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 Steve Price on September 17, 2007 at 3:22pm
Sorry that you are treated that way.There is some of that here also.My volunteer station has some paid boys in it during the day and some of them treat volunteers as leppers,I was treated the same way till on day I showed up in uniform,I am a career guy with a Nuclear FD,there attitude changed immediatly.Same guy just different cloths.There is no place for this type of treatment in this line of work,we all work together and look very much the same in turnout gear weather we are volunteers or career.I hope that you get treated better in the future.Stay Safe !!
Permalink Reply by Stuart Williams on September 17, 2007 at 7:30pm
Well, gee. I've been through this many times myself. Sometimes I even hear the attitude from my fellow private employees. They want to go out and get a "real" job so they can "save lives". I've got news...

Dialysis patients that don't get to dialysis die. They just die. Slowly and painfully they die. Every time I deliver a patient to dialysis I save a life. The same goes for many of the other appointments that our patients go to.

Maybe I deserve a little respect from the "Pros" because I'm doing the trips that they don't want to do. I'm not sure about your town but where I live the city EMS would colapse without the private companies. There are quite a few private services in the area and mine alone does approx. 50,000 runs a year.

You know you deserve respect. Respect yourself. Let the "paragods" think they're superior. I'd rather be a superior person.

Good luck!
Permalink Reply by Laura on September 17, 2007 at 8:05pm
That medic has it all wrong........it's not a matter of respect it's called "Common Courtesty". If someone says "hello" you should say "hi" atleast. We are in the only service in our county, but alot of other services bring patients to the hospital here and we are fortunate enough that we all respect each other no matter what kind of service we work for. We routinely take transfers to larger hospitals in other areas and occasionally we might run into someone who chooses to ignore us when we speak, however, for the most part everyone is professional and kind. Just keep your head held high and know that those people are not any better than you just because of the service they work at.
Permalink Reply by David Herlensky on September 19, 2007 at 8:17pm
I used to work for a private EMS organization for about 11 years prior to becoming a full time firefighter/paramedic. During this time I traveled around the United States seeing how different private and publis organization interact with each other. Like most things in life, some places are better than others to work in. What I have discovered is that the relationship is usually worse between fire department personnel and private EMS services that hold 911 contracts. Unfortunately, it usually comes down to economics and primarily money.

Here is how it usually works, The fire departments are usually operated as part of a government entity. With this also comes the IAFF [in general not a big fan of private ems services]. Then you have the private EMS services which usually aren't unionized, the employees usually make a little less money, more customer service oriented, and usually able to operate better under a tighter budget. In general, the fire department personnel fear for their jobs. As a private service, you already hold some 911 contracts, they think you are coming after them.

Where I used to run private EMS, the fire departments ineptitude cost them a large operating contract that the private company won in a bidding process. We have now taken one contract, are we coming after the rest of their jobs next. You already have the same training as them, isit really that big of a streatch for somebody that in uneducated in the operating process of private services to think this. Because of the size of our company, the local fire department totally overhauled their EMS operations because they thought we were going to try to take over EMS for the city.
Permalink Reply by Stuart Williams on September 19, 2007 at 8:23pm
You did private service?! You must be a great Medic. Only the best get to run with private service.
Permalink Reply by Earl Hoisington on September 19, 2007 at 10:47pm
Some people just have a chip on their shoulder. I went threw the same thing years ago. They feel better about themselves by putting other people down. The way I see it is we are all equal, paid or not - city or private.
Permalink Reply by Alex Tran on September 20, 2007 at 2:40am
Maybe I'm wrong, but I think your experience may not be the norm. In my dept. we work side by side w/ the private EMS company. They share our stations and some have their own. We work, live, eat, and hang out side by side. They join in on our training and they train us in case we have to ride in the back w/ a patient. It's just too bad that your don't have a good relationship w/ your city dept.
Permalink Reply by Allen Wahlstrom on September 20, 2007 at 9:57am
Been a Private EMS provider, Paid Career Firefighter, Volunteer Firefighter and it's all the same, jsut how we deal with outr downtime that changes, and the paycheck.
Just keep doing what you do...those guys are morons.
Stay Safe!
Permalink Reply by Pablo Gonzales on September 20, 2007 at 11:25am
Allen Wahlstrom htere need to be more people like you i have always believe and always will that we are all brothers doing the same job seeing the best and worst in poeple. we share the same joy when something good happens to one of us. and pain when one of us falls. this dumass battle has gone on long enough. i would have though that what happened in new york some of us would learn that live is to short for dumass battles like this one.
Permalink Reply by Heather on September 20, 2007 at 11:40am
Your right I do...I normally have no issues standing up for myself or what I believe...I guess this caught me off gaurd, never had this type of thing happen till I moved up north...lol...I am uses to running hand and hand with the fire guys, we are a team...up here its nothing but enemies...it sucks its bad for the area and in the long run it is disrespectful for the fire and ems community in the area...this is one of those occasions where you look back and there is all those things that you wanted to say but couldn't for what ever reason...like pablo said below its sad that we all cant get along we should be a strong group that can and will make many changes in peoples lives for a better...thank you you did in away shake me, wake me up..kind if gave me a loveing kick in the ass...I need to move anyone know anyone looking for medics..lol...
Permalink Reply by Thomas Pirko on September 20, 2007 at 2:14pm
I think the sad part is it is very common to find clicks that feel they are better or different. Like I said it is just a sad fact. And it is not just between paid and volunteer, or Private and "real" medic jobs. We in recent years went from an organization that ran fire and 3 ambulances all volunteer. Due to a lot of political crap we now have an all paid ambulance that is still in the same building as us but technically they are a "seperate" organization. Many of us still run for both when possible but if you are not in the "click" of the paid guys, many times you are looked as an outsider. We on the fire side are currently looking to build a second ready room to hang out in with a TV because most of the fire members feel uncomfortable going to the other side where all of the ambulance crews spend their whole day, and have more or less taken over. I think its sad, and I don't know what anyone can do about it.
Permalink Reply by ffbam24 on September 20, 2007 at 3:09pm
Not the spelling police but it's "clique". ; )

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