i don't work a second job and get by just fine on my salary.

 

this link is old but might give an idea of police pay across the country.
http://www.theblueline.com/salary1.html

 

It looks to me like cops always have to work roadblocks the Holidays, is why I say they work all of them. A firefighter seems to have more time off.
I'm neither, so t may be just my perception of it.
Then too, the roadblock thing maybe just a Arkansas thing. At Holidays here, because If you drink and drive, they will bust your chops.

 

You're kinda right about the holiday thing...but more of what you are seeing is the cops just making their presence known. Most of those guys are there all the time, it's when you see them all together working a certain area or a roadblock that really catches your attention. I know in our county, they don't require overtime during the holidays, but the cops love working it.

As far as holidays for firefighters, it's just luck of the draw...or UNluck of the draw depending on how you look at it. For instance, this year, my shift falls on New Years Day, the day AFTER Memorial Day, the day AFTER 4th of July, the day BEFORE Labor Day, the day BEFORE Thanksgiving, the day AFTER Christmas, and New Years Day 2009...which brings me back to the point I made earlier...just because you don't work a certain day, or a holiday, you're either working it, getting ready to go in the next day, or just getting off shift. That's the way it works with the 24/48 shift which is what 70% of FD's do.

What's cool about holidays in my county is that we get paid double time for working holidays, and EVERYBODY gets 12 hours at time and a half whether you work it or not. It's a double edged sword, because we also get paid double time for the days the county recognizes as a holiday. For instance, if Christmas falls on a Sunday, the guys working that Christmas Day will get the 12 hours time and a half, PLUS the 24 hours at double time. The guys that work Christmas Eve (Saturday) only get the 12 hours at time and a half, the guys that work the Friday before and the Monday after get the 12 hours at time and a half, PLUS FRIDAY AND MONDAY at double time because it is the day the county takes off for Christmas. It's nice, but why should the guys not even working Christmas Day get paid DOUBLE what the guys that work Christmas Day do? It's not that big of a deal, because eventually, I'll be that guy!

Talk in depth about the crazy stuff like that with guys on both sides of the law and see what they think.

Good Luck!

 

Tuff
Good to see you on here again.

I can remember when you had issues with your former job and how becoming a Paid FF "cured" you.

I am so happy to see you doing so well.

Great advice to the OP BTW.

 

They have both been passions of mine since I can remember. Never really thought of doing anything else for a career. My friend only works a second job at a restaurant because hes sitting at home with the time off and he likes having some easy cash serving tables for a few days a week.

Im sure its the same in most places but before you get in the Fire Academy in St.Pete you have to be certified EMT, ride with first response in the field, and have 40hrs of hospital ER work which is just to let you get used to the stuff you have to see (if thats even possible) its the length of a semester of classes. Then the fire academy is 12 weeks I believe Mon-Fri 8-5.

I do have my AA and once im hired they will pay for me to get my BA. Which my friend took online classes and got his. He did a lot of his work at the station on slow days.

 

Good thing about police and fire is they are "generally" insulated from lay-off's. Not always but public saftey is generally the last to be cut in municipal budgets, especially if the government has been fiscally responsibly (yes it does still happen).

This year during the holidays I work SMT every other Wed. So I will be home for the holidays this year, now I got to pick my shift based on my senority but still.

AND I make good money doing it.

 

Ive been a cop for a little over 10 years. Although I am Air Forces Security Forces. (basically police at home station plus a wartime security mission in an overseas area like Iraq or the stan) Most days I like what I do. My schedule staeside is 6 8 hr swing shifts and the 3 days off. A 9 day week is a little weird sometimes. Most days are rewarding. I got about 9+ years to go until I retire. I wont be a cop in the civilian side. I am gonna pick a different career when I bounce.

Got a few buddies who are cops in the local area. They work alot of extra security details to make the good money. Usually around here the details pay about $25 an hour. Usually involves sitting at a construction zone with your blue lights on or security for parties, proms, etc. But they are always working it seems so they never get to hang with family.

Its like any other job, somedays I love it, somedays I cant wait to hit 20 and punch. I wouldve been getting out in january but couldnt find a job so I will be reenlisting soon.

