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Permalink Reply by Engineer Ulfrik on February 3, 2008 at 5:45pm

My other motive for Chesterfield Co. is pay. Chesterfield starts ffs out @ $38,000/yr. I was originally looking @ Roanoke because of the area , but, since my raise went through here that is no longer an option. They only pay $31,000. $35,000 for EMT-I & P. I make almost $35,000 now as a Basic. It would be self defeating to go down in pay.

Just saying the word Vicodin would make me loopy.

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Permalink Reply by Robert Owens on February 3, 2008 at 8:54pm

Just an FYI Henrico County is starting out there firefighters @ 36,500 with an aggressive Career Development Program (4.8% for each step) and an ALS Provider incentive program (9% for I and 14.8% for P) guys are aming a very good living. We are definetly the highest paid in the area. I am a firefighter/EMT-B and and am only a few months shy of 4 years and I am making 47,000 a year and on May 5th (My 4 year mark) I get another 4.8% for going up to Senior Firefighter (This is also the step that allows you to act as a company officer). You also get yearly merit raises for good evals.

Not that money should motivate you, You should pick the dept. that fits you and your goals but being able to work for a good place and make a great living is always nice.

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Permalink Reply by Marie on February 3, 2008 at 11:48pm

haha yeah... i'll take loopy any day over the level of pain i was at before though....

everywhere up here starts at like ATLEAST 45k.... and thats without being a medic..... course cost of living is higher, but a lot of people just live out near culpeper and in other more rural areas instead of in the dc metro area and commute in... shifts start so early that you dont really get stuck in rush hour traffic.......

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Permalink Reply by Engineer Ulfrik on February 4, 2008 at 10:58am

That's not bad pay either, & it's still close to my family. Does Henrico run EMS transport or is it contracted out? I guess you guys run mutual aid with Richmond? I've still got a year or two before I can move because I need to finish working on my house, so I'll keep watching all the departments in the areas of intrest.
Money is not my only motivator. I have to look @ schools also.
My daughter starts school next Sept. & my son will most likely be starting when we are ready to move up there. I know VA. schools are good all around. Hell anything beats MS schools, but. I still want them to go to good schools. Good schools are usually found where the money is though.

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Permalink Reply by Engineer Ulfrik on February 4, 2008 at 11:11am

Yeah, pay is usually a reflection of the cost of living in an area. City & county councils like to pay us just enough to keep us at or just above the poverty line. And sometimes below! Commuting is something that I realize is just about impossible to avoid in VA.

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Permalink Reply by Marie on February 4, 2008 at 11:35am

yeppers.... u usually have to live 2 counties over more rural to where you work in order to afford any kinda a decent sized place

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Permalink Reply by Robert Owens on February 5, 2008 at 11:41am

The County of Henrico Division of Fire has 20 engine companies,5 truck comapnies, 3 squad companies, and 11 Fire Medic units with number 12 coming in June. We are supplemented by 3 volly rescue squads (sort of). Minimum staffing is 3 on the medic units 1 als 1 bls. We are 500 people strong and are still growing. We are projected to have at least 7 more firehouses built in about 10 to 15 years.

The school system in county is kinda like the county itself the further west you go the better the schools and the more expensive it is to live. Further east worse schools cheaper to live. The surronding counties such as Hanover, Chesterfield, City of Richmond are kinda like that as well they have good and bad areas and good and bad schools. Hope this helps.

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Permalink Reply by Engineer Ulfrik on February 5, 2008 at 12:08pm

Yes, it does. Thanks again you guys have been very helpful. Now I can do some surfing & check out the other places that were mentioned. I apprieciate all y'all's help.
Stay Frosty ,
Mike

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Permalink Reply by NOVAFireman on February 5, 2008 at 1:22pm

You can forget Fairfax County. Every station in Fairfax County, including the ones that have VFD on the side of the rigs and buildings are staffed 24-7-365 with career staff from Fairfax County Fire-Rescue. There's not much active participation from volunteers in that county. The vollie stations do have members, but their not active that much, maybe for a fundraiser, but that's about it.

Better opportunities are founde just across the border in Prince William and Loudoun County, VA. Both counties have very busy EMS untis, both BLS and ALS. Top picks in Loudoun for EMS only would be Sterling Volunteer Rescue who's staffed by vollies 24/7 and very busy.

In Prince William, the O.W.L. (Occoquan, Woodbridge, Lorton) VFD. They have three stations that's staffed with county career during the day, and volunteers on nights and weekends.

Then again, if you're that far north in Virginia, may as well cross the Potomac River to Prince George's County, MD and get some real experience.

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Permalink Reply by Marie on February 5, 2008 at 3:29pm

see I actually contest that...... maybe some volunteers arent active, but I put in over 900 hours last fiscal year, and have always put in ATLEAST 100 hrs a month since medic school got started..... of course thats on hold now since i hurt myself, but i'll be back....

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Permalink Reply by Beth on February 5, 2008 at 7:56pm

Not sure if VA recogonize EMT-C but check the web sites metioned earlier in this post.

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Permalink Reply by Marie on February 5, 2008 at 8:07pm

part of it is if the individual county recognizes the cert............for instance I could have been an emt-e 8months ago b/c va recognizes it, but fairfax co doesnt

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