of this county has ONE VOLUNEER STAFFED EMS PROVIDER..left... it survives from all issues of mailers for membership, mailers for support, a trust fund, and yes last medicare re embursement..which is a sad synerio..so its a snub which was uncaled for yes.. vollys take as much time to train to certify as a paid crew only they have equal tasks maybe more of them, but still...this can drive the volunteer ems system into the ground.. which it may in time occur but, there is no excuse fot this behavior... play safe,stay safe..

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Permalink Reply by kennycalles on September 14, 2007 at 3:01pm

Those guys are jerks. I does not matter weather you work for a private or a city crew. All that matter is how good you do your job.. How well you do your job.. Don't let it get you down, you know how good you are and that is all that matters.. Keep up the good work and stay safe.

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Permalink Reply by Pablo Gonzales on September 14, 2007 at 4:30pm

some medics have that hero think going and just because you work for a private ambulance service your not equale to them. or career fireman thinking the same as vol. or big city department and small town departments. these people make me ill and are / us in two. we are all the same that is a fact no one is more important that the other. we all do the same job. and for those poeple that do think that way get a f-king club and stop being so dam closed minded

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Permalink Reply by dcltsc2 on September 14, 2007 at 4:48pm

I work for a city dept and a private EMS Squad.. If you come to my town we will not only say hello or wave but be glad to help you restock your rig or move you pt... Thats how we roll in Oberlin Ohio.... I would have to say those guys are stupid.. Stay safe keep your head up Dont sweat the small stuff. GOD BLESS

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Permalink Reply by Kevin King on September 17, 2007 at 1:41am

Keep killin them with kindness is the best thing you can do,don't fall into the game they are playing its because they see you private crews as a threat. They know your good and they have to stay on their toes or the city will outsource their jobs,which means you folks will get that work.I saw it happen in a city up in Missouri when I was there.The private co.'s had better response times and better attitudes and less complaints about treatment.

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Permalink Reply by ffbam24 on September 17, 2007 at 2:46am

All I can say to that is, "I'm sorry."

To say "you do not deserve our respect or hello...". This is a mentality that was beat into them and they feel they need to pass it on. I cannot stand the "holier-than-thou" attitude some members project out there. Plain and simple this is just wrong for one agency to treat another. Let alone one human being to another.

One suggestion would be to document it. Who knows?....

bam

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Permalink Reply by Spanner 122 on September 17, 2007 at 8:41am

Yes, I can explain it, this gentleman has an over inflated sense of self and is an asshole. Plain and simple. I'm sure his attitude does not reflect the masses. Although it likely stems from his feelings that private companies are undercutting city paid employees and "taking jobs". It's not my view, we also have private ambulance care up here; as you said, mostly for transport, nursing homes, etc unless called in by 911 then it will be our city paramedics and if they are busy (which on really crazy nights has happened) then we will be dispatched to calls you wouldn't normally see us at. I've never looked at a private ambulance service and thought they did not deserve respect for any reason... so back to my original answer... he's an arse! :)

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Permalink Reply by Heather on September 17, 2007 at 10:07am

I just wanted to say thanks for everyones opinion...its nice to see that I am not totally wrong on thinking that its just not right. I don't know in the last few days I have had some calls that in the long run I realize that it doesn't really matter who your working for city private volunteer your always going to have issues and your not going to be completely 100% satisfied...what I realized is that you have to be proud of yourself for doing what you are doing...and I can say that I am proud to me a Paramedic(I worked my ass off for it) and I am proud to be a firefighter...what everyone else thinks thats there problem, they have their own insecurities I guess...but thanks again...you all rock!

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Permalink Reply by Engineco913 on September 17, 2007 at 3:02pm

Professionalism at its worst hand. This is a sad story because you both have the same training as medics. Does your company make more per hour than his does? It doesn't justify anything he said to you all, but sometimes folks get a little upset because your bank account is heavier than theirs weekly. I would absolutely document everything, and over time I would have a meeting with the chief of the department/ems division. They can't make them wave and or be pleasant, but they sure can nip any bad mouthing and disrespect in the bud before this issue gains any more momentum and becomes an even more major issue.