 

Good to see a name I recognize! I still browse by here every once in a while, but rarely post. I should be hanging around more often now. See you around!

 

Check out this website and watch ALL the videos

http://www.policemanvsfireman.com/

I think your decision will be simple enough.

 

I've always admired people who run into burning buildings while everyone else is running out.

Also, I've NEVER met anyone who has had a single bad thing to say about firefighters. On the flip side, however, I've heard just about EVERYONE say something bad about a policeofficer.

That's why, among many other reasons, I'm currently 14 weeks into a 20 week training acadamy with my city's fire department.

Absolutely no regrets and loving evey moment.... looking forward to graduation in mid December.

 

what were the requirements to join grubrunner? And becoming an EMT, being "first response" and the 40 hours in the ER...explain more on those will ya? What does it take to do each, I've always thought becoming an EMT was tough on its own?

 

I certainly appreciate your post...however.....cops get a bum rap.

Yeah yeah running into burning buildings....cops do some pretty crazy stuff too.

I have heard plenty of bad things about fireman...they broke my windows, knocked stuff of my coffee table, etc....

Police and fire work in a unique type of profession, in which it is indeed customer service based, however, the customer is usually not the one dictating how things go, they only express a need and ask of you to fulfill it.

Fortunately for Fire/EMS people are usually happy when you show up (fires, heart attack, cat in tree, etc) however for the police, people are usually upset when you show up (speeding, drugs, etc).

However the tables can be turned, cops show up to save the day during a robbery or child abduction, Fire/EMS can smash a window when it could have been opened instead or cause more damage than the actual fire did by reckless tactics.

Either job is what YOU make of it. I will again say that cops get a bum rap and I admire what they do. To be a cop I think you need a higher self esteem level to maintain a normal life after getting MF'd all day.

Lastly, TV certainly romanticizes what we do in the street. Unless you plan on getting hired by FDNY, good luck with that, you may go a very, very long time without seeing a fire or other type of real "emergency." The majority of your day will be filled with busy work and running EMS calls. Yup thats right, more often than not you are a EMS department that occasionally runs fire calls, EMS makes up the majority of fire equipment responses in most paid departments, so get used to it.

I do indeed love my job and could not see myself doing anything else.

 

It wasn't so much the requirements, Josiah, but more so the arduous effort and wait it took getting into the Fire Academy..... that almost took its toll on me but I hung in there and the wait has been so worth it thus far.

I filled out my application in Fall of 06. I, along with ALL others who applied [almost 1800 I'm told], sat for a written exam February of 2007, Of that list, they hired 58 recruits over two recruit classes. I'm blessed I was one of them.

The requirements were [somewhat] basic: Legal US resident, over 18 years-of-age, high school graduate, no criminal background, clean driving record, pass a VERY comprehensive medical/physical exam, pass the national CPAT [HERE] pass a physiological evaluation and finally a background check. In between all this, I completed three sit-down interviews with a panel of 6-8.

Being an EMT is not required as the first 6 weeks of the Academy is all EMT. Even if you are an EMT [as the 7 of the 19 recruits in our class were] you still must sit through the class, pass all the exams but you do not have to take your state required EMT. At the six week's completion [160HRS of classroom time] you then have to prepare and sit for your EMT state certification [both written & practical] which you MUST pass as all FF's in my city are first responders to EMS calls. We completed no fewer than 12 exams in class at the end of the 6 weeks of EMT. I generally test well and was a B+ student throughout school/college so I really didn't find it that difficult [I finished EMT with a grade average of 94.3%] but some did had a tough time.

I was hired with no prior experience of any sorts to speak of.

In fact, I was a Personal Trainer/ Certified Strength & Conditioning Coach/ Certified Specialist In Performance Nutrition since moving to the US in 2000. I did freelancing for a couple of years and worked in a large gym for another four prior to [finally] being called up to the Fire Training Academy in August of this year.

I'm blessed to be where I am as I'm quite aware there are a thousand or so other people who would like to be in my boots, and, like I touched on earlier, am looking forward to graduation around mid-December.

IMHO, there is no finer profession.

Hope this answers your question.

 

perfect answer. But the driving record raises a flag, how long until points drop off your record? And a single point (one speeding violation) is a disqual.?