Unemployment for seasonal workers is a whole different sport then collecting welfare. I don't even look down at people working cash jobs while collectinn unemployment.
Rtrain I have heard that being an emt doesn't really pay that well. Are all the guys in the ambulance equall and get paid the same( except for a supervisior I suppose) like do you take turns driving or is it one guys only job? And I think I would be to tempted to break into the good medicine and I would be fired and or arrested.
Yeah for the most part partners will alternate driving every other call. There are some old, salty vets (who are typically miserable because they probably didn't intend to be an EMT forever) who will only drive. Some companies run things differently, mine leaves it up to the more senior crew member to call the shots, but most people are cool and just play it fair. Some companies put new hires driving restriction for a while once they a first hired.
And yes the pay is pretty low. There is lots of overtime to make up for the low pay, otherwise I would never survive with the pay. You can get steady raises or switch companies to negotiate better pay, but in the end the pay is still crap. I mean some guys in their 40s are making low 20s an hours, so with some OT it is definitely a job you can survive on. But they had to do the job for years. I'm just at a little over 14/hr, start at 13.25 and basically get raises around .60/hr every year.
I always remember the teacher I had for my EMT course told everyone its not a job to do for more than 5 years, if you are then its a mistake. Its a stepping stone to better things, I agree with him.
The medication is only on the paramedic trucks, it takes about 1.5-2 years of school to be one and everyone who does it says the schoolwork is pretty tough. They don't make much more money either, but have way more responsibility. All they carry on an ambulance is 2 vials of 10 mg morphine and 100mcg fentanyl, so its not exactly worth raiding the things, that wouldn't even tough some of the people here. They keep pretty good tabs on it, too, but there has been many cases of medics stealing it, or they shoot themselves up and replace it with saline.
There was a time when all I did was post in OD. Even before the social I was in every thread trying to help people...either that or flaming the shit put of someone. But you can only go over the same shit so many times. Then, at some point, you come to the conclusion that BL causes more bad than good and you quit altogether. I haven't posted outside of the social or drugs in the media in a long fucking time. Fuck it I have contributed enough throughout the years....except for money, never gave any of that to BL.
Yeah OD and BDD were basically all I posted in until I hit about half the post # I have. It does get a little ridiculous repeating oneself to people with the same or very similar questions. The lack of self sufficiency shown can be sad. Even if I have no idea about the answer to someone's question I can typically find it within a few minutes of internet research. It seems every so often I will get motivation to post in OD or BDD, but more often than not I breeze though the latest posts and just not interested.
Congrats RTrain..... I am also union and have a lot of randoms. I am quitting because I am taking to many chances with my job and because I just feel better and perform better when I am clean. After using dope or methadone for close to 15yrs I just enjoy living a normal sober life(it's refreshing and different). My little mamasita also likes me clear eyed so I get more lovin'.
I hate how a small group ruin welfare for those who really need the assistance. I know some single mothers who are struggling and doing everything they can to better themselves. They use the stamps properly and work hard towards a better future by doing everything right. Then their are those that sell drugs and have kid after kid in order to get more assistance. It is such a shame.
I can't even take any prescriptions- Bupe, MDone or benzos. It sucks because I was born missing half a vertebrae and could get any Pk I wanted but the insurance companies and job financiers won't allow any prescriptions because I work in one of the most dangerous job fields in America.
My job didn't test for bupe, thankfully because I wouldn't have passed. They did a 10 panel urine, plus expanded opioids and the hair test which are basically all 5 panel with expanded opoids. I actually talked to my friend today who quit the dept late last year and he says they don't do randoms. But you never they when they might. I know a city near mine does and Boston does, too, they both started it around '07. But that smaller city had a guy miss a 911 call for a infant and then he failed a drug test, plus Boston lost 2 guys around that time(1 had .27 BAC and other had coke in his blood). My town has some financial issues so they might not for that. reason.
A buddy of mine says he went for a union job recently, he is prescribed Subs and he was denied for that, they told him come back in a year and if he tests negative they will hire him. I believe it was the ironworkers union, but I am not sure. He also said they did a cheek swab